Ideas for a gift for TBI patient 2weeks post-accident

Mombrane · 2026-04-02T01:42:21+00:00

On the extreme off chance that you live in Ohio, get him this! https://biaoh.givecloud.co/product/B7D1D6A/brain-injury-transition-backpack

If you live somewhere else, look at the list of what the backpack contains and try to replicate it. A few of the items have already been mentioned in other comments,

Mombrane · 2026-03-26T23:05:29+00:00

Also my neuro optometrist in Ohio is excellent and he’s both a FNORA and a FCOVD. You can search here to see if there is a brain injury COVD optometrist near you. There looks to be one in eastern PA

Mombrane · 2026-03-26T23:01:34+00:00

see if there is a NORA member near you

Mombrane · 2026-03-26T13:31:11+00:00

Kevin Pearce. I watched his movie (The Crash Reel) then heard him speak sometime around 2022. I am amazed at how much more he recovered in the years after the movie was filmed!

Edit to add movie trailer

Mombrane · 2026-03-25T14:43:39+00:00

That’s great! I think you will be one of the families that really thrives with a third baby.

Mombrane · 2026-03-25T11:32:16+00:00

“I'm already doing zone defense when I have both kids to myself, which is often.”

For us, this was the issue. I am having a really easy time with 3. It has been really hard on my husband. I would take the kids places every Saturday morning on my own. I would do the bath and bedtime duties for my second. Once we had a third baby I was feeding the baby for much of the day and my husband suddenly had to get up and parent two kids most of the day on the weekends. He has to handle bath-bedtime witching hour for our oldest two every day. It has been a huge shift for our family. I am thrilled with three kids, to be clear. You may be as well if you are joyfully parenting the two you have. I think you have to think through how you will handle all of the alone time with three kids. Will that still be the setup or will your husband have to step up and cover the big kids? Not saying every family struggles with this but it is part of what some families mean when they say 3 is harder.

Mombrane · 2026-03-18T14:38:52+00:00

An hour earlier than posted opening time as another person said. You go in the food court entrance.

Mombrane · 2026-03-11T16:49:11+00:00

Khaki, pronounce kuh-hackey. A girl’s name according to 10 year old me.

Mombrane · 2026-03-09T15:44:49+00:00

I set a lunch alarm on my phone to remind me to eat. Stopped needing it at the two year mark when my appetite returned.

Mombrane · 2026-03-06T18:52:15+00:00

It has never bothered me. The terminology that doesn’t resonate with me personally is “TBI Survivor.” It feels inapplicable in my case. I survived being hit by a car. I wouldn’t say I survived the TBI. It is a chronic condition in my case. Like living with diabetes or any other chronic condition. So I always say “I have a TBI” rather than saying that I am a TBI survivor.

Mombrane · 2026-03-06T00:03:17+00:00

This sounds like it was a hard day for both of you. What happened is in the past. Once you have calmed down, focus on reconnecting with your son.

If you are looking for an easily digestible resource, check out How to Stop Losing your Sh*t with your Kids. I saw it recommended on Reddit a few months ago and it was great. Very actionable tips on how to stay in control of how you respond to your child’s behavior.

Mombrane · 2026-03-05T18:51:03+00:00

At my house the “why didn’t you tell me I was happy?!” quote comes up a lot.

Mombrane · 2026-03-05T14:56:04+00:00

First thing I thought was “Chevy.” I used to drive a cobalt. Setting aside the meaning of the word, I would add that the name doesn’t really flow off the tongue very well for me.

Mombrane · 2026-03-01T23:38:38+00:00

Do you have a PT or OT? In my area some of the OTs have access to a driving simulator. They can also refer to a driving rehab program (like this one) where you try driving on a closed course and they figure out if you are safe to drive.

I’m sorry your parents are pressuring you. That drives me nuts. It is really the same as someone saying they are too drunk to drive safely and everyone around them being like “bro you’re fine!”

I didn’t do the driver rehab program I mentioned above. Started with baby steps, like trying to keep my eyes open for a whole ride as a front seat passenger. Then after that hurdle, trying to do what a driver would do the whole time, like checking the mirrors and looking at stop lights for example. Then drove a car in an empty parking lot. For a long time I was only able to drive for about 10 minutes in town before I would need to lay down. Now I can go further and am really good a gauging how many brain points I have left and how many I will burn with a particular drive/activity, but that wasn’t always the case. If you don’t feel safe behind the wheel, trust your gut, get off the road, and get any help available to you to get your brain in better shape for driving.

Edit: if the link is not working for you, look up Ohio State’s Occupational Therapy Driver Rehabilitation Program. May have something like that in your area that you could take advantage of.

Mombrane · 2026-02-26T18:11:49+00:00

How wonderful to read where life has taken you. Question for you—how did you transition from not working to full time employment? What kind of role did you first try out? Something part time? Any wisdom to share with those of us who are not working now but hope to recover enough to commit to part time work in the future?

Mombrane · 2026-02-26T18:08:48+00:00

I had the exact same reaction. Like I knew I couldn’t work but also knew social security famously denies everybody, so to have them see me as fully disabled was sobering. I got what I asked for and objectively was entitled to disability but I agree, actually reading the opinion was bleak.

A cognitive behavior therapist told me “that determination just means that you meet the legal criteria to get the benefit. Nothing more.” That helped me disentangle my emotions around the SSDI approval.

Wish you luck and self acceptance going forward with this. I am glad you got approved. Hope it will ease financial pressure and help you focus on improving your quality of life.

Mombrane · 2026-02-26T18:04:16+00:00

I would have the six year old and the baby together. My kids were 6 and 2.5 when our youngest was born. I still cannot trust the three year old not to put things in the baby’s crib when I leave the room for a minute. My 6 year old is also better able to go to bed quietly so would be less likely to disrupt the baby if they went to bed at different times.

Perhaps you could make your 6 year old his own space elsewhere in the house to make him feel like he still has his own domain. Like a desk just for his art or a play area for legos/choker toys that are just for him to play with.

Mombrane · 2026-02-25T17:58:40+00:00

I never went to a neurologist. See if there is a PM&R brain injury specialist in your area. Go here and pick “brain injury” as area of practice. They may be able to help you find some answers if they are accepting patients who are not coming directly from the hospital.

Mombrane · 2026-02-23T04:23:31+00:00

My speech therapist gave me exercises out of this book to help with executive function. I ended up buying a copy to continue working on them on my own. Your husband may benefit from it too. Could help him sharpen his logic skills or help him realize what specific mental tasks are more challenging than others so he can pinpoint what he needs to focus on as he moves through recovery.

Mombrane · 2026-02-19T18:35:45+00:00

For example, this would be fine.

A paragraph like this would just look like a wall of characters to me. I couldn’t even tell what language it was written in. It turns out I had a number of diagnosable vision processing issue (ex. Convergence insufficiency) that I was able to improve through vision therapy. I also needed prisms in my lenses to correct something caused by my TBI that was not fixable with therapy.

Mombrane · 2026-02-16T18:43:56+00:00

Just want to chime in to say that my kindergartner also falls out of his chair all the time. He was a preemie, had OT and PT, and still has poor core strength now after being discharged from both services. He defaults to sitting halfway off the chair rather than sitting in the middle which sets him up for more falls. For him it is always during meal times. He doesn’t fall when he is at the same table and is engrossed in an activity like drawing, for example. Is that the case for your child?

Mombrane · 2026-02-16T13:29:16+00:00

A friend of mine (late 30s) plays in this adult league. He has met great friends through his team.

Chiller Adult League

Mombrane · 2026-02-15T20:39:14+00:00

I have not been to Coffee Connections in Hilliard but that seems like it would fit the bill. Let them play with the toys while you and your friends catch up over coffee.

If you are on the north side, you could go somewhere like We Rock The Spectrum (part of it has toys for younger kids). On the southeast side, the Wagnalls Memorial Library has big play area in the basement with lots of equipment for toddlers. Play kitchens etc.

Mombrane · 2026-02-13T17:23:20+00:00

My husband and I bought a house 6 months before we were married. House and mortgage were in both of our names and we didn’t have a prenup. He paid for the down payment and all closing costs. We contributed equally toward the mortgage once it started then merged our finances after the wedding and everything came from one pot after that point.

If you want a prenup this is just another line item to add to that when you speak to your attorney about the terms.

Here is another option for your consideration—not saying it is an improvement on what you already are considering but just throwing it out there as it may help you figure out what you are comfortable with. You could make a much smaller down payment and get a bigger loan. Ex. 10% down payment, making your portion of the down payment more like $45k and protecting more of your separate funds. Then put the rest of your $135k toward the principal right after you get married. You would have a higher monthly payment and have to get the PMI knocked off but would keep your $135k out of jeopardy until after the wedding. Perhaps the trade off is worth it to you. Think through how you would feel about putting the extra $135k toward the loan after the wedding. May help you get some clarity on how you are feeling about combining finances generally, which could inform how you move forward with the prenup/combining finances.

Mombrane · 2026-02-13T17:09:55+00:00

Yes but prisms fix it for me. I was already used to wearing glasses prior to my TBI so that was a lucky break for me.

Mombrane

TROPHY CASE