So now that you have a time to go to bed, a time to get up, a time to rest and even a reason to get up, you’re going to find yourself hungry - now is the time to go shopping ..read more

When I first sustained my injuries in 2008 after being involved as a pedestrian in a road traffic collision, I was told that I would never be able to breathe again for myself. I was determined to prove the doctors wrong and after 2 years of trials, I was able to be ventilator free during the day, but still used it overnight ..read more

Part 1: https://www.cfglaw.co.uk/blog/structure-being-told-what-to-do-part-one-making-your-days-regular Ever since I have lived with a brain injury, I have found life in general difficult. The best thing I have found to help is to be organised and live a healthy life (as dull as that may sound, I’m afraid its true!). There are times when you feel terrible and that there really is something wrong with you but there are others when you feel fine. You’re at your best when you are well rested and at your worst when you feel fatigued and overwhelmed, so you want to minimise the fatigue and maximis ..read more

After I was discharged from the hospital, I didn't think I was heading for another massive challenge; I expected an easy and relaxing life of recovery where I would rest whenever I was tired. I was always exhausted, though; I was resting whenever I felt I needed to at random times, never feeling refreshed. This left me not sufficiently tired to sleep at night, and so it continued into the next day. I felt as though the more I rested, the more tired I became, and the less I rested, the more tired I would become. It was a pretty stressful and confusing time where I seemed to be making no progre ..read more

These are my reflections on my concussion recovery so far, approximately 7 years on from the car crash I was injured in when I was driving home one November evening in 2016. I'm very grateful for the improvements that I've made, especially as I never thought I'd recover as much as I have done. A neurologist I saw two years post-injury told me that I’d pretty much plateaued in my recovery and wouldn't make much more significant progress. For some things he was correct, and it's true that I'm currently not 100% better, but in other areas, I've made significant improvements since then and I cont ..read more

There are many resources available for people healing from post-concussion syndrome (PCS), including articles, blog posts and books containing advice, tips, techniques and strategies addressing various aspects of recovery. However, there are far fewer resources aimed at carers of those with PCS. In this blog post, I want to share some advice, tips and encouragement for you if you’re caring for someone with PCS ..read more

1) Things that are planned go to plan Something I still say to myself all the time is, “If I had planned it better, I wouldn’t be this stressed ..read more

I’ve previously spoken about what not to say to a person with a brain injury but what should you say as an alternative to ..read more

Last year the world of Brain Injury Rehabilitation lost a legend in Mary Todd. I met Mary at the Brain and Spinal Injury Centre (BASIC) in Salford shortly after I moved back to Manchester in 2013. I had achieved my ambition of moving to Manchester but typically didn’t have anything constructive to fill my days, so I went along to the memory class on a Wednesday at BASIC. I always felt inferior by being too slow, forgetful or too thick to keep up with everyone else who didn’t have a brain injury, and I was always making excuses and explaining myself. Mary’s class was the first place that I had ..read more

Most patients with a chronic illness or disability have to fit in numerous medical appointments (although right now, it’s super hard to book one in the first place!). You have to consider not only the time that they have allotted you but travel time, how to get there, whether there is parking nearby or where the nearest bus stop is, etc. My point being that you need to plan ahead. Often, for those with a brain injury, it can be an extra challenge to remember when the appointment is, so using a calendar becomes essential ..read more