Treatments
Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments
Science has proven that the body needs oxygen to heal itself. Many injuries and illnesses involve the lack of oxygen-rich blood, which is then unable to travel to affected areas of the body.
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Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments (HBOT) is a type of therapy where an individual will lie in a sealed oxygen chamber and breathe in pure oxygen. When your body is wounded, it may require more oxygen to heal, so the chamber supplies the patient with more oxygen to heal injuries.
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HBOT has been used in the treatment of many different medical conditions and injures that benefit from having an increased level of oxygen in the body's tissues. Recovering from a traumatic brain injury is said to benefit from HBOT, but there is an unfortunate lack of clinical, research-based evidence to back this up. As a result, although many common uses of HBOT are covered by insurance, many TBI conditions may not be.
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Shortly after I returned home from the hospital, I started going to a nearby facility to receive HBOT. I went two or three times a week for several weeks before I started to feel a difference, but I quickly began to realize that my memory improved, and I was not struggling to find the correct words to use while speaking. The scores on the memory games I had been playing on my iPad were improving as well. I continue to use the HBOT almost every day.
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Scientific research to support this:
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Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a type of nontraditional medicine where thin needles are inserted into the body. The goal of acupuncture is to promote and restore the balance of energy that flows throughout the body. This addresses pain and can extend to benefits with emotional problems such as anxiety and depression. I used acupuncture as part of my recovery to address my pain, balance issues, and the weaknesses in parts of my body.
After my injury, I had several physical disabilities. Not only did I have a torn rotator cuff, but I had paralysis on the right side of my body, especially in my right foot. I found a well-trained and licensed acupuncturist in my area who helped me recover from these disabilities. I received treatments twice a week for over a year.
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Scientific research to support this:
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Memory Work
Many traumatic brain injuries damage the part of the brain that controls memory, so it is very common for TBI survivors to have memory problems. When I regained consciousness after my accident, the hospital staff tested my memory and I couldn't remember two common words in a row. At first, I began restoring my cognitive process in the hospital, but I continued to work with therapists for four weeks after I was discharged and returned home.
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Afterwards, I sought out memory enhancing games to play on my iPad. I felt that Lumosity, CT Training, Brainwell, and Mind Games Pro were the games that helped me the most. These can be downloaded to a computer or iPad; some of them are free but others cost a small fee. In order to help with my recovery, I played these games for over 30 minutes each day for five or six days a week for more than one year. I am still doing these memory exercises almost every day.
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Scientific research to support this:
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Exercise
Exercise is an important part of recovery for people who have endured traumatic brain injuries according to research conducted by University of Queensland researchers. Regular aerobic exercises as a component of rehabilitation may show improvements in walking, functional ability, and improved motor performance. A review by the University of Queensland School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences uncovered that exercise benefits a particular protein that is involved in brain reorganization and relearning following a traumatic brain injury. Exercise can contribute to the capability for brain cells to grow, change, and rejuvenate.
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I exercised nearly every day once I got home from the hospital. At first, I was exhausted after walking to the end of my driveway, but I added more distance every day. Soon I was walking one block, then several blocks, and I built up the distance until I could walk three miles. Then I started jogging slowly. Because I was an amateur world class triathlete before the accident, I was able to build up my running mileage to 23 miles a week, but this took many months.
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Scientific research to support this:
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Balance Problems
I had severe balance problems after my accident. Once I returned home from the hospital, I needed someone to hold me to walk up and down the staircase in my home. I needed to use a cane while walking around because I couldn't balance on my own. I did and still do various balance exercises every day, including:
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Standing on one foot for 30 seconds then alternating to the other foot.
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Stand on one foot and move my other foot 6 inches in front of me for 2 seconds. Lower that foot without putting it on the ground, then raise it once more. Repeat this 10 times then do so with the other foot.
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Walk in a straight line for 30 feet with my feet close together.
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Even after all my training and therapy, I still have some balance problems, but I am able to walk, run, climb stairs with no difficulty.
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Double Vision Correction
Due to the TBI I experienced severe double vision because my eyes did not converge. Essentially, my left and right eyes saw different images that my brain could not put together. I had total non-convergence, but thankfully there was optician in my area who treated this. I attended a classroom for training my vision twice a week and completed daily homework assignments. After 3 months of this routine, I regained eye convergence and no longer suffered from double vision.
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EXERCISES TO CORRECT DOUBLE VISION: I followed the eye exercises recommended by an optician who treats double vision. Much of this was tedious – such as staring at a bead on a string – but I spent an hour a day doing these exercises and my double vision was totally cured. This work should be done with the advice of a trained medical professional.
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Journaling
Keeping a journal is important to track your progress. I write in my journal almost every day and I have mine divided into the following sections:
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Medical treatments
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Achievements – and this should be any even very small achievements such as “I can walk up the stairs without gripping the banister.”
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Improvements in my life – again this should list even the smallest improvement such as “I have gotten closer to my sister-in-law since the accident.”
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Emotional section – carefully record any emotional changes you experience. Both the positive and negative ones.
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Exercise diary – Record the exercise you do each day. I started where I was. “I walked to the end of the driveway today.”
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Emotional Therapy
My traumatic brain injury affected my emotional health and I regularly went to a therapist who worked with TBI survivors. In the 71 years before my TBI I never would have thought that I would need to work with a therapist, but after the accident, I experienced depression that I could not deal with by myself.
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