Younger or Older: If You’re Destined to Have One, When Is It Better to Have a Stroke or Other TBI?

 

I had a stroke in 2009 and I was 61. So the question I continued to ask myself, even now 13 years later as soon as I came out of the coma, is it better to have youth on your side or is it better to have a stroke or other traumatic brain injury in your twilight years? There are pros and cons.

Before 50 

Pros: Ah! Youth! The advantages to having a stroke when you haven’t reached 50 yet have things to do most with recovery. As a rule, the younger you are when things went haywire, the faster the recovery will come. Of course, there are exceptions, as with any rule, and I don’t have proof that if you have a stroke before 50, there will be clear sailing from that point on. But the chances are greater. Watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGuBMroX7c8

Cons:  You’re just starting or in the middle of your career, whether you’re a barista or middle management, really everyone who works, as a matter of fact, when suddenly, because that’s all it takes, nothing. Depending on the severity, you may not be able to return. And if you return, prejudices come into play. All eyes are on the TBI survivor and that alone may make you screw up. They, the powers that be, see that you’re different, even if you’re not. Depression is greater in the under 50 crowd because you feel cheated. Emotions are stronger like guilt and frustration may come into play greater than the after 50 group.

After 50

Pros:  You understand sooner the whys and wherefores, limits and foolishness of your actions. You may feel like a grownup for the first time in your life, and that’s a good thing. You take absolutely nothing for granted. You start thinking about support groups, where laughter is the best medicine. 

Cons: You may think about death more and, even though you won’t feel it, how cold you will be six-feet under. Older people fall. It’s just the way it is. And having a fall or, to lesser extent, even an accident, sometimes results in a stroke or other TBI, and in that singular moment is the better part than what comes after, like lingering headaches, double vision, nasty incontinence, just to name a few. 

TBI survivors, do you feel the same way? No doubt some of you do, barring the exceptional ones like the survivor in the video or the ones who hide behind their positivity in a glass shell, ready to be shattered at any moment with another TBI!