How people respond makes all the difference

After a nasty fall while skiing, Jackson was responsive and able to tell the medics about his twisted knee and broken wrist. Perhaps because of his determination to appear normal, the doctors focused on his other injuries. His broken bones healed relatively fast, but his head injury took time to be recognised and would be a much longer process of healing.

Honestly, my life wouldn’t have been the same without a close friend in the health system. Karen’s a nurse, and she fought for me to get what I needed. Like, she talked to ACC and made sure the head injury was actually listed on the claim form—it wasn’t at first! Karen insisted I go into ABI rehab as well, they discharged me straight home from the hospital, I was still really not myself and barely remember that time at all. The hospital gave me no information whatsoever about what to expect with brain injuries and all that stuff.

When I had trouble with my speech it really got to me, I get stuck finding words and the story gets mixed up in my head. Reading body language, that’s still hard too. I think I am still getting better, but never fast enough. They say I’m too determined and I have to let it happen at its own speed. I thought like a muscle you work your brain and it gets stronger, but sometimes rest makes me better and that’s hard to understand.

Karen got me to see an osteopath who is helping with some of the body awareness stuff and learning to listen and understand what is going on for my body. It’s helping so I don’t overdo it, I’m learning to respond and preempt what I need. It makes a big difference.

The other thing about all of my mates is they’re good to talk to, they take the time to listen so I can try to explain things and they say things like “we don’t want you to change, we want you as you are.” And they never make light of stuff I say, or tell me I just need to sit outside in the sunshine to cheer up. My doctor… he does not have a good bedside manner if you know what I mean. He thinks I’m lying when I tell him about stuff that is bothering me. So many medical people out there don’t even consider the effects of a head injury. But you’ve gotta push sometimes, you know your health and you know if something’s not right. I just wouldn’t accept that this was it. Push, push, push to get answers.

If someone I know gets a head injury I’d tell them just don’t give up. Maybe I am taking a more of a broken track, a road that is very bumpy but so what. I might have long-lasting side effects, but I’ll reach the destination. Take a bit longer than everybody else. But as long as you are prepared to put the time in or the effort you get there.

This case is a composite example created for illustrative purposes. It is drawn from the stories of several different people. Names and details have been changed to protect confidentiality.