Hello My name is Lauren.
My tbi happened October 2nd, 2015. I was out at a bar with some friends, the next thing I knew I woke up in ICU at the hospital. From what I was told, I fell and was knocked unconscious!
I was admitted as a Jane Doe as no one came with me. Several hours my boyfriend (my now husband) was called by one of the girls who was there that night and he came to the hospital to identify me.
I don’t remember ANY of the accident and only bits and pieces of the days that followed. My doctors were in and out of my room every couple hours asking me to wiggle my toes and squeeze their hand. I remember my neurologist telling my boyfriend to call my family and have them come into town because it didn’t look good. at anytime I wasn’t able to respond, they would have taken me into surgery to relieve the pressure on my brain.
I had what’s called a coup contrecoup brain injury. Basically, my brain bounced inside my skull resulting in two subdural hematomas and lots of swelling. My doctors didn’t initially believe that my accident occurred from a simple “fall” as the damage was consistent with someone who had been ejected from a car crash and impacted the pavement.
I was kept in ICU for 2 weeks and then was moved into the rehab portion of the hospital where I spent another 2 weeks doing daily PT, OT and speech therapy.
I was finally able to come home after almost a month. I never found out the real story behind my accident. The bar I was at claimed there was no video surveillance and no one claims to have seen the incident happen. It’s been 5 years now since my accident and I am truly I different person.
I’ve grieved the loss of my old self but am grateful in many ways for the “new” me. It took many years for me to talk about my accident without breaking down and being very emotional.
I am doing remarkably well and better than any doctor ever thought I would be capable of.
Thank you TBI One Love for the opportunity to be involved with your movemen!
