Sledging injury victim ready for ‘next chapter’

Woman hurt enjoying winter fun is on journey of recovery from badly bruised brain

An Angus woman injured during a sledging tumble has been told she has a badly bruised brain.

Anne Johnston from Forfar has undergone a CT scan and the results confirmed there is no permanent brain damage but she will have to relearn how to function properly.

Anne was initially diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome on March 8, after she fell backwards and banged her head while sledging with her family in Arbroath.

She was rushed from her GP to emergency surgery five days after the accident, after waking up to find her speech was slow and she was struggling with basic movements.

Anne has been struggling ever since and was forced to put her established photography business on hold and postpone photography tuition sessions until she recovers.

“I had my first appointment at the brain injury clinic following my accident in March and I feel it marks the start of the next chapter in my post-concussion syndrome recovery,” she said.

“I’d been sent to the clinic by my doctor to get help with my recovery as I’m still struggling with a lot of symptoms, with new ones developing recently. The consultant confirmed my doctor’s post-concussion syndrome diagnosis. He asked what I remembered leading up to the accident and after, and said that my brain is badly bruised and will need to relearn how to function properly.

“I’m getting referred to neuro physiotherapy, which is physiotherapy specifically for treating brain injuries.

“This is great news as my mobility, I feel, is the biggest of my issues. What I want my legs to do and what actually happens are two very different things and it gets worse when I’m in noisy environments or fatigued or my brain is just having a freak out. I’m also being referred to an occupational therapist to help with things like memory and cognitive issues.”

Anne will return to the clinic in four months and has been told to expect to see some improvement by then.

“In the meantime, I have to be patient and resist the temptation to overdo things on good days,” she said.

“I think my definition of a good day has changed somewhat. A good day now is nothing like a normal day before the accident. That’s OK, though, it’s all part of my recovery and as time goes on I hope to raise the bar on what I consider a good day.”

She declared herself “ready for this next chapter”.

Anne shares updates on her progress at https://findingmysparkle.co.uk

Picture: Paul Reid. Anne Johnston has been told she can expect to see some improvement in the next four months.