John

John had been retired from 12 years of military service just one year when he was involved in a head-on collision that broke his face in 178 places and changed his life forever. He was able to have his face reconstructed but his brain was forever altered. Since his accident John has grappled with symptoms including headaches, sensitivity to light and sound, sinus problems, memory issues, vision issues, chronic pain and a “constant case of vertigo” due to damage to his inner ears.

After military service in the Army for four years, and the Army National Guard for 8, John held administrative jobs for the Department of Army and the VA and worked in the Water Resources Division for the U.S. Geological Survey. However due to symptoms of his TBI he has found it increasingly difficult to retain new information and perform more complex tasks and has noticed a correlation between the effort needed to function at such levels and the amount of pain he is in. “The more stress and the more pressure you’re under, for me, the worse the pain gets, and the longer the day.”

As a rule, John does not drive as his “brain just can’t wrap around the backwards things.” To cope with the symptoms of his injury John tries to keep both his body and brain active. He does brain tests like Luminosity, is trying to learn Gaelic, and walks “two miles a day.” He says that retirement has reduced his stress, which has also reduced his headaches. To deal with memory issues his wife sends him reminder emails and they keep an active calendar, going over the next day’s activities repeatedly the night before, of which John says “sometimes I remember and sometimes I don’t.”

Of TBI in general John says it is like “going from superman to half man” and reminds others to “be forgiving of yourself” and to keep active. “Don’t sit in the room and sit there and mull over all this stuff,” he says. “You just can’t do that, you’ve got to keep moving.”