Hi, I'm Aimee. I wanted to do a sixth-month follow-up video to discuss my changes and improvements since Cognitive FX, and it's been six months.
The exercises that I've been doing since my treatment, I was doing Brain Games faithfully for a good three months and Brainwaves frequently. I've kind of fallen off the bandwagon a little bit because I was doing vision therapy and so, I was trying to focus on that. And I have dropped the ball with regard to everything because my brain's getting better and I need to jump back on the wagon. I need to do better with the Brain Games and my vision homework assignments because they help. Oh my gosh, they help. I know they help, I just need to make sure that they are prioritized.
Other exercises I want to focus on as I move forward, I probably need to get my rear-end gear as far as actual exercise goes, too. I've signed up for a triathlon, and I'm not a very good swimmer, so I'm a little bit nervous about that and I'm not that great at biking either, so we'll see how it goes. I also signed up for a 10k and a 5k, so I need to start exercising. I think that's pretty good for my brain and my body in general. I want to get back into it. Would I have signed up for my races that I signed up for before? Yes, I would have signed up for them but I would have dreaded them. I don't feel like I'm dreading them. I'm actually, even though I'm not training for them, I'm really excited to do them. My brain is excited.
I have motivation back, I would say, drastically different than before. What is my life like now? Just better. My symptoms... The symptoms that I had... I like to do this list, okay. The biggest, I was diagnosed with narcolepsy because I couldn't stay awake, I was fatigued all the time and I took a stimulant for that. I've decreased that significantly. I used to take 400 milligrams, now I take between 50 and 100 milligrams. And I feel awake. Headaches. I had constant, constant, constant, constant, constant headaches every second of every day and I don't have a headache right now at all, at all, and I have more headache-free days than days with headaches.
Oh, and it's just a big deal, because 17 years with the headache is a big deal. A month or two ago, I went to a conference and I started to get a headache again, and it was with me for 12 days, and I was thinking, "Oh no, I'm broken. I'm broken. I'm broken," but it eventually went away, but it just brought everything back. How did I function? How did I function for 17 years with that headache? I don't even know because no one would have those headaches. So I'm pretty elated about that.
I haven't had to refill my migraine medication for a while. Okay so, that's my headaches. My memory is significantly better. My seven-year-old who has always said,
"My brain is better than yours, mom" can't say that anymore and I was pretty nervous for her teen years when she had a better brain than me. I can just function better, multitask better. I'm more patient with my kids, I'm less irritable, I can accomplish more. But all of that isn't big enough for her. She said, "Mom, what is 2 million plus 3,000? That's how I'll know if your brain is better." Thank you for the hard question, right? "That is 2,003,000." "Mom, your brain is better." It was exciting even for her.
So, my memory is significantly better. I can see clients without, like, documenting every single solitary note and then afterward going, "I don't even remember writing that. That's my handwriting, I know I did it, but I don't remember writing that." Now, I don't even have to take those crazy, fast notes. My light and sound sensitivity is pretty much non-existent, I would say. I used to come home and if the TV was on, and my kids were arguing or just playing, even, and my spouse was talking on the
phone, I would be going crazy, "Mute it. Stop. Everyone, silence." Now, I'm like listening to music while my husband's in the other room with the TV, while my kids are playing or probably fighting, and I can handle it. And I'm in rooms with fluorescent lights and I still don't love fluorescent lights, but they don't give me headaches.
Dizziness. Dizziness is better. I never really knew it was a problem until I started managing my bigger symptoms though, so, I haven't paid too much attention to that one. Reading is better. Reading comprehension is better. I learned I read like a third grader. I have two master's degrees and I read like a third grader. Wow.
I have 20/15 vision but I can't understand what I'm seeing, it's crazy. So that's significantly improved. My last test, I was reading like a seventh grader. That's four-year improvement in three months. I'm going to keep balling and shooting for the stars and pretty soon, I'm going to be reading like my age again. Yeah, it's just, there's nothing that's the same. I feel different. I feel better. I feel great. Now that I don't see any limitations in my life, I'm shooting for the stars and I want so badly for people to come here.
I'm probably going to make it like my life's quest to get as many people here as I possibly can. I love this place so much, the facility, the treatment, the clients, my fellow treaties that I was here with for a week, all the employees, all of it, the research, it's unbelievable, unprecedented. And I'll do anything to get people
to come here after a TBI. That's kind of my life goal now, get people to be more aware of the treatment options and then get them treated, so much so that I even started working here. I love it that much. The things that have surprised me since treatment and during treatment was that treatment was easier than I thought it would be, like a lot easier than I thought it would be. There was no open-heart surgery, there was no potent chemical sprayed up your nose. It was simple, fun,
enjoyable successes, constantly. It was amazing. And then to continue those treatments and suggestions at home is not difficult, it just takes prioritizing.
And then the surprises just keep coming, the improvements, the changes, the getting me back, they just keep coming. I'm never not surprised that I can do something again. I mean, I go to the grocery and I don't have to rely on my list. I can just... I needed these things and sometimes I'll still check because I have a grocery list, I'll check, "Did I get everything? I did. I did. Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate." So, I'm surprised that I still have constant surprises. And I would just want to give hope. That's the one thing I want to add is that there is hope. You can totally have your life back. You can be you again. And it's awesome. Yeah. You can be funny again. You can understand jokes again. You don't have to repeat yourself again. You can trust your brain again. You can trust your memory and the things you think. You don't feel crazy. Oh my gosh, it's so awesome. It just is.
