My primary care doctor during my extended inpatient stay doesn’t get enough credit for helping me. He told me things I didn’t fully understand then, but I realize now how on point he actually was. He would spend time with me almost daily, reassuring me that everything would be alright. I was admittedly scared after the accident, unsure of what lay ahead. He was honest and told me that I had a very long road to recovery, but if I stayed calm and level-headed, everything would work out. He explained that my long and short-term memory would be significantly impacted. I would forget a lot of things, but somehow, when discussed around me, I would remember. I’d often fall back on the phrase “Oh, that’s right” when reminded of something. Suffice it to say now that he was correct.
Although it can be discouraging to forget things, the ability to remember is rewarding. It gives me hope that one day, my traumatic brain can return to normal. Forgetting previous memories has been admittedly confusing #tbi, but the past is the past. The now is more important. It’s really all we have. While history is important to who you were and who you may become, the present moment more clearly defines who you are. Live in the now. Living in the now is a challenge for someone battling #tbi because life was so different previous to the injury. There’s no time like the present, however, to become the best version of yourself. The present is a present, I am grateful to just be alive.
Now, when I forget about an upcoming appointment or something I had discussed with someone else and am subsequently reminded, I’ll often respond, “Oh, that’s right.'” It’s an interesting revelation to me how spot-on my doctor was. If he’s reading this or anyone else at Craig Rehabilitation Center is, I will admit he was correct. My memory is crap, both short and long-term, but I still have hope that memories will return. Let me tell you, it’s a wild experience when memories you had previously forgotten come flooding back. For the short term, I use a lot of memory strategies to help retain information. One of the best strategies I frequently use is the one I learned from Jim Kwik’s book Limitless. Speaking of which, I can’t say enough how important reading has been for my cognition. Read more. The strategy is to imagine something ridiculous to help you remember. For example, if you have a 4 pm doctor’s appointment, imagine your doctor yelling fore on a golf course. As ridiculous as it sounds, the memory of your doctor yelling for you on a golf course, although you may have never actually played golf together, will better help you remember your appointment is at 4 pm.
Recently, I asked my wife what’s for dinner, and when she reminded me of our plans, I quickly responded, “Oh, that’s right.’ Having the support of another is particularly crucial with #tbi. Independent memory recall is more important, though. As I’ve discussed previously in another blog, independence is very important to me. While I’m certainly grateful for my wife’s assistance, it’s better to be able to remember things on my own. Using strategies and different assistance, like post-it notes or reminder texts, can be very helpful. I’ll often text myself an upcoming reminder, and when I read back through my messages later, I often think, “Oh, that’s right,” I need to do the thing, whatever that thing may be.
That’s all for this blog. Hopefully, I imparted some useful memory strategies. If not, I will just imagine I did and hold on to that memory instead. All the crazy shit I did at night will be the best memories for me. I must let it go for the night; that will be the best therapy for me.
