Benched: A Tbi Survivor’S Insight into a Tbi Recovery

By Ashley Welsh

Benched looks into the authors battle with a traumatic brain injury. Broadsided by one of lifes tests, Welsh shares her perspective on what this means and how to cope.

Her story is the closest thing to an instruction manual on how to persevere through one of lifes most difficult challenges. Welshs perspective for survivors, as well as their loved ones, may help others through an extremely difficult and unexpected change in life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524543303

Ashley Welsh

Ashley Welsh is a young mother of three beautiful girls and the wife of a loving husband of eleven years. She has dedicated her life to friends, family, and helping others.

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Copyright © 2016 by Ashley Welsh.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 10/21/2016

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Contents

Say What?

Table Reservations

The Pity Party

Looking for the Lighthouse

Beliefs Challenged

Fold Up the Box

The Rehab Dance

The Journey of Recovery

The Ripple Effect

Signs and Wonders

Accept This?

Social Idiots

Boils Down to This

Reclaim and Proclaim

Lab Coat Lingo

The Choice Is Yours

The Silver Lining

Dedication

To the love of my life whose hand I held the tightest, you hold my heart KPW, and without your love, I could not have done this. To my three beautiful girls, Kaley, Madison and Brooklyn, you are the light of my life, and your love saw me through the hardest times. My therapy angels who caught my tears and sarcasm: JD, MK, Dr. K, and Dr. O. I thank my dear friends and family who wiped my tears, hugged away my fears, and prayed my pain away. And to the Lord above, whose presence I may not have always felt, but, I know he always had my back.

To the caretaker/loved one,

You are about to embark on a journey that peels back the layers of the trauma onion that your loved one is experiencing. And just as the layers are removed from an onion in the kitchen the pungency of the odor may bite your nostrils, and well up unexplainable tears. Allow this "onion to stir your emotional core As each layer of recovery is explained and explored on this horrific journey, I ask you to remove your apron and protective eyewear as you delve into the heart and soul of your loved one. Allow yourself to succumb to the understanding of exactly what your loved one is feeling, be stretched by this experience and open yourself to the plea of these words. Tear down your wall of protection and numbness so that your seed of hope and love may be saturated by these words and experiences.

To the trauma survivor,

First and foremost, you survived! I know that may not feel like a blessing and you may have remorse over that result,as did I, but, having survived, you now have a fighting chance, and fight you will. So put on your gloves,lace up, and get in the ring as you begin the rehab and recovery dance, weaving and bobbing emotions, situations and the pain that all try to land a sucker punch on your soul. Above all, know that you are not alone, you are being rallied by loved ones, and me, a stranger, but as you read, recognize that I am a sister in your suffering and may my words and experiences feed your soul and spirit, even though you may feel so lost and alone, I promise you, you are not! You may have to remind yourself daily that you are not alone.

Say What?

What you are about to read is quite simply my experience and by no means anyone else’s story. This includes my personal feelings and thoughts. All of us come from different backgrounds and upbringings, which have molded our reactions, responses, and individual coping strategies. As my experience is not standard, it is not applicable to all. Quite simply, I am sharing my experiences and suggestions for supporting and rallying a loved one through a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) recovery. Although I cannot attest to any other form of health crisis, I imagine the feelings and thoughts would be similar at the very least.

My story culminated on October 31, 2013. During the prior seven years, I had experienced severe anxiety and panic with no medical explanation, other than a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (which I didn’t buy). I also experienced seeing blue dots in my vision. It seemed as though someone had taken my picture, and I felt the aftermath of the flash. I was also diagnosed with postpartum anxiety and depression because the anxiety coincided with the birth of my first daughter.

However, something in the pit of my being did not agree with this diagnosis either. But because I believed in the medical professionals, I succumbed to their diagnosis. Thus began the rough ride on the medication train, which included trying new, changing, increasing, and/or decreasing meds. You would have thought that I was a walking pharmacy. Drugs could help one symptom, but they also might make things worse then other drugs to counter my reactions.

Fun, right? No,