I was assaulted on the job in 2006. (Sheriff's Dept. 1am, I chased the bad guy, I caught him, he almost beat me to death) I had numerous broken bones from getting stomped and kicked but the worst was my fractured skull. I had a Subarachniod Hemorrhage. They prepped me to open my skull three times but the bleeding kept receding so they didn't pop the top. After I got out of the hospital, I spent six months in rehab learning how to not fall over. Due to brain damage, I had no sense of balance and had to learn how to use my eyes to keep my balance. Door frames, building edges, etc. but NOT telephone poles! They're all crooked!!
Eventually, it became second nature and I don't even have to think about it anymore. I went from falling down twice a day to twice a week and now maybe as often as twice a month. There are some things that I don't do at all. I can ride the escalator up but panic if I have to ride it down. (Nothing in front of me to focus on) So if I have to ride it down, I stand backwards. Elevators used to cause me to huddle on the floor whimpering. Then I got so I could just stand in the corner and hang on tight. Now, I'm almost normal riding them!
The scariest part about a brain injury that results in unconsciousness, is that the brain has to reset itself and that can take days, even weeks. When I woke up, I was stuck in "fight mode". I'm laying on a bed in the ICU with broken ribs, fingers, a leg and a fractured skull and I was going to fight all of the doctors and nurses because they wouldn't let me go outside to smoke! My wife distracted me while the doctor sneaked up on me and drugged me back to sleep. Yeah, I went back months later and apologized to them all.
The worst part is the headache. I say headache...not plural because it's been just one continuous headache since the assault. It starts out very mild in the morning and then gets worse as the day goes on. It's pretty bad by early evening. Every single day.
Because of the assault, my life has changed. The Sheriff's Dept. medically retired me so no job worries and I have a great wife and a grown up kid so I have an excellent support system. I had well over 1000 dives prior to getting my head broken but had to quit after the assault....for a while! But I came back!!! Yeah, it took some years and I had to make some adjustments. I took a refresher course in a pool so I could know if I was going to "loose my balance" underwater. I use to dive to 100+ feet but limit myself now to about 40 feet or less and I get it all done before about 2pm due to the headache. I don't dive as often or push myself as hard but I dive!
No, damaged brain parts will not heal but the brain is a pretty amazing thing. It will "rewire" itself to bypass the damage. Plus, most people only use about ten percent of it anyway so there is plenty to spare. Laugh about it! There's really nothing better that you can do. Maybe get some counseling if you think you have PTSD. Have faith..like I said: The brain is a pretty amazing thing. Then when you're ready to go underwater, start out slowly. Hope this helps!
