Talking to the Right People

In this post, I wrote about how difficult TBI recovery is. That concept implies one important thing: It's difficult to recovery well without professional, compassionate help. Medical staff might not understand everything, but they'll still understand a massive amount more than what the untrained will! Talking to them first can save endless frustration when coping with some difficult TBI recovery problem.

Since they can be of so much help, how best to use them? Simple, talk! Find the right person, talk to them and try to ask them the right questions! Have a think before you go to them: what would you like to know, what don't you understand, how best could they help?

Didn't get the answers you wanted or, just as importantly, didn't get them in the way you wanted? Remember to think, hang on, I'm the Boss! Remember how complicated TBI recovery is. That'll mean there's a massive amount of people that might be able to help you. Don't stop trying different people until you find answers you're happy with.

That's probably the most important thing to take from my process of relearning how to run. Someone as serious as a physician or even a neurologist was unlikely to help me with it. After all, I knew how to move the right muscles. The problem was moving them in the right order!

I tried two different exercise trainers who normally help healthy people with running, but neither were at all familiar with problems related to brain injury. In the end, after some encouragement from a friend, I tried talking to a physiotherapist who recommended another physiotherapist who specialised in the relevant area. Only with that, did I feel I was in competent hands that would help me with my running trouble.

Cheers,
Mike