Dealing with brain injury after vehicle accident

by Paul Jr.
(Flatbush, Alberta)

In 2005 I fell asleep while driving after a night shift on the rigs and hit an approach and flipped my truck. I then needed STARS air ambulance to come and rescue me from my diesel truck which I had to have the jaws of life used to cut me out of my truck. I'm glad I didn't have anyone else in my truck with me cause the truck was crumpled beyond belief and any passengers would've been killed.

I've been in a wheelchair since 05 and recieve BOTOX to my left arm because its been affected so badly. The BOTOX helps release the built up tension in arm and bring it back to its old position. The BOTOX is a muscle relaxant. I hope I'm saying it right but it gives the arm back its old flex. The injury affected my arm and was so tight into my body with no movement whatsoever, but now it can move not too much but better, thank goodness.

This accident really took alot out of me but I can do this now, I first was put on low antidepressents but I was still in my coma and I they tell me at The Centenial Center in Ponoka formally the Alberta Hospital that they had to "up" my anti-derpessent levels. I guess this is what happens with brain injuries we all go a little "nuts" well we are normal people but we all go a little funky when our brains are wacked abnormaly.

We all are just fine but some brain injuries are more severe than others. I mean in my little world I'm looking at a computer screen right now and writing this down and thinking these are brain injury stories at their very beginings.

Now I know I have forgotten to add some parts to my story but with this brain injury its the damndest thing, I'll have this here story done and then send it off and then I'll be I should've put this in or that, thats what I hate about this brain injury. Your never quite done thinking in your head, well I'm not anyways.

Right after I'm done visiting I'm always second guessing myself on did I do or it right or not, before my brain injury it never even occured to me to even think that but now I do. I often wonder are there more people like me out there?. Brain injuries affect us all in different ways. How has a brain injury affected you?