Half a Mind to ..

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

Category: insight

  • The “Palliative Label (Insight 034)

    The “Palliative Label (Insight 034)

    One of my hospital consultants once explained my condition to me in a way that, although difficult to hear, turned out to be unexpectedly helpful. That was in 2008.

    He told me that from that point onwards, all my care would technically be palliative. At first hearing, that sounds extraordinarily stark. The word carries enormous emotional weight. Many people hear it and understandably think it means that death is imminent, or that medicine has somehow “given up”.

    What he carefully explained, however, was something rather different.

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  • When the Room Gets Too Loud (Insight 036)

    When the Room Gets Too Loud (Insight 036)

    There’s a particular kind of moment that I’ve come to recognise over the years. It doesn’t arrive with a bang. It creeps in.

    It tends to happen in the most ordinary of settings — a meal out, a gathering with half a dozen conversations flowing at once. Nothing unusual. Nothing dramatic.

    And yet, something begins to change.

    At first, I’m absolutely fine. I can follow the conversation, contribute, smile at the right moments, keep track of who is saying what. It all feels perfectly normal.

    Then, gradually, almost imperceptibly, the effort increases.

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  • Proprioception —The Hidden Sense (Insight 002)

    Proprioception —The Hidden Sense (Insight 002)

    Proprioception is the quiet, unnoticed sense that lets us navigate the world without watching our every move. It keeps us balanced, coordinated, and efficient. When it’s impaired, life becomes unexpectedly difficult.

    For example, a foot may land at an odd angle without warning. A hand may overshoot a mug or knock into objects. Even walking through a doorway can feel strangely misaligned. These experiences aren’t due to weakness—they’re due to missing or muddled signals from the body to the brain. A common thing for me is that one leg feels longer than the other; I’m not absolutely sure that this is due to poor proprioception, but it seems to me that it could be. 

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