The Power of Having Fun, Clinical Trial Information, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Help and MORE!

B'SD

18 Kislev, 5779

I'm enjoying the fun of preparing for Hanuka, and helped some local children to prepare faux candle holders for a school project.

One of the key aspects of my recovery from a devastating medical situation was that I resolved to have fun as I pursued a recovery against BIG medical odds. I love to laugh, and to hear other people laughing, too. It is a refreshing activity that signals the world "I can feel joy."

Medical miracles abound when a person feels happy, remains focused on the future, and is productive. That's hard to do when medical professionals, and all too often negative relatives and other acquaintances, forecast disaster. I recommend fighting back with a smile. More on that tomorrow. Meanwhile...

I've been following the development of an interesting new resource for people with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), a valid but widely unknown medical diagnosis.

TBI is not observable outside the person's body. The situation is called an "invisible" illness like others in that category: Cancer, Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, IBS, Infertility, Multiple Sclerosis, Neurological disease(s), and others.

Check out www.facesoftbi.com/notinvisible. You don't need to buy all the merchandise there. I'm directing you to the site for its information, to ease your sense of feeling alone, weird, and/or hopeless if you've experienced a TBI.

Are you desperately searching for clinical trial information in one of the world's leading medical research resources, Israel? Click HERE.

Here's something for almost everyone who's experienced a medical setback: a gift that can pay off long into the future. Doctors on and off the book's cover recommend reading 

BUY it HERE. 

The book is not so much about the techniques that I used to recover from a medical horror and consequential blindness, but about YOU the reader. There are exercises for building inner strength, putting a chaotic medical life into perspective and into a far more orderly, manageable reality. You can even get your grin back with laugh-out-loud passages.

Cost-cutting information about how to contact charitable organizations willing to pay some or all of your specific medical bills clinical trial information and other sanity-savers are in the book's Global Resources section. There are even tips on how to secure no-cost first-quality medical appliances, medical care, and medication!

Want to cope with medical and/or mental health problems, including the expenses for your care? Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your plans with can-do opportunities.

How to Have FUN with Hardships: Make a Game of Them!

B'SD

24 Kislev, 5775

I wonder how many people in my actual life remember the games I played during my recovery from 2005 surgery? I'll jog your memories: 

Remember my demand that you walk into my hospital room with a new joke? 

Remember the Boo-Barbie episode, years later, that left all observers laughing until it hurt?  

Remember that you were struck by my emotional resilience? Same principle as that described in the video below. Have fun with hardship. Learn how to do that as you listen to...

How can you play your game of Super-Better?

Perhaps you can begin by naming your secret identity for one of the characters: 

Activate your Power Up. Recruit your allies. 

Find out how I did that, 
despite daunting medical news, 
this Thursday...

Read the print or E-book edition of 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

Play games to power down your misery.

 

Bouncing Back from Brain Injury

B'SD

4 Shvat 5771


My heart goes out to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and all the 19 defenseless people shot at an intentionally pleasant community event in Arizona, USA yesterday. Any sane, compassionate person is reeling from the horror of the event.

There are ways to recover a measure of calm after emotional and physical shocks.

There are ways to recover from, and to cope with, brain injuries and other medical problems.

But not everyone knows how.

If you're reaching out for answers
and other forms of help,
read an E-book that
mental health &
medical professionals
recommend:

GOD willing, you'll find outlets that you need in the text and Global Resources sections.

One of the overriding lessons of EMPOWER Yourself
is the potential to cope with
and to heal from
grim prognoses.
Look who wrote the book, after all.

Quick and convenient E-book EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge is iPhone-friendly.

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.

How to Get a Good Night's Rest in 4 Simple Steps

B'SD

14 Sivan 5770

I'm among the lucky few people who do not suffer sleep problems despite traumatic injury to my brain*. But other TBI sufferers need sleeping solutions. I hope this item will help to solve your problems. It can reassure you and your loved ones that you're not "making up" a sleep disturbance problem:

Poor Sleep Persists After Brain Trauma (CME/CE)

Trouble sleeping long after traumatic brain injury may be due to disruption of both melatonin production and sleep architecture, a study has found. More than one year after traumatic brain injury, patients had significantly reduced levels of melatonin... full story at http://www.medpagetoday.com/Neurology/HeadTrauma/tb/20276

Solutions exist. Keep to a regular sleep/wake pattern. That means:

• Relax with quiet, comforting activites such as reading or board games, pleasant conversation and the like before bedtime.
• Get to bed at the same hour nightly.
• Use your bedroom only for sleeping and dressing/undressing. Otherwise you risk too many distracting thoughts about the PC, TV, etc. Keep sleeping simple.
• Try taking Valerian capsules a hour or so before bedtime. Valerian is an herb that induces relaxation/sleep (you can buy it in health food shops and some pharmacies). Let your medical team know that you want to take it so they can advise you of any concerns.

Let me know what works for you. Sweet dreams.

Find more sleep-inducing ideas in my book. EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life

*I'm not TBI-certified, but lemme tell ya, brain surgery and tumor damage were no picnic. My recovery will be lifelong.

DISABILITY Does Not Mean Disengaged from Life!

B'SD

1 Tevet 5770

I've written about overcoming the despair of physical limitations in EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. The Global Resources section of the book holds information to cheer people with Traumatic Brain Injury and other situations.

See one of my online articles about SPORTS for the Disabled and you'll know that we need to come up with a better word for people who go at life with gusto no matter what they've endured!

EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

Yocheved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life

Watch Your Back - And Your Head!

23 Sivan 5768



School is out for summer vacation. You KNOW what that means:

SUMMERTIME INJURIES!

Prevent future heartache. Click on the links below to prevent injury to those sensitive neurological spots called heads and backs:


WATCH YOUR BACK!

PROTECT CHILDREN FROM SUMMERTIME ACCIDENTS

HEADS-UP FROM THE CENTERS for DISEASE CONTROL

BIKE SAFETY

PREVENT BRAIN INJURY IN SENIOR CITIZENS

HORMONE HELP FOR BRAIN INJURY and TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY PREVENTION

KNOW THE SIGNS OF BRAIN INJURY, GET IMMEDIATE MEDICAL HELP

THINK FIRST

PROTECT YOUR EYES!

UPDATE: Now that The AMERICAN BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD organization has commented favorably on this blogpost, I want to remind medical and mental health professionals (and everyone else!) that you can buy my book at bulk rates. CLICK HERE here to learn how.

~*~*~*~

To your healthy summer fun,

Yojeved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.