Just a mini blog this morning.

On past placements, usually after abut a month or so, I become run down and exhausted. This is a regular pattern that I am now used to and prepared for, although it still remains a huge endurance challenge. Neurological-fatigue is pretty much a constant and thats when the challenge is really on.

However, after only 3 weeks of my current placement I woke up this morning feeling run down and neuro-fatigued. Word finding is already difficult, my lisp is here already, I’m dizzy and the floor is moving already (I can remedy this).I’m starting a late shift today which will finish at 8:30pm, meaning I will arrive home around 9:30/10pm.

It’s times like this that the SAS mantra and strategic way of doing things becomes so important to remember

I could become soft and fluffy, put my health first and rethink my shift later on. However, I haven’t got this far adopting that attitude so it’s time to make a plan and crack on with it.

I bought myself a fatty breakfast from Mcdonald’s –  lots of carbs and protein. I stopped off at Tesco to buy an emergency can of red bull (which combined with dihdrycodeine has proved to be the only thing that can save me from a code red neuro fatigue attack, although not always) I may need later and an extra meal to take with me.

If you start flapping, you’re finished. The day will be lost and a bed is the only place for you if you allow yourself to get to this point. Stress is the number one catalyst for neurological-symptoms.

Prior planning prevents piss poor performance 

You need to be realistic and prepared for anything, realise your limitations and know how far to push yourself safely, and then have the balls to put it into practice. I knew at the start of my course that this would push me far beyond anything else in my life so I am totally prepared for these types of situations.

Nobody at work will see it (apart from the lisp) as I’ve learned how to just crack on with things.

I don’t want to let anyone know too much about my condition, I want to be treated the same as everyone else with no special treatment. So I have symptoms and I’ve had a brain injury. Well daisy if I have, because everyone has their own challenges in life that come in many different forms.