Im very sensitive to people's comments too and nothing much seems to change that. My partner Andy backs me up unconditionally. Only once he took a doctot 's view against me. The doctor proved yo br incorrect in his judgement and it set us against each other at the time. Andy knows im very fragile and defends my corner. Im never so far off in my judgement that i need over- correcting. Can u tell u r partnet that the comments are hurtful? I think whe we have brain injury . The world tells us off enough as it is (daily!!)

Hi Samantha, I used to be always fretting over what people thought of me but that has lessened with time. I'd say something off the wall , and someone would correct me or we'd have a good laugh, but then it was over. I remember Dr Phil ( not someone I put a lot of faith in, but once in a while he says something I can relate to ) saying "You wouldn't worry what people thought of you if you realized how little they thought of you". He said this when someone said "I know people think I"m dumb". He meant that at the moment we say something, others may wonder what we meant. However the average person is so busy that they aren't going to remember the situation for long. The phrase 'how little they think of you" is referring to how quickly people forget what happened and what you said/did.. This was an eye-opener for me.

Your boyfriend sounds like he doesn't have much empathy, or he'd quit joking in ways that hurt you. He should be in your corner, to use madoak's wording. I have faceblindness- I don't recognize people's faces, so often I have to ask who they are. I was at a church dinner a few weeks ago when a young man came up to me and said "It's so good to see you again. I remember you from ..( I didn't know what he was talking about, and I didn't recognize him) . Karen, the person I was sitting with , piped up "Holly was in a car accident and she has memory problems". The guy said "I didn't know that, but I remember you , and it's all good stuff", then hugged me. This goes to show that I have people that understand my problems and are willing to speak up ; to be in my corner, so to speak. Could you say something like "I already feel no one understands me. I don't need that reinforced by what you say". ? I hope he'll come around and support you more.

As far as PTSD is concerned, you certainly have had enough things happen to you in a short amount of time. I was told that ptsd has to do with a single event that caused trauma, and when you are in a situation that reminds you of it, you get anxious , etc. I have had 3 tbis. The second one was a car accident that put me on life support for 3 weeks. I have a ptsd experience when I"m a passenger in a car and don't like the way the other person is driving. It reminds me of my husband and how he ran a stop sign , which led to 5 surgeries and life support for me. Yesterday a person was driving me to the city for a medical test. We got to a certain point of the highway and I said "This is always when I stay in this lane so I can get to the next exit easily". He said 'no worries; we can go around someone if needed". I knew he was right, it's just that I am afraid to pass others on this stretch of the highway , and so feel certain that others shouldn't chance it either, or we'll have an accident. That's ptsd talking.

I hope you can become less anxious , and that your self-confidence will improve. I used to ruminate for hours over something I said, sure that the other person was also thinking about "how stupid I sounded" ( my take on the conversation). Now I realize that people don't waste their time thinking of what I said. I'm very upfront about telling people I have a head injury and won't remember them , or that I"m not following the conversation. ( I would have told the guy I talked about earlier, but Karen stepped in for me). I find people very accepting of me and my shortcomings if I tell them ahead of time that I have a memory problem or whatever the case may be.

A lot of my anxiety is self-inflicted . I logically know I don't need to worry about something, but my brain is stuck there. That's when I go for a walk while listening to the upbeat music my daughter put on my mp3. The exercise along with singing to my favorite songs ( sometimes I forget I shouldn't be singing in public!) often helps me calm down and the "problem" often resolves itself or doesn't seem as big. I hope you can find strategies like that. The things you are feeling are normal for us with tbi. I just would hate to have them take over your life. I wish you all best. Tell your boyfriend to "zip it" with the jokes, and know that you are a wonderful person in your own right. People will come to realize that as you share more with them. Don't be afraid; we all know where you're coming from, but things do get better. Hugs, Holly

You ladies are awesome, thank you so much! :)

I had traumatic brain injuries from a decade of abuses in an assisted living facility. I had such violent abuse to my head and body that I nearly died. It has been horrific trying to recover. I'm living in an apartment on my own now, alone though. The effects of the brain injuries have burned my life to the ground. I don't know how to lay this burden down and walk away from it. I've never been told anything. I've been away from that situation 4 1/2 years. I'm lost to me forever.

Hi Dee, sorry to hear of your awful experiences. It's dreadful to hear about your injuries and the long term effects of these. I find it very hard to know what to say about PTSD as haven't really managed to get my own situation under control. I did look into EMDR therapy but didn't feel ready to take that on right now. Someone else posted about a support group which seems a good bet; particularly if there are other people with TBI. I don't know about one near to me. Perhaps there is something out there for you near to where you live? I do know that it's very hard to get the right support. I've just lost my occupational therapist because of health cuts here in the U.K. Keep writing here - it's a very supportive group and the only thing I found that works for me.