Loud Music and Hearing Loss

By Geoffrey B.

     Hello everyone!  I am writing this blog that is very important.  It is about loud music and hearing loss.  When I am in the car coming home or going out somewhere, I see people in other cars having their windows down listening to a song with the volume up way to loud.  But what they don’t realize is that they are permanently damaging their hearing and once you lose your hearing, you can’t get it back.

     There is a music artist named Chris Martin and he had Tinnitus for about 10 years.  If you don’t know what Tinnitus is, it is a buzzing, hissing, chirping, whistling and other sounds within in your ear.  I researched on WebMD and I found a few steps to treat Tinnitus. One, cut back on drinking alcohol and sodas that have caffeine. Another thing you can do is stop smoking because nicotine makes Tinnitus worse by reducing blood flow to the ear.  So if you don’t want to lose your hearing, turn the music down. If you have a smart phone,  download an app so you can monitor safety levels for listening.  Limit or avoid exposure to the noises and lastly, try to ignore the sound by directing your attention to other things. Thank You!

Depression

By Shasmin A.

 

Depression is defined as a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings and sense of well-being. Some life causes of this mood can be sexual abuse, bereavement, neglect, unequal parental treatment of siblings, or physical abuse. Experts say though, that depression is caused by a combination of factors, such as the person's genes, their biochemical environment, personal experience and psychological factors. I experience depression in middle school, high school, and from time to time because of neglect and being treated like I’m stupid because of a wide arrangement of subjects.

In middle school, where this started, I was neglected by friends and family. Friends and other acquaintances took advantage of my friendliness and how much I would help others. This was a little more of an annoyance than anything. Of course, in middle school, everyone got into the dating thing and I of course should have waited awhile for this to happen. In the eighth grade, an acquaintance took advantage of me and spiraled me into a bushel of bad thoughts and personal problems. I couldn’t handle the pain, emotional and physical, so I dealt with my pains in other ways. I was neglected by family members because I lacked smarts and talent, so, I didn’t add up to what my other family members were. This made me depressed because I was always looked down on. When the depression began to get worse, my mom made me seek professional help, to see a psychologist. The psychologist helped me a little and then put me on some gross depression medication: sertraline (Zoloft), which actually made my depression worse. After I was put on the medication, I can’t recall what happened next.

The high school depressions didn’t occur until after my accident, which was in the first sophomore year in 2006. This was caused because of my mobility and my emotional status, for I could not remember how to perform the daily activities from day to day. My memory was affected in the accident, so, when it came to taking tests and working on projects, it was very difficult. My “friends” from before saw me as a charity case, so they avoided me like the plague.  My teachers treated me worse than the students from time to time because of how I would give up easily and my one on one got frustrated too easily. It was really bad when the teachers gave up on me because they wouldn’t explain certain things, like math, to me and I had to drop the course.

After I graduated high school, I imagined things would get better and I was wrong. I was expected to go to college, graduate, get a job, and move out. Well, I tried the college road, and with all of the classes I had to take and retake, I gave up on that. I tried to get a part-time job, but, most places require either two years of experience or a college degree, which I have none of them, so, that wasn’t the right road to go down either. Because of my disability, I do receive SSI, but that still isn’t enough to move out of my parent’s house, so, the moving out decision still didn’t happen. I still have bills and other things to pay for and the job search doesn’t make me any less depressed since no one will hire me because of lack of experience, meaning I don’t have retail or food service experience.

From time to time now, I do experience some kind of depressive mood from my inner thoughts telling me that I will never amount to anything in my life. But, to get out of the depressive state, the main things I do are I either write down my thoughts and feelings, or I will just take a nap. It helps me relax and think of other things.

Narcolepsy

By Geoffrey B.
     Narcolepsy is a brain disorder that causes poor control of sleep-wake cycles.  In other words, people who have this disorder, they can fall asleep at any moment.  The person with the disorder said he or she will fall asleep, but it didn't say for how long.  Also, if a person who has Narcolepsy, they are not be able to drive.  I want to continue to research this disorder, because I wonder if an individual living with Narcolepsy is able to live alone?    
     Now, I did some research on the internet and I found out that Harriet Tubman, The Underground Railroad Pioneer, suffered from Narcolepsy and Epilepsy because of a head injury.  It also said that Harriet Tubman could of been caught because of that disorder.  So, if you want the full story about this disorder, click on Narcolepsy.  Thank you!

Why the red nose?

Today, I’m  asking ,”why  the red nose?”  Well today is Red Nose Day.  America is joining the United Kingdom ,  which  has  raised  over  one billion over the last thirty years, to help children be educated, healthy, and safe.  Donated funds will help children around the world improve their reading skills, have access to clean water, provide Healthy Baby Packages,  provide books and immunizations.
WalGreens and M&M’s are working together for this cause.  Watch Red Nose Day Live on NBC, tonight at 8pm.  Learn more about how you can make a difference by logging in at rednosedayusa.com  

By D. Jones

Glaucoma

    By Geoffrey B.
     Hello my friends around the world!  I want to talk to you about what some might or not know about what is in my eyes.  I have a eye disease called Glaucoma. Glaucoma destroys the optic nerve in the back of the eyes. So one way to stop the Glaucoma from getting worse, is by using eye drops everyday. The eye drops that I use are Alphagan P, Trusopt and Lumigan. I use them in both eyes around 8 am and around 8 pm.  The last eye drops Lumigan, I put in both eyes only at night.  I have to do Vision Field tests and have my eyes checked about every six months. People who have to wear glasses, you need to know if you are nearsighted or farsighted.  If you don't can't tell the difference, nearsighted means you can't see far away. Farsighted means you can't see up close. I am nearsighted.  Some people have to wear glasses only for driving and reading, I have to wear my glasses for everything.  So when I am in The Denbigh House, I have to wear my glasses or I am blind as a bat, because I can not see the task on the board or on the computer screen.  If  I try to turn off the computers in the Denbigh House without my glasses, the turn off button is really blurry. That is what I have to do so my glaucoma will not make my eyes get any worse. If you want the whole story click on Glaucoma. Thank You!

From Handi-ride to my ride

BY: Ginger Beck

When I first started the Denbigh House I was a shell of person!  I had no self esteem and felt like I was useless! 

I could not drive.  I had to depend on Handi-ride to take me everywhere I needed to go. This meant I had to stand in the rain, snow, cold and wait up to an hour for the ride to come and get me!  It also meant I had to stand out in the dark waiting on a ride that would never come! I would make many phone calls trying to find out what was happening with my ride!  Of course, the answer was always excuses.

When I came here I was having five types of seizures.  After a few years of working with medications and finally finding the correct ones I was able to be seizure free for over a year.  I now have a legal license and I am driving a car my father gave to me. The freedom is exhilarating!

With help from the Denbigh House helping to work with my TBI problems, my self esteem and many other issues I had due to my TBI and way of living,  I am now no longer homeless and have my own place and am more independent than I have been in more years than I can count. I still have the help of an aide due to my difficulties with my TBI, however life is good!

Are these good for your brain?

We always want to know how we can best recover from our brain injury, however I have found that there are a few brain supplements that could even make your brain better!  First, you must be careful,  there are so many scams that claim that their product will improve your brain.  Some supplements are supposed to increase your well-being, focus and memory.  They will jump start your energy and boost your mental focus.  A few of the favorite supplements that some researchers recommend are Neuro HD, Alpha Focus and CerebralCharge.  Neuro HD has all-natural ingredients and gives razor-sharp focus without adverse reactions. This also may be the best option because Neuro HD’s already-low price is backed by a no-questions-asked money-back guarantee, so you can try it without worry.  To get more information on these and others, look at http://www.brainsupplementreviews.org  -  I am interested in finding out whether these supplements are good for me, however, as we all know, we must get approval or recommendations from our personal doctor before giving any of these supplements a try.