Concussion Is Brain Injury: Treating the Neurons and Me

by Shireen Anne Jeejeebhoy

Overview

Shireen is an artist, author, and blogger. She earned a B.Sc. in psychology from the University of Toronto, launched into writing and computer programming, and slammed and somersaulted into the unknown life of brain injury in the year 2000.

She emerged from the car crash still walking and talking, but the person she had been was forever gone. Although no one knew it at the time, she had sustained a concussion. The repercussions of that injury have shaped her life ever since.

Many believe a concussion is a mild injury, when in truth it is a traumatic brain injury in which the brain bangs about inside the skull. If not identified or treated within the first 48 hours, the injury can lead to secondary symptoms (euphemistically named post-concussive syndrome) that require years of rehabilitation. Traditional rehabilitation, involving cognitive therapy and rest, were ineffective. In addition to lost neurons, Jeejeebhoy was quickly losing her social connections and relationships. The concussion was threatening to cut her off from the world.

She wanted this hidden injury healed; she wanted the plethora of problems from it, especially the cognitive ones, treated. She wanted to return to society. And so began her long quest to find effective treatment. She found it and improved dramatically. In Concussion Is Brain Injury, Revised Edition, Jeejeebhoy shares this journey, her discoveries, and the latest research to give hope to those who have suffered from concussions and the people who care for them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780991969869
Publisher:	SA Jeejeebhoy
Publication date:	10/17/2017
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	422
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

Shireen Jeejeebhoy is a Toronto-based author, blogger, and photographer and holds a BSc in psychology from the University of Toronto. After sustaining a brain injury, Ms. Jeejeebhoy finds her writing keeps her grounded and her photography lifts her into realms of colour and light. Ms. Jeejeebhoy's work is an eclectic mix of fiction, biography, nonfiction, and poetry, with the city of Toronto often in a starring role. She is the author of the award-winning biography Lifeliner: The Judy Taylor Story and the novel She, which was a finalist for the 2012 Word Guild Awards. You can visit her website at https://jeejeebhoy.ca.

Table of Contents

Concussion Is Brain Injury: Treating the Neurons and Me is structured into a two components: the memoir narrative, and the learnings from that narrative and from research. The former is written in narrative non-fiction style; the latter clear, short, with references and URL addresses to web pages that will be updated as I continue to learn about brain injury and treatments.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Honeymoon

CHAPTER 1: Y2K

CHAPTER 2: WHAT ABOUT BOOKS

CHAPTER 3: JOURNALING

CHAPTER 4: STAYCATION TO VACATION

The Honeymoon Learnings

CHAPTER A: THE DETAILS

Diagnosis

Observation

My Brain Injury

Diffuse Axonal Injury

CHAPTER B: ANGER AND PERCEPTION

CHAPTER C: TRADITIONAL STRATEGIES AND THERAPIES

Pacing

Deep Breathing

SMART Goals

Reading Strategies

Decision-Making Strategies

Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy

Talk Therapy

CHAPTER D: TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS

Abandonment

CHAPTER 5: MY FORTIETH YEAR

CHAPTER 6: YEAR OF HELL

CHAPTER 7: SHATTERED

Abandonment Learnings

CHAPTER E: EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE FAILS

CHAPTER F: MEDICAL TEAM, SOCIAL SUPPORT

Medical Team Support

Social Support

CHAPTER G: REMARKABLE RECOVERY

CHAPTER H: INSURANCE PRINCIPLES

Salvation

CHAPTER 8: BRAINWAVE

CHAPTER 9: BRAIN ON TRAINING WHEELS

CHAPTER 10: BIOFEEDBACK BEGINS AND LIFELINER ENDS

CHAPTER 11: BECOMING ME

CHAPTER 12: OPEN A WINDOW

Salvation Learnings

CHAPTER I: NEURONS AND BRAINWAVES

Delta Brainwaves

Theta

Alpha

SMR

Beta

Busy Brain

Gamma

EMG

CHAPTER J: AUDIOVISUAL ENTRAINMENT

SMR 14 Hz

SMR/Beta L13.5/R18 Hz

Alpha 10 Hz

Brain Booster/ADD L14-10/R19-10 Hz

0.5–1 Hz, Sub-Delta

CHAPTER K: ATTENTION

CHAPTER L: FATIGUE

Fear

CHAPTER 13: TERROR AND EREBUS

CHAPTER 14: HUMANS AREN’T TIGERS BUT ELEPHANTS

CHAPTER 15: I NEED A THERAPIST

Fear Learnings

CHAPTER M: THERMOREGULATION

CHAPTER N: STRESS

CHAPTER O: TREAT THE PERSON

Stall

CHAPTER 16: THE LAW SETTLES

CHAPTER 17: THE PROMISE OF RECOVERY

CHAPTER 18: NANOWRIMO 2009

CHAPTER 19: I CLICKED PUBLISH

Stall Learnings

CHAPTER P: COMMUNITY SERVICES

Hope

CHAPTER 20: CRUELTY WITH INTENT

CHAPTER 21: NEURODOC

CHAPTER 22: THE DREAM WAS WITHIN REACH

CHAPTER 23: HAPPY GAMMA

CHAPTER 24: THREADING NEW NETWORKS

Hope Learnings

CHAPTER Q: HYPOTHALAMUS FIX

Hypothesis

Method

Results

Unexpected Results

CHAPTER R: GAMMA

Introduction

Hypothesis

Method

Training

Data

Results after Forty-Four Sessions

IVA

TOVA

Single-Electrode EEG Gamma Brainwave Ranges

Functional Changes

Conclusion

Discussion

Shock

CHAPTER 25: ALONE IN THE CITY

CHAPTER 26: NOT A READER

Shock Learnings

FLASHBACKS

GRIEF

Now What?

CHAPTER 27: LABYRINTHINE RECOVERY

CHAPTER 28: YOU’RE NOT ALONE

Now What? Learnings

CHAPTER S: SOCIAL ISOLATION

Remedy to Social Isolation

CHAPTER T: WHEN TO TREAT

Theory

Assessment

Passive Treatment

Passive-Active Treatment

Reassessment

Active Treatment

Intensive Treatment

Maintenance

CHAPTER U: READING REHAB

Assessment

Passive-Active Treatment in Phase with Passive of “When to Treat” Chapter

Active Treatment

Intensive Treatment

Maintenance

Editorial Reviews

"Jeejeebhoy's harrowing journey takes on new characteristics when she weaves comprehensive clinical information into her recollections." Kirkus Reviews

"Jeejeebhoy's tale is highly emotional... is ultimately uplifting, while giving a realistic view of recovery." Self-Publishing Review

"a must read for anyone with a brain injury and anyone who is close to someone with a brain injury." Amazon Customer

"The story that will change your perception about trauma" Mariuca Asavoaie on Amazon

"it takes a while to read but is absolutely interesting." Mia C. on Amazon

"it is refreshing to see an author speak about the long term effects and the havoc that a concussion can create in ones life" Corrie M on Amazon

"A very brave woman." quirru on Amazon

"Overall, a very good read." astrofan on Amazon

From the Publisher

2017-11-09
A brush with a life-threatening accident spurs a writer to investigate the "hidden epidemic" of debilitating brain trauma.In this revised version of her original 2012 publication, Canadian novelist and biographer Jeejeebhoy (Aban's Accension, 2013, etc.) enhances the text with expanded personal detail, creating an immersive, multifaceted memoir. The author had studied neurophysiology as part of her collegiate curriculum at the University of Toronto, so she was well-versed in the consequences of brain injuries when she was involved in a major car collision in 2000. Before the accident, Jeejeebhoy was completing the manuscript for her debut biography, and her injuries put that project—and much more—on indefinite hold. These included apparent sprains and nerve problems, but investigation into nagging, chronic migraines and dizzy spells resulted in a diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury. This led to months of experimental drug treatments with a two-year duration: either the therapies would work by then, or Jeejeebhoy would likely have to endure her maladies forever. The author painfully describes the toll that her injuries took on her relationship with her husband, Mistral;her panic at losing the ability to read; and other cognitive impairments. Desperate to return to her normal life, she became intensely motivated to find a reason and resolution for her injury through determined research and treatment alternatives. Jeejeebhoy's harrowing journey takes on new characteristics when she weaves comprehensive clinical information into her recollections. She also effectively dispels the myth that a concussion is a mild affliction and shows that secondary symptoms, such as anger and fatigue, can indeed endure for many years. She's uniformly candid when writing about a year of devastating setbacks, which she says felt like "a massive plough that trenches through your established networks." Toward the end of the book, she delves even deeper into the scientific neuropathological data of her treatment plan and further developments of her "labyrinthine recovery."Perhaps overly expository for casual readers, but the intricate details of the author's experience are riveting and enlightening.

Kirkus Reviews