July 3, 2015

Hi everybody. Welcome to the blog where I talk about the present. My friend here presently has hay fever. You know, seasonal allergy. I was laughing because I can't sneeze. In other words, I have a hard time sneezing. It starts out with a big gasp for air and then all sorts of mutations of the face. Then it goes into me convulsing and trying not to look at any bright objects. It ends with the most pathetic lip biting sneeze you've ever heard. Kind of funny, but not.

Let's see. What else can I talk about? Well, my little one was here. Let me tell you. A little love goes a long long way. I can't believe how much this kid has grown up. It's amazing and a good gauge of time. Cause, you see, I really don't have a good sense of time. I mean it feels like I had my first operation a few months ago, but it was six years ago. Like I said, it's not bad if you have a good DVD collection. You say to yourself, "Hey! I've never seen this one before."

So check this out: I'm officially an advocate for people in wheel chairs. I'm meeting with the town council to walk down main street and show them what should be done for people in wheelchairs. Pretty cool. Should I wear my viking outfit (just kidding). It is a good opportunity to raise awareness for handicapped people. I think it's cool anyway.

The other thing that's new for me is I've been sleeping on my stomach. It sounds a little pathetic but it's a big deal for me. I still wake up at night kind of freaked out and I don't know where I am, but it's a positive step for me. Before my injury, I used to sleep on my stomach all the time. Speaking of sleeping, I actually have been sleeping less and less. It's kind of a drag. I wake up about 4 am. and I can't get back to sleep. Not sure what that's from. Family stress. Not sure. Just an observation. And another pleasant side effect of traumatic brain injury.

I'm not sure if I told you this. I thought it was pretty funny, but thank god my health aid was here. There was me with traumatic brain injury, my eight year old daughter, and an 83 year old father. We were all staring at the Weber grill trying to figure out what we should do. It sounds like giving a monkey a box of razor blades, right? Well, my health aid had common sense to say, "Everyone get back. I'll fire up the grill." He fired up the grill and we cooked a great meal. On that note, I'm gonna sign off. I'm gonna sit in a corner and do nothing. My little one just left and I have no more energy.

Have a good week. Love, B. Nice

Link to the blog about the past.

briannice.com

June 17, 2015

Hi everybody. Welcome to my blog where I talk about the present. You know, being a traumatic brain injury survivor, I don't get much sleep. I lie in bed or wake up early thinking about things. One thing I can't get out of my mind is I can't believe how some people just dismiss how I am. I mean, when you're like this you can't begin to describe how you feel. It's like a living hell. You know I'm 100% cognitively there, it's just that I'm physically messed up. I guess I'm on my soapbox screaming but, no one could understand what it's like unless they walked in my shoes. Enough of that. I just had to get it off my chest.

Other than that, I've had a pretty good week. My little one is finally here. And I've been having a great time with my little one. I found a place where I can walk with my Up n Go. It's a device that helps you walk. One needs a smooth and long surface to walk on. I actually found a cool gymnasium that will let me work there. It will give me a long uninterrupted, surface to walk on. And my goal is a martini at the end (just kidding about the martini, although it is a good idea).

I'll tell you, it is tough though, watching people walk around, do stuff. You know, I'd love to just get up and do chores, like do dishes, cook, clean. Who'd ever think I'd be jealous of people doing that?

I'm gonna start up on my swimming again. You know, you can walk in the water, with assistance from someone else. It's pretty cool. I've done it like three times already, meaning, I've started over three times. It's a great way to learn how to walk again.

Oh yeah, I want to share something with you before I go. My little one pulled out a board game and opened it up at the coffee table. She said, "Daddy, have you ever played this before?" And she held up the box cover. It said, "Shoots & Ladders." I said, "My dear, I've been playing that game for about six years now." She just looked at me blankly like, "What the heck are you talking about?"

That's it for now.

This is B. Nice signing off. Here's my link to my other blog. Love you and miss you.

12 June, 2015

Hey everybody. Welcome to my blog where I talk about the present. Every morning I wake up and have a little art show. See the example above. They are pictures I paint every day or so at five with my father. The heart is for my daughter who I really miss.

I'll make this blog short cause it's hot and humid as hell and it really affects me. It seems different things will affect you if you have traumatic brain injury. I think I mentioned this before but, I've been doing the Up n Go almost every day. It helps you learn how to walk again. I highly recommend it. You do have to constantly stand up about every hour or so, you know to get your joints used to weight bearing your body weight. Remember, I've been sitting down a long time. It's also like the 3rd or 4th time I've had to learn how to walk again. It seems like every time I get to walking it's like BANG, back to square one. Let's hope I have a good run this time (no pun intended).

Here's my link to the blog about the past. Hope you have a good week. Love, B. Nice

June 9, 2015

Hi everybody. Welcome to my blog where I talk about the present. You know, I mentioned this before, but every morning I wake up, the first thing I do is say "Good morning" to my little one, even though my little one's not here. I miss my little one. I think about what the lesson of the day would be. And the lesson of the day is, "Nothing worthwhile is easy." You have to work hard. For example, when you have traumatic brain injury, you really have to work hard if you want to get better. Just the other day I was using a device called the Up n Go. I told you before, but it helps you stand up and walk. Man, it's tough. I was exhausted after walking just 200 feet. But hey, it's a start. Once again, I was blown away by my perspective, looking at the world from six feet. Pretty cool to be up there again. Remember, I've been in my wheelchair for the last five years.

The other thing I wake up to is: OK, what's in store for the day? When you have a traumatic brain injury, you never know what's in store for you. You don't think about the future. You don't think about the past. You just think about the here and now. For example, I woke up this morning and my legs were really numb. You know, like when you fall asleep on your leg. It made getting out of bed rather interesting. So, you never know what you're gonna get.

I got an email from a friend of mine. He said something I thought was pretty cool. He was on Bondi beach and he overheard a surf life saver say something. The surf life saver looked out over the ocean and saw a lot of surfers. He pointed at the surfers and he said, "Do you know who the best surfer out there is?" and then he paused and he said, "The one having the most fun." I guess you could apply that to anything.

Have a good week. Love, B. Nice

P.S. I bought this boat. Do you think it's a bit much? (Just kidding:)

Here's the link to my blog about the past.

May 29, 2015

Hi everybody. Welcome to the blog where I talk about the present. You know, I was reading previous blogs and in one I was acting as if I was talking to my little one. I said to her, "There are no shortcuts in life." But actually, there is one short cut that I know of. You see, you can learn through other peoples' mistakes. It will save a lot of time and energy, believe me. That's my profound thought of the week.

A friend of the family stopped by. He had a really secure and awesome media job. He gave it all up to pursue a career he's always wanted to do. Pretty ballsy. I'm proud of him. Remember, do what you love.

You know, I'm doing this blog to help other people. You see, I really believe that everything I've gone through in my life has led to this moment. It's kind of unreal, but I draw upon my past experiences to get through all this. Remember high school? The whole is a sum of its parts. How's that for profound.

Anyway, just to benchmark: I can sit up with some assistance. Still can't feed myself. The other day I walked about 100 feet with some help from a physical therapist. Mind you, it was on my Up 'n Go, which is like a walker, but it felt pretty good. It felt good to be up and around 6 feet tall again. I forgot what the world looked like from that perspective. It's easier to roll over now. I don't freak out when I'm on my stomach anymore. My eyesight is getting better. I still can't hold things, like cups of water. I could, but I'm afraid no one would want to sit around me. I still need help in just about everything. But over all, things are improving. Just gotta stay positive. The side walks in my local town still don't accommodate a person in a wheelchair so I think I'll just go park my ass on a curb. You know, the silent protest thing.

That's all for now. This is B. Nice signing off. Love you, B. Nice

To get back to my website: Click Here (www. briannice.com)

And to get to my other blog about the past: Click Here