Ok, this post is a bit late in coming, but it’s been a busy week.
Went back up to OHSU last Tuesday and saw my specialist. I told him how well things were going for me in general - I still have moments and the very occasional whole day where I still feel the effects, but on the whole I’ve found my new normal. Not the same old self I was…still need to sleep a bit more, take more time doing cognitive things, and in general take better care of myself, but when I do this I have that same energy I had before the fall and for the very large part, I don’t feel cognitively impaired. Maybe it’s just that I can’t remember what it was like to be unimpaired and I’m doing so well that I’ve learned to function with what I’ve got and I’ve established some new pathways…I think this is probably more of what’s going on, but that’s okay with me! I’ve been working with a speech-language pathologist who is fantastic and she is really helping me overcome the language/speed of processing and attention deficits, which are what I feel most right now. However, memory was completely normal according to the standardized test we did - woohoo!
Physically I’ve been doing great as well - my back continues to put itself back together a bit more each day. The body’s ability to heal itself is amazing! I’ve been more active with school and responsibilities around the barn and life in general, and I’ve been holding up well.
So I told my doctor all this and we agreed that it was time to do a neuropsych retest. Well, I improved A LOT!!! Not a 100% improvement (who knows if that will ever come), but very dramatic improvement compared to last time. So I was released to resume physical activity, starting very slow and building gradually from there. I started with just a few miles of light running, but it took my body a couple of days to adjust from pretty much complete rest to actually working again. I had one or two episodes of Post-Concussion Syndrome relapse during the last week, but I’ve been increasing exercise and remaining symptom free for the last four days. I trotted and cantered on my Saint of a Therapy Horse for the first time on Friday, and I did it again today. It felt great! I’m HORRIBLY out of shape with no muscle strength, but in the saddle is where I belong! In fact, things are going so well that I’ve decided to run a sprint triathlon in April and a marathon in June. I’m very excited to be working back into fitness, in case you can’t tell 
And I’m even more excited to start real riding again tomorrow - after today I’ve decided that I’ve graduated from bareback playing around to actually working towards real dressage again, and jumping as soon as my trainer and I think I’m ready (doctor says that I can start jumping as soon as I can ride competently on the flat with no symptoms) :D:D:D
School is crazy busy right now - only four weeks of classes before finals and I’ve got plenty of work to do between now and then. Someone gave me the bright idea of doing a senior research project…WAAAAYY more work than I originally thought! But definitely worth it for what I’m learning - it’s a great opportunity!
So all in all, things are going GREAT!! I’ve learned so much and grown so much as a person and an adult because of this injury - not that I’m glad that it happened, but there is definitely a thick silver lining to this cloud - something I’ve learned to look for 
There has been much good to come about in my life that is directly related to the fall. I’ve even realized that I want to go to medical school rather than vet school…I want to help people like all my amazing doctors have helped me. I would really like to work with disabled children and really make a difference in their lives. Until then, I’ve been given many opportunities to educate children and the public about the importance of safety and the dangers of head injuries in equestrian sports - this has kind of become my soapbox. I don’t want anyone to have to experience a TBI or PCS, so I’m going to educate as much as I can and push for legislation mandating helmets for youth.
Now it’s my turn to help you all just like you helped me through this injury - my new normal might include managing chronic conditions and living a bit slower, but the important thing is that I’ve finally found my new normal. And you know what? I think I like it.
