NFK and traumatic brain injured friend---a bit long! sorry!

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I'm writing to 2 listservs to get some thoughts on a very sad

situation of a friend of mine (he's been my tax man for 17 years--

very kind, caring and very intelligent). Sorry this will be a bit

long!

I just found out that my friend, , (approx. age 50)was in a

devastating car accident in late May (a man in a pick up broadsided

who never saw the pick up). He suffered spinal injuries and

left brain damage (per friend of the family's report to me). When I

first saw yesterday, it was devastating to say the least. He

was sitting in a wheelchair, with a lost look, head to the side and

solemn looking. Although the accident happened in late May, he is

making progress with speech, walking, dressing and washing himself.

The more I talked with , the more hopeful I felt that he will

continue to progress--to what degree, I have no idea. However, here

are the current things I saw with him:

-Always tired---aides constantly getting him to stay awake (lots of

delta I'm sure, but I'm not sure exactly where without an assessment)

-In a wheelchair and holds his head mainly to the right

-He babbles a lot and repeats words, " yes, yes, yes, " in which aides

have to tell him to stop (he does)

-When I told him my first name, he immediately said, " Pam Bilodeau,

my teacher. " I told him he was correct with my name, but that I was

a client and friend of his, not a teacher.

-I decided to ask him a few assessment type questions and I was

amazed at how fast he could recall sequential numbers--forward and

backwards, addition and substraction, as well as read a few words I

showed him. He did very well in all of these areas. I was really

suprised since he has left hemispheric damage.

His sister wasn't there so I couldn't get more neuological

information. All I know is that he is improving cognitively and

physically. Prognosis is unknown.

My questions to the group are:

1. The accident occurred in late May. How long does it take the

brain to heal in a way where one could do NFK? Essentially, is it

better to do NFK immediately or wait for a certain period for the

brain to heal and then do NFK?

2. Is this a case where NFK could be helpful to him? If so, I may

be able to do a TLC assessment with eyes closed and task but not

eyes peeking. If he moves too much, I may not be able to do the TLC

but rather need to do symptom-based protocols. What would be

recommended in this case?

3. I've never worked with this serious of a traumatic brain injury

and don't want to alarm my friend's sister into thinking I'm a kook

who wants to work on her brother's brain, but any thoughts on ways

to explain NFK without frightening her? I thought about providing

some studies on NFK and TBIs and providing her with a copy of A

Symphony in the Brain, but I don't know.

I have no idea whether I can help my friend with NFK, but when I saw

him in such a debilitative state, my heart broke as I thought about

his vibrancy and how he may not ever regain his full functionality.

Thanks so much for your thoughts and help with this!

Pam Bilodeau