Family just doesn't understand or refuses to

The family atmosphere is a great challenge for the brain injury survivor. There is no way to convey how it feels to be a TBI survivor to your family. This is particularly difficult when you have been raised in a family that does not give you emotional support regarding your injury.

My family shows no interest in trying to understand my injury or help me with it. My mother is always telling me I must get a job although I am unable to work due to my dizziness which can be severe at times and other injuries I am still challenged by due to being crushed.

Getting your family to understand that you cannot work, you have a brain injury and just why can't they understand this is nearly impossible. It wells up in frustration and anger. You just want them to understand. You want them to give you a hug, tell you that it will be better and that you will get better with time. You just want support. I can't get that with my family.

It wasn't too long ago that my mother told me how much of a financial burden I was to her and that I needed to get a job at Wendy's. I was just shocked. After trying for the first 2 years after my TBI to tell her what it has done to my brain and how it has affected my lifestyle, I felt as if I had done nothing more than talk to a wall.

I have to accept, somehow, some way, that my family will never care enough to give me the support that I desperately need from them. We can't choose our families, therapists say. But I can choose how to deal with this effectively and not let it get me down. But it sure is difficult to do.

With my TBI, I feel as if I am on an island and no one understands how much suffering is involved. I feel alone at times. Sometimes I feel I am not even from this planet because no one I know has suffered a TBI.

I am still hoping that I will be able to be seen by a neurologist to get treatment. The cost is great and I do not have any income. I am hoping for a miracle. And I am waiting to go before a judge for my Social Security appeal. It's all I have for now. I won't give up. Someone has to believe in me, even if it's just me.