Useful blogs

I have finally managed to compile a list of blogs that I feel are useful for anyone that has suffered any form of brain injury.

I have split them up into different sections so that you can easily navigate your way around and find the ones that you will find the most useful!

Starting off, here are some blogs written by other bloggers with anti-NMDA-r encephalitis:

Sophie Gwyther – Life before, during and after NMDAR encephalitis – The only blog I know of that is written by a sufferer of NMDA encephalitis who remembers the whole of their ordeal. A beautifully written blog by an inspirational young lady. Well worth a read.

Sophie became unwell with anti-NMDA-r encephalitis back in 2011.

I met Sophie through a Facebook group and have found many similarities between her illness and my own.

Ceri’s Blog – Describing my journey with a rare illness called; anti-NMDA-r encephalitis – Written from the perspective of an NMDA sufferer that has had many psychotic symptoms.

Ceri became unwell with anti-NMDA-r encephalitis about 2 years ago.

I met Ceri through a Facebook group and have since been to an encephalitis retreat with her and we are now in contact quite often.

Niamh Cahill – Brinjury and Life – Yet another NMDA sufferer. Niamh’s latest post is celebrating her 6 year anniversary of contracting encephalitis. Based in Ireland.

I met Niamh a couple of years ago at Susannah’s Brain on Fire book signing, since then I have been inspired by her can do attitude and positive outlook she has in every part of life.

Deborah Yap – Oceansizedlovee – Battling NMDA encephalitis since 2012, this blog puts forward this 24 year olds own personal story of what it is like to have encephalitis.

From Singapore originally. She also has a blog based on her other passion, baking.

I met Deborah once again through the powers of Facebook.

Jenny Grieve – Jenny’s Blog – This is a great blog written by a young lady who also has NMDA encephalitis, she has been able to piece her illness together using text messages and emails and portrays the difficulties one faces with such an illness beautifully. Jenny says “I’m 21, recently diagnosed with autoimmune limbic encephalitis with positive NMDA receptors. I lost a month of my life after losing my memory to encephalitis. I spent nearly 7 weeks in Luxembourg and Southampton hospital where I had to fight for my life after my body started shutting down and I had to learn to walk, talk, eat, write and do things for myself again.”

Here are some links to blogs written by others who have suffered from encephalitis:

PANDAS-encephalitis-blog-

The Dreaming Panda -My PANDAS Journey: Recovery and 8 Years of Misdiagnoses – Written by a 19 year old survivor, this blog tells the story of someone suffering from a different form of autoimmune encephalitis, PANDAS.

This blog gives a very positive outlook on living with a brain injury as well as having tons of useful information about PANDAS/PANS.

Becky-Dennis-Encephalitis-survivor Becky Dennis – It’s all in my head, but I’m not crazy – Not only an encephalitis survivor but also a patient advocate, Becky’s blog is filled with important information and her writing style puts across the what it is like to live with a brain injury in a fun and interesting way.

Natalie McKenzie – Joining the dots – Natalie suffered from viral encephalitis and has been learning to rebuild her life ever since. She says “September 2014 marks the 30th anniversary of the day when I woke up with an agonising headache. It took over 2 months to diagnose Viral Encephalitis and years of trial and error to identify coping strategies that have enabled me to live with Acquired Brian Injury, the permanent consequence of my Encephalitis. This blog is my opportunity to share the tips and tricks that I had to learn for myself and that have helped me to handle the situation I found myself in.”

Then there are the blogs written by those who have had a different form of ABI (Acquired Brain Injury):

Kicks PB – A brain injury survivor and advocate. Exploring identity, disability, the good times, the bad times.

Life as a student nurse with a brain injury – After suffering from a brain injury two and a half years ago is now blogging about life with a brain injury.

And those TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) bloggers:

Whyteferret’s Blog – Embracing life: challenges and blessings – A great look into the effects of TBI on everyday life, with some ferrets thrown in for good measure! “The road of recovery from a head injury is unlike any other experience in my life. I invite you to read about my experience. Each head injury is different and recovery will vary between survivors.”

Memoirs of the brain injured – A lovely blog by a man in Texas who suffered a TBI in 2012 after being knocked down by a car.

Broken Brain – Brilliant Mind – A great compilation of different blogs written by TBI sufferers, including:

The Concussion Blog Brain Injury Blogs

Sometimes it is interesting to read blogs written from the perspective of the someone that is not the person with the brain injury:

Donna O’Donnell Figurski – Surviving Traumatic Brain Injury – Donna says: “I wasn’t a TBI-Survivor spouse – until I was. In January 2005 my husband, David, and I began a new journey. We weren’t prepared. No colorful brochures of exotic places cluttered our tables. No flight or cruise reservations made. No suitcases packed. But when TBI came knocking, we answered. We had no choice.”

This blog is extra special as Donna has included a ‘survivors speak out’ section which enables people with brain injuries to share their stories with the world via her blog.

Michelle Gunnin – Michelle’s Mosaic – Great to have a different perspective. Michelle has written her blog about her husband who suffered a TBI. It is a great read with lots of interesting posts for you to delve into.