Half a Mind to ..

Life after brain injury – one small victory at a time.

Category: challenge

  • Fatigue (Challenge C013)

    Fatigue (Challenge C013)

    People often think fatigue is just another form of tiredness, but my experience has shown me how different they are. Tiredness is the ordinary, end-of-the-day feeling that settles after a period of effort and usually disappears with a good rest. Fatigue, on the other hand, has been a long-standing companion since my brain tumour treatment in 2008 and again after my stroke. My brain now works much harder behind the scenes to do everyday things — concentrating, navigating, seeing — and that hidden workload drains my energy far more sharply than seems obvious from the outside. Sleep doesn’t always put things right. Fatigue can arrive suddenly, linger stubbornly, and needs managing rather than simply ‘pushing through’. It’s not about attitude; it’s the reality of a brain that’s had to rebuild itself twice.

    The Brainstrust charity does a great job on explaining fatigue for people with brain tumours here…

    https://brainstrust.org.uk/brain-tumour-support/quality-of-life/living-well-with-a-brain-tumour/fatigue/

  • Visual Field Loss – (Challenge 001)

    Visual Field Loss – (Challenge 001)

    I have left-sided hemianopia (or Hemianopsia, which means I cannot see the left half of my visual field; true for both eyes. To a great extent I am unaware of the issue in for the most part daily life these days. There’s no additional edge or the like in what I see, it simply tails off into nothingness in the same way that a normally sighted person experiences. There’s just less information coming in.

    Seventeen years ago, after surgery required sacrificing part of my vision, I would bump into people or objects on my left side almost daily. Although I rarely bump into things now, certain environments remain difficult to navigate.


    In particular, walking through areas of medium crowd density is most challenging. When people have the space to move and change direction unexpectedly, it is very difficult for me to anticipate their movements on my blind side. Low crowd density situations pose fewer problems, and very crowded spaces can actually be easier to manage because movement is slower and more predictable.

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  • Sensory Overload (Challenge 002)

    Sensory Overload (Challenge 002)

    I live with ongoing sensory overload and hypersensitivity, which began shortly before my diagnosis of a brain tumour in 2008, but I suspect is linked. These difficulties affect many parts of my daily life — from work and social situations to basic everyday tasks. I am sharing this account to help others understand the challenges I face and the adjustments I need in order to function at my best.

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