Table of Contents

2014: Perspective

1. Brain Injury: The Incident & immediate aftermath

2. Clinical advice & symptoms: Just wait it out

3. Abandonment & support

4. Returning to normal after brain injury: Life gets in the way

5. Seeking professional help: Hard truths to face

2015: Priorities

6. Finding a diagnostic pathway: Enter the specialists

7. Hospital appointments: You wait ages then five come along at once

8. Dizziness and related treatments: It’s all in your head

9. Returning to former activities: Get out, do more stuff!

10. Vocational Rehabilitation: Work, once more, with feeling

11. Results of the brain scans: A voicemail diagnosis

12. Therapeutic and diagnostic orders: Much therapy, very wow

2016: Planning

13. If it’s Tuesday, this must be a migraine

14. Fatigue management in the wild: Harder, faster, stronger

2017 & 2018: Pacing

15. Into the third year of recovery: Wait, is this normal?

16. Brain injury survivor: Who am I now?

17. Finding happiness within limitations: Who will I be?

Epilogue - Me, but different

About the Author

Pauline O’Connor grew up in New Zealand where she gained a degree in Viticulture and Winemaking. She emigrated to London where a football (soccer) tackle led to a bleed in her brain. Pauline began writing during her recovery and documents her experience here and on the website: www.pigpen.page

Reviews

"Incredibly vivid... this book will be of great benefit to professionals, survivors and their families alike." — Dr Neil Parrett, MA (hons), DClinPsy, PgDip, CPsychol Consultant Clinical Psychologist (Neurorehabilitation)