According to Ellen Modin a few years can change everything. She describes the differences that can be found between someone in their early 20’s compared to those ebbing towards the 30’s. As a 25 year old (ebbing towards her 30’s) I can wholly comprehend these differences she describes.
Early 20’s vs. Late 20’s: The differences
It got me to thinking, not only does ‘growing up’ create a shift in attitude, having a brain injury can also change how we perceive things.
Therefore, I compiled my own list. Twenty differences between before having an Acquired Brain Injury and after.
Pre-ABI vs. Post-ABI: The differences
1. Drinking
Pre – sambuca Queen, shot, shot, shot!
Post – occasional glass of bubbly on a very special occasion
2. Drugs
Pre – everyone should try everything once but not turn out like the ones in Train Spotting
Post – an endless list of medication to take every day
3. Steroids
Pre – what that cyclist took to win the Tour de France
Post – what I have to take to keep me alive, and I have since realised have the most horrendous side effects – moon face comes to mind
4. Hunger
Pre – …Games! Or getting the munchies after a night out
Post – one of the many side effects of my medication
5. Dancing
Pre – on the tables, falling off and breaking my ankle
Post – awkwardly in the corner at a wedding when I absolutely have to
6. Hospitals
Pre – where old people go to die
Post – where I spend the majority of my time
7. Dating
Pre – being chatted up at a bar and asked for my number on Saturday nights out in da club
Post – undateable
8. Parents
Pre – constantly telling me what to do
Post – constantly doing everything for me
9. Sisters
Pre – the ones who can annoy me more than anyone
Post – my best friends
10. Family
Pre – people I don’t really know that I occasionally see at family gatherings
Post – my most important support network
11. Home
Pre – wherever I rest my head
Post – Pengersek
12. Friends
Pre – making and breaking friendships all over the place
Post – childhood friendships are the only ones that last
13. Social media
Pre – to post selifes
Post – to post about encephalitis and the occasional selfie
14. Work
Pre – 9 to 5 what a way to make a living
Post – volunteering for as many hours a week as I possibly can
15. Hair
Pre – every colour imaginable, from blonde to red to pink to black
Post – au naturel
16. Bedtime
Pre – what bedtime?
Post – after taking all my sleeping tablets, 9pm sharp. lights out
17. Fatigue
Pre – hangover after partying all night
Post – staying in bed for days on end after slight excursion, c-a-n-n-o-t move
18. Housework
Pre – occasionally tidy my room
Post – everything must be in exactly the right place, OCD styley!
19. Brain
Pre – some matter in your head that does some stuff
Post– the most important organ in your body, the control center of everything
20. Me
Pre – outgoing, confident, full of life
Post – nervous, lacking in confidence but still full of life
I put together some pictures, see if you can work out which are pre-ABI and which are post-ABI…
So, there you have it. Life before and after a brain injury broken down into twenty parts.
My Broken Brain 