Help for Husband with Acquired Brain Injury

[sandimay]

I am asking for real help.  My husband had a Grade 5 brain aneurysm in 2013 but survived with the only "deficits" being his orientation and object recogntion (his occipital lobes suffered infarcts), and his experiential memory.  However, since his aneurysm he had had to learn everything from scratch.  EVERYTHING.  He has learned so much and recovered so much, however his emotiional growth is back at the level of a 15 or 16 year old.  He was 39 when he had the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).  I have been doing my best to help him, psychologically and also helping him to find meaning, awareness and insight, however because of his level of intellectual growth I am failing.  My own personal goal since the age of 23 (I am now 60) has been insight into what makes us who we are, connection with spirit, mysticism (with some success, however it has waned).  My own growth is at stake here as well as my husband's growth - he is so courageous, and I admire him immensely.  He is doing so well with where he is, however I know there is more for him.  If anyone has any suggestions, I am very open to explaining more about where he is at, about where I am at, I just need a direction at the moment as to where to go.  Anything governmental is not working, in fact I am currently at odds with our governmental system in Australia about where to go with his recovery.  I have seen him occasionally be more than he is, and so there is obviously the capacity to be so.  I love him, I love my life, I see that there is a reason for everything, but I cannot give up.  It is my mission since the moment he was at the door of death to bring him back.  I also have reasons derived from mysticism to believe that it is not only possible but is meant to be.  I cannot give up under these circumstances.  Any help would be much appreciated.  <3

[outlandish]

Wow this is a remarkable story, and it must be such a challenge for you both.

I don't know how much value or insight into your situation you will be able to receive from this forum, but it's always hard to know where the next breakthrough will come from. Sometimes the smallest thing can make the biggest difference.

This situation is your life-koan, this is your mystical experience in the medium of life.

Your love and determination is admirable.

I've never been in this situation or anything like it, except perhaps raising children. I suppose there must be some things in common between raising children, and helping someone along the path of re-development as they recover from a brain injury. I don't know what I can offer of help, except to say just try to be the best conduit for love that you can be, and try make sure you're taking care of yourself as well. You know, put the oxygen mask on yourself first so you don't pass out before you can get his on.

[Leo Gura]

Dr Amen is really good at brain injury cases:

https://www.amenclinics.com

And you should research Neurofeedback brain training which can restore lost brain function.

[Enlightenment]

Supplements you may find helpful

https://examine.com/supplements/noopept/

https://examine.com/supplements/piracetam/

https://examine.com/supplements/phenylpiracetam/

https://examine.com/supplements/alpha-gpc/

[sandimay]

Thank you so much!  @outlandish what a perfect answer!  I still have chills reading it and taking it in.  Thank you @Leo Gurafor the info, I will look into both of those.  Thank you @Enlightenment for the list of supplements also!

I have just also watched your video Leo in relation to Nootropics.  We are going to enquire in relation to Provigil early next week.  Here in Australia it is subsidized - 60 tablets for $5.99!  We also have some Lion's Mane in our cupboard that I had somehow forgotten about and I have ordered some more as well as a couple of others that help promote neuronal growth.  We will try each one separately for a little while (I'll research how long that may have to be).  I remember a couple of years ago taking 4 Lion's Mane and having a short out of body experience where I was looking down on myself whilst we were out for a walk.

Thank you everyone - I am so glad to have found you all!

Edited October 16, 2020 by sandimay
Didn't use @

[Leo Gura]

@sandimay If there is brain damage, I would be careful about masking that over with nootropics. Make sure you try to heal the root damage first.

[Ananta]

@sandimay I think that you are both doing pretty well all things considered. There's a lot of love and hope in your post, so keep on... keeping on. 

The brain makes new neural pathways, but it takes time. I was told this many years ago by my own neurologist when I was shown some brain lesions from my M.S. 

I wish you both well and hope that he gets the best medical care possible. ❤ Many therapies can be done at home. Depending on what's needed.

 

[sandimay]

Thank you again @Ananta and @Leo Gura for the responses.  He doesn't have any brain damage as such.  By that I mean, in the beginning there was brain damage and a small part of his frontal lobe was actually removed due to clotting.  However over the past nearly 8 years he has undergone a remarkable recovery.  He has no intellectual damage whatsoever - it is rather a matter of relearning the higher cognitive functions now, such as how to strategise, be able to watch himself thinking, compensate properly for a some left visual deficit and orientation to time and space, as well as more self-awareness-type considerations.  He often has moments of being able to do these things so we know he has capacity, however his brain still tires easily.  I do understand your point though @Leo Gura, and our GP may actually say the same thing and decline for that reason to prescribe Provigil.  We will take it slowly and lovingly.  Much love <3

Edited October 16, 2020 by sandimay
Didn't @

[sandimay]

Hi everyone!  Three days of Lion's Mane and we have had a real breakthrough with self-awareness!  He's on his way!!!!!  I don't have adequate words to convey how thankful and appreciative I am of everyone at Actualized.org.

Much love,

 

[Michael569]

His diet & lifestyle will be of primal importance in neurodegeneration. Majority of the evidence suggests that repair of central nervous damage is extremely difficult but it may be possible over some time. Know thou that if there was tissue necrosis, those area may permanently be destroyed. The brain is however extremely plastic and may find ways around the scar tissue. 

It is important that your husbands remain active. Daily. Physical activity stimulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the same way that lifting weights helps to grow muscle. It helps the brain rewire itself. 

Make sure his motoric abilities are challenged and tested. Take different walks, ask him to stand on one leg, close eyes and balance. Dance with him, challenge him to try things like yoga (if his health allows it), explore new interesting ways to get your cerebellum (coordination centre) engaged. 

Create mental challenges, play scrabble, chess, logic games, cards. Talk to him, show him photos of old times, make him remember very hard. Thse areas can come to life again. Stimulates his senses with known smells, tastes and revisit places. Discourage him from consuming social media and looking at screens but do promote visual & mental training of any kind. Even snakes & ladders or ludo is great. 

Secondly, he needs to have his vitamin D checked & optimised, that one is extremely important for neuromodulation. 

Zinc is another one, a key component for neuroplasticity 

Adequate protein in the diet but make sure it comes mostly from plant sources. 

Adequate fibre is essential. For example research on Parkinson's patients show that the greatest destruction in the region of the brain called Substantia Nigra (responsible for dopamine production) atrophied the most in patients with lowest fibre diets. 

Make sure his diet contains lots of green leafy vegetables & wholegrains. He needs sources of B vitamins & magnesium to support cerebral ATP production. 

Green Tea appears to be able to aid neuroplasticity to some degree and some may herbs like Gotu Kola and Gingko as they stimulate microcirculation in the brain capillaries.

He may benefit from supplements like: phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, gotu kola, lion's mane, Coq10 for mitochondrial regeneration, 

And finally, I'd encourage you to maybe look up a book specifically on this topic. On neuromodulation, neuroplasticity. Perhaps something from Joe Dispenza.

Definitely worth finding a specialist in post-traumatic neurodegeneration though, they will know much more. 

All the best!!

 

EDIT: the most obvious also, make sure you guys get on the top of why the aneurysm happened. COmmon causes are high aortic pressure in the brain and atherosclerosis as well as arterial stiffening. If his blood pressure is over 120/80 you need to get that under control as well as if his LDL cholesterol is high. There are many natural ways to do that, plant based diet being the most effective. 

Have his blood sugar tested (HbA1C) that can contribute to arterial damage as well. 

 

 

[sandimay]

@Michael569 Thank you for all of this excellent information.  That's quite a comprehensive list with excellent suggestions of many things that we can do better or try for the first time and continue on into the future. 

 

[sandimay]

Hey

We asked our GP to prescribe Provigil for my hubby.  He declined.  He said that it is for narcolepsy and he looked for information that it is also a cognitive enhancer and said not only could he not find any, but that he had not enough knowledge on the subject so could  not prescribe it.  He also said it is a stimulant.  Now it may well stimulate the brain but there is no amphetamine effect.  Unlike other times, I did not attempt to push the issue feeling it would be a totally fruitless exercise.  We have ordered elsewhere.  I'm extremely wary of its effect so there's lots of research for me to do in the meantime.  If anyone has any advice on the subject I would sure welcome it, as to be honest, I'm a little scared - and feel that I probably need to be to do this absolutely properly for him.