Did I Really Have a Brain Injury?

An undiagnosed brain injury
It never occurred to me that what seemed like a minor automobile accident would change my entire life. Nor did the seriousness of it leave a deep impression on my future caretakers. They insisted for almost three years, that….It was not serious. It’s just temporary. It’ll take patience and a lot of effort to get better.
Without the diagnosis of brain injury, I did not understand my symptoms
I had lots of patience and effort. Those qualities had always worked in the past when I was required to cope with serious challenges. It never occurred to me it would not work now.

But the realization of the error of my thinking came too late to avoid what could or might have been avoided had I received a diagnosis and early treatment for a brain injury. What was required was the correct medical care for my brain injury. I did not realize this hadn’t happened until all the symptoms had become chronic. My effort alone was not enough. The brain injury eventually took control of my life, thus making it more difficult to reverse the negative results.

Life plays tricks on us
With no plans to celebrate my birthday, it started like any other day- a day at the office, home to prepare dinner, attend a French study class for our first trip to Europe and Israel, where my husband was invited to lecture. Not in my wildest dreams could I, a NJG (nice Jewish Girl) from the Bronx, ever have entertained such an idea that on that day my brain would be damaged. But, life plays tricks on us, some good, some not so good.

Treatment of brain injury can be costly – not treating it is even more costly
Like most accidents, it could have been avoided. A speeding car hit us, damaging both cars and me. The insurance company paid for repairing both cars, but would not pay for my serious injury because of the high cost involved. Instead, they interpreted my description of the changes that occurred from the blow to my head and the brain injury as psychologically motivated. This fit me into their lower or non paying insurance category – their interpretation of my story cast me as a malingerer.
To avoid high costs, they instructed my friend, the driver of the car I was in, “not to discuss the subject with me” and he never did. Believing my driver was a friend was my error and I paid a high price for this error in thinking.

Optimism does not heal the brain
The last thing I remember was that we were going to be hit. The first thoughts I remember were, “Where was I, why was I here, flat on my back, cold, naked, wrapped in a white sheet. What could I be but a corpse?”
It took days before I learned the truth. I had been in an automobile accident. I was not aware of the major problems that were coming even after I was capable of asking the right questions. By not getting evaluated correctly, the answers to my questions did not help.

My always optimistic approach to problems, asserted itself as it always had done. Being overly optimistic was a major mistake. It made me assume I was getting correct, thought-out responses to my questions, until I learned otherwise. It was too late to avoid the damage and chronic symptoms that were left undiagnosed too long. After two years of optimistically seeking help from the medical world, and getting nowhere, I decided to seek help from other sources.

The invisible injury to the brain
I started doing research which took me from modern times back to the middle 1850s. I discovered that an invisible injury was considered psychological in nature, instead of physically induced and so it was treated as an emotional problem, thus the diagnosis of “malingerer.”

It’s sad to say, this type of diagnosis still happens today. Fortunately, there are many options and avenues in which to find answers today. If your story is similar to mine, keep seeking, the right answers are out there for you. Be careful not to accept just any answer because it came from a “doctor.” If you aren’t getting better, there may still be something wrong with you and time and effort will not heal. Keep seeking, the right answers are out there.

If you would like to know more about Ethel Dimont, go to http://www.etheldimont.com