Sorry; you're not who I was expecting (a multi-part post)

Well guys, it’s been over five years since I wrote my last post updating people about my recovery progress. While in many ways I still feel I’m one of the luckiest recoverers around, the last three years of my recovery have been pretty tough. I now realise how I'd thoroughly underestimated how hard it was recovering from brain injury. Quite simply, I wasn't the person I thought I was.

What’s been happening? A lot’s been great: I moved to Britain with my partner I mentioned in my last post, we got married and now have a one year old child. Have things really been that bad you might well ask...

 It took issues with my career to show I was still suffering from some brain injury issues that had been limiting my productivity. Over-inflated expectations of myself meant it took me ages to find a new job in London. I finally found a pretty good one after a bit over a year. However I made a mess of it, brain injury issues contributed to me resigning after only six months in the job.

 I recently got a new job that I feel is a much better place for me. Yet, the brain injury issues I've faced the last three years are still there to deal with. I’ve plenty more to say about them and what my experience says for others recovering from brain injury. In a series of posts, over the next few months, I intend to write much more about them. I intend to explain how I'm not the person I thought I was.

 Hope you stay tuned for what more I have to say. And if you're facing the hardest struggle, recovering from your brain injury, please hang in there. I hope what I have to say will help you, most of all.

Cheers,
Mike

An update on Mike's recovery

It's been awhile since my last post on this blog - time for an update.  It's now eight and a half years since my TBI.  Although I am still recovering, my life continues apace.  I've taken a demanding new job.  I've moved in with my girlfriend.  I continue to make progress with my running.  Steady as she goes, but with a thumbs up.

A new suit for my new job!

First of all, my job.  I'm working as a Regulatory Economist for a major NZ telecommunications company.  It's my first job since my accident that feels like proper progress with my career.  As expected, I have to be a bit careful.  For example, I need to take regular breaks during each day.  Still, I am getting the job done.

I've moved in with my partner, a girl I was lucky enough to meet a couple of years back.  She didn't know me before my accident and basically doesn't want to know the specifics of it (although she says I should point out that she's not callous and uncaring).  Could there be anything better at getting me to move on from the debacle that was my accident and its effects?

I was lucky enough to complete that 60k (37.5mi) mountain run that I mentioned in this post.  It was an amazing race to finish, but I won't be doing another ultra-marathon in a hurry.  Now, I've got a new goal, increasing my running speed.  Again, progress has been patchy: my TBI still causes issues with my running.  However, I am slowly getting there, reaching an important milestone, my first 4 min km, just the other week.

As I've explained, I'm by no means free from the effects of my TBI. I am however definitely moving forwards.

Also, I decided to keep this post short, but readers might be interested to hear how I've gotten to this point.  I can only encourage people to read through the posts on this blog.  I think I go through mat of the trials and tribulations I've experienced along the way.  It ain't been pretty, but I'm slowly getting there.

Cheers,

Mike

Media Coverage of My Story

Of course, with my accident, recovery and build-up to Ironman, there's been some media coverage of my story. That culminated in the week of Ironman with a story about me being aired by the New Zealand current affairs television programme, Campbell Live.

The story's available on Campbell Live's website here (regretfully, I'm unable to embed the video).  I think it may be most interesting to my readers because it contains a whole series of videos of me shortly after my accident.  Be warned, I'm not in a good way in those.  Fortunately, though, I've improved since then and firmly believe, it's the comeback that counts! :-)

(With Ironman now over and out of the way, I'm enjoying the return to the quiet life and not having nearly so much fuss around me!)

Cheers,
Mike

Finally Running Home an Ironman!

During a quiet training ride, just two weeks before I was to race Ironman New Zealand 2005, I had a spot of bad luck: I was involved in what should have been a minor traffic accident.  Because I was on a bike, however, it was anything but.  I suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and missed my race, what would have been my first Ironman, because I was still in hospital in a coma!  I lost my health, I lost my career, I almost lost my life!  Through all of it, though, I never lost my desire to race an Ironman, slowly but steadily rebuilding my strength, fitness and abilities.

On March the 6th this year, five years after I should have, I finally ran home an Ironman!

(This is my favourite photo from Ironman because, while it shows me running towards the finish, it doesn't actually show me crossing it, as if my race isn't over.  I like it because, as I explain below, I don't feel like "my race" is over yet!)

For me, Ironman (which involves a 3.8k swim, 180k cycle and then a 42k run) wasn't what I'd expected at the start of the day.  I had a good swim...

(A shot of the mass start involving over a thousand swimmers - I'm in there somewhere)

... and a reasonable bike ride... 

(looking settled)

... only to have problems on the run!

(feeling the pain!  That is a frown, or as much of one as I can manage!)

Unfortunately, I became quite ill about a quarter of the way through the run.  However, after the saga that's been my build-up to Ironman, I wasn't going to let a bad stomach get in the way of finishing.  Things gradually improved, particularly when four supporters came off the sidelines and starting running with me.  Gradually, my running style came back together and I truly enjoyed the final stages of the race, running home in a time of 12.54.

(me with my fantastic support crew afterwards!)

How does it feel to have finally completed my goal and raced an Ironman?  In a word, fantastic!  Ironman has been such a saga these last five years; although my race wasn't the best, I feel like I've been released, like I can now go on to other things.  And there are indeed other things!  Of course, finishing my 50,000 word Masters thesis is currently my biggest goal, but really there's a whole bunch of things I want to improve at.  My recovery - my race - isn't over yet!

I remain committed to the process of recovering.  Ironman was only a step along the way and I hope for all the best in furthering recovering.  I wish other recoverers out there well and hope I hear stories of things other people have gone on to do, following their brain injury.

Cheers,

Mike 

A Backgrounder on Mike and This Blog

While out cycling one morning back in 2005, I had a very close brush with death in a bad bike v van collision! I suffered a severe diffuse TBI.

I was lucky to survive. And a long recovery followed.

It felt like the accident threw me to the bottom of a very high and very steep mountain. And, to get the life I still wanted, I had to scale it. It has been a very long journey. And, in a number of ways, it isn't over yet - my recovery continues!

But I've been lucky. While bad, the accident didn't kill me. And, during my comeback, I've had the support of all sorts of people - a wonderful family, understanding friends and a big collection of very helpful health workers.

I've learnt a lot about recovering - about what works and what doesn't - during my comeback. Some of the stuff I tried is almost enough for me to call this blog, How Not to Recover! Yet, to help repay the people who helped me, I want to share what I've learnt about TBI recovery with a wider audience.

So I created this blog to share my thoughts on ways to recover from TBI. It certainly isn't a complete coverage of the topic. Every TBI presents differently. And, fortunately, I've only had one! :-) But I hope talking about my ways will, at least, stimulate thinking for all those other TBI recoverers out there.

Cheers,
Mike

P.S. A brief overview of my recovery can be found in another of my posts, Have Hope!