“Surround yourself only with people who will lift you higher” ~ Oprah Winfrey.

This quote really spoke to me this morning as I think about my journey over these past 20 months. There were people who knocked me down and tore a whole in my heart. During my darkest days I was quite simply…… alone.

This is an all too familiar situation for those dealing with TBI recovery. I can’t quite figure out where it stems from. If it’s a complete lack of understanding of what a TBI is, if it’s the fact that concussions have been so incredibly down-played in our society, or if people are just truly ugly beings who only offer compassion when it’s something visible…. like a broken bone…. or an awful disease ….. like cancer (I like to hope that the latter is not true). This invisible disability is very real, and very scary.

This afternoon I submitted my manuscript to my editor. It’s almost DONE! To celebrate, a friend and I went out to dinner and shopping. I splurged and bought this purse.

The purse looks like something Carrie Bradshaw would own in ‪#‎SITC‬ What you might not understand about the significance is this:

About three months ago I decided to watch my Sex In The City collection, for the third time. Only this time, I had zero memory of having seen any of the episodes. ‪#‎TBI‬ memory loss at its finest.

Shoes.

While you may look at this photo and find it rather irrelevant, you do not understand its significance.

They look like cute shoes that I would have worn every day in my “old” life. Cute. Comfy. My go-to pair.

I am so excited for the release of my first book, “Life With a Traumatic Brain Injury: Finding the Road Back to Normal” which will be released on November 5th!!

I am GIVING AWAY ONE COPY of the book to one lucky winner! All you have to do to register is sign up for my newsletter in the green box on the right hand side of this webpage  —————->>>

I will draw for the winner at my book release party on Nov. 5th…… (need not be present to win)

You can also PRE ORDER your copy of my book and be one of the very first to receive it in the mail! (if you happen to win the book, I will happily refund you, or give you an additional copy ~ your choice!!) click here to Pre Order —–>>  www.facesoftbi.com/my-book 

Want more chances to win??
FIRST, you MUST sign up for the newsletter, after you do that you can earn additional entries by doing the following the following:

1. ON TWITTER: Tweet this: did you see? @amyzellmer is giving away a copy of her book “Life With a TBI” u can enter to win: http://bit.ly/1RB5Ykt #TBI #TBIawareness

2. ON FACEBOOK: Like our page on facebook: www.facebook.com/facesoftbi and share a post on your wall tagging us with this: @faces of TBI is giving away a copy of their book “Life With a Traumatic Brain Injury” enter to win http://bit.ly/1RB5Ykt

3. ON INSTAGRAM: post a photo of yourself with the following: @amyzellmer is giving away a copy of her book “Life With a TBI” #TBIsurvivor @TBIaffectedme #survivorsROCK #TBI #TBIawareness http://bit.ly/1RB5Ykt

 

They say a picture says a thousand words……

It’s been 19 months since I fell on a patch of ice, landing full-force on the back of my skull. I suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) plus whiplash, torn muscles in my neck, shoulder and chest, and I also dislocated my sternum.

What this photo doesn’t show is how I wasn’t able to do ANY exercise, even mild, for the first year. Just walking around the grocery store was enough to leave me spent for the rest of the day, let alone carrying the bags of groceries into the house.

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I lived pretty much in my bed or on the couch for over a year. I would schedule photography sessions a few times a week (because that’s my ONLY form of income….. and I had bills to pay) and would pay the price for two days….. icing my aching neck, and popping ibuprofen like it was candy (i’ve since quit this pill habit …. YAY!)

 

Did you know:

Every 13 seconds someone in the United States will suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Each year a reported 2.5 million people sustain a TBI

1.365 million, nearly 80%, are treated and released from an emergency department.

Each year 52,000 people die as a result of a TBI

TBI is a contributing factor to a third (30.5%) of all injury-related deaths in the United States

Falls are the leading cause of TBI. Rates are highest for children aged 0 to 4 years and for adults aged 75 years and older.

Falls result in the greatest number of TBI-related emergency department visits (523,043) and
hospitalizations (62,334).

Motor vehicle–traffic injury is the leading cause of TBI-related death. Rates are highest for adults aged 20 to 24 years

The annual rate of TBI among active duty personnel increased substantially from 2000 to 2011.

(statistics cited from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cdc.gov)

I‘ve had something on my mind for awhile and I finally feel the need to write about it. In the beginning, I rarely talked about my injuries, as I was shamed for it by people I considered friends. It left me horribly depressed, as I felt I had no one to turn to during this incredibly frightening time of my life. I had no idea how to use my microwave, I thought Bill Clinton was still President, and I had to look at my calendar every 15 minutes to make sure I wasn’t missing an appointment because I couldn’t remember beyond that timeframe. I can’t even begin to describe how scary the situation was to me, especially living alone. I had severe dizziness, body aches from the physical injuries (I couldn’t stand up straight for over a year), and the fatigue was debilitating (I was sleeping 12-14 hours at night, but 1-2 naps during the day).

At my one year mark, I became beyond frustrated. I had considered taking my life because I couldn’t deal with it anymore, I didn’t think I was ever going to recover from my TBI. But alas, I am a total and complete wuss and knew I could never go thru with it. So I took to writing as my therapy. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that 1. I didn’t actually jump and 2. that I had the courage to submit my story to The Huffington Post.

My story has been read by literally tens of thousands of people. I have made friends from all over the WORLD, brought together by TBI. I have helped SO MANY others cope with their TBI and understand that what they’re dealing with is “normal” and they are most definitely not alone in this journey; all because I had the courage to put into words exactly how I felt. Words are powerful, they allow others a portal into your heart and soul.

I have had photographer friends and facebook friends reach out to me because a client or a friend of theirs has suffered a concussion/TBI and they wanted to connect me with that person. It is absolutely amazing to me how writing one little blog post about little ol’ me has turned into something that was needed…… Survivors needed somewhere to turn, a place where they could chat with others dealing with the same issues.

It’s been a pretty bumpy ride, but one that I am so incredibly thankful to be on. I knew the instant I fell that there was a bigger reason. At the time I had no idea what that reason would be, and I still don’t know where exactly it is going to take me. But I can tell you that I am thankful for YOU!! If you are reading this, then YOU have a special place in my heart and I appreciate you!! I am honored to be a part of your life, and wish you the very best in your recovery (or the recovery of your loved one). Thanks for taking this journey with me!
#TBIawareness #SurvivorsROCK #TBI

On Saturday night I attended the Human Rights Campaign “red carpet gala” in Minneapolis. It’s the first “big” outing i’ve attended in the past 19 months. I managed to walk 17,000 steps that night (in heels), and interacted with people for about 3 hours. I listened to speakers/presenters for about an hour. In the moment, I actually felt pretty good and was proud of my body/brain for doing so well.

I slept pretty much all day Sunday, still felt miserable yesterday, and I am still feeling the effects TODAY! Unreal how what many take for granted as a simple outing, puts us into a tailspin for DAYS!! I have been popping ibuprofen, icing my neck, and drinking LOTS of water in an attempt to recover.

I’m hoping to inspire someone today!! Heather has been an inspiration to me, so I am paying it forward!

I am 19 months post TBI, and when I fell I suffered severe whiplash, torn muscles in my neck, shoulder, and chest, and dislocated my sternum by about 2″. My torso was completely twisted, I couldn’t stand up straight for over a year.

We tried integrating light weight training into my routine several times, but it kept flaring up that darn whiplash muscle so we would back off. I started doing very gentle yoga about 3 months ago……. the doctors kept telling me that activity is the best way to overcome vertigo (which seems counter intuitive) and yoga seemed the best place to start, as I could completely control which moves I did.

Within about two months I started noticing my vertigo wasn’t as severe, and my neck muscles were relaxing. I was also starting to see definition in my shoulders and chest again, and the inflammation had seeme to settle down. We didn’t want to push too hard, so I just started adding cardio into my routine at the point.

This past week we added very light weight resistance into my workout. The first day, my neck got pretty angry….. but I iced it and that relieved it. The neck is still being finicky with me, but I am powering thru it. It isn’t unbearable like the whiplash injury was, although it may take me out for a day if it gets really bad and triggers a headache. ICE IS MY BEST FRIEND!

I hope that you read this and maybe are inspired to pull out the yoga mat and do some light stretches, or maybe go for a longer walk than usual, or maybe you’re even ready to grab some weights. Whatever it is, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. It will tell you what it can and can’t do. But the best thing you can do for your TBI is to GET UP AND GET MOVING!!! (and have ice packs waiting in the wings). Also remember to KEEP HYDRATED, our brains love water!!!

For those who’ve wondered where I get my energy and motivation to continue writing about traumatic brain injury (TBI) on The Huffington Post, or deciding to publish my book on the subject: THIS, THIS is where: