Real life stories: “Life after a brain haemorrhage and the challenge of how other people now talk to you.”
Having a brain haemorrhage, and resulting injury, has been weirdly one of the best things to ever happen to me. Despite the many, MANY hardships it presented, it made me rethink life and start to prioritise what really matters to me.
“But, whilst it has taught me a lot, one of the biggest struggles which I didn’t expect, was how other people have dealt with it and how other people started to treat me…”
Whilst I have had many, many, amazing people around me and supporting me through my brain haemorrhage and subsequent new reality, one of the biggest difficulties I have had was how some people have treated me and my brain ij either downplaying it, or even perhaps implying, as quite a long period has passed, it I should "be better". Unfortunately, as they can’t see my memory issues or neuro fatigue, like you can see a physical injury, they don’t understand it and as such their behaviour shows it.
But this is my reality, every single day and I am navigating it as best as possible, and so this reaction to me, and my injury, is not only upsetting but infuriating.
I've recently moved back in to full time employment, but I'm already regretting it. I try to explain my fatigue and memory problems to people, and it's now an ongoing joke to everyone there. I'm quite thick skinned, working as a stand up comedian for a number of years has equipped me well. Yet, certain comments really get to me, so I can imagine it would be really hard for someone less used to dealing with such things. When I make a mistake, and try to explain why just to have someone roll their eyes and say "We know you've got a brain injury” it can be really tough to take. Because, I do have a brain injury, and I really do get fatigued and in turn confused and clumsy regularly. This is my reality. And whilst this is infuriating enough, the issue for me is I worry I'll be seen as over sensitive if I react.
“When strangers act in these ways, it’s hard. When family or close friends do it, its soul destroying.”
This is why I think more education to the general public about brain injury is required. We need to understand more about the reality of brain injuries and importantly how we can support or help someone who has had a brain injury.
This is why I wanted to become a Champion for the Natalie Kate Moss Trust, to ensure this conversation becomes more common, to help make change in this area and to help other brain haemorrhages survivors not have to deal with more stress that the trauma they have already been through.
Written by Brain Haemorrhage hero: Anthony Theophanous