Lobes

FRONTAL LOBE

-Loss of simple movement of various body parts. (Paralysis) *'When I awoke I couldn't move my arms, legs and to some peoples happiness, my mouth.

-Inability to plan a sequence of complex movements needed to comnplete multi-stepped tasks, such as making dinner.

-Lack of spontaneity in interacting with others. *Or in my case I became a chonic over-planner.

-Loss of flexibility in thinking. *Another new trait! I am more of a hardhead than before!

-Persistence of a single, dominating thought. (Perseveration)

-Inability to focus on a task. (Attending) *This went away quickly for me. Although I still struggle with getting very tired doing the simplest of tasks.

-Mood changes. (Emotionally Labile) *Like someone going through menapause I change gears too quickly.

-Changes in social behavior. *This is the most differant I have ever felt. High's higher and low's lower. Over-worry. The works. With sprinkles on top.

-Changes in personality. *Easily irritated. Bossy at times. Inability to keep voice at correct pitch makes me sound angrier then I am.

-Difficulty in problem solving.

-Inability to express langauge. (Broca's Aphasia) *My nurses and doctors wish I had this propblem but never did.

PARIETAL LOBE

-Inability to attend to more than one object at a time. *As a journalist I always had six things going at once. Now I suffer keeping focused and often forget one of the two. Multi-tasking difficulties.

-Inability to name an object. (Anomia)

-Inability to locate words. Early on I could not figure out why I was greeted with a nurse saying: "Do you know who you are in?"

-Problems with reading.

-Difficulty drawing objects.

-Difficulty distinguishing right from left.

-Difficulty with doing mathematics. (Dyscalculia) *We can blame this one on just pure stupidity kids.

-Lack of awareness of certain body parts and/or surrounding space which leads to difficulties in self care. (Apraxia)

-Inability to focus visual attention.

-Difficulties with eye and hand coordination. *Catching a ball was not as crisp as it was before. Possibly contracted muscles but possible Parietal Lobe. Or a combo of both.

OCCIPITAL LOBE: Most posterior, at the back of the head.

-Defects in vision. (Visual Field Cuts)

-Difficulty with locating objects in environment.

-Difficulty with identifying colors. (Color Agnosia)

-Production of hallucinations.

-Visual illusions or innacurately seeing objects. *I remember Occuptional Therapists showing me flash cards and testing this ability.

-Word blindness or inability to recognize words.

-Difficulty to recognize the movement of objects. (Movement Agnosia)

-Difficulty with reading and writing.

TEMPORAL LOBES: Side of head above ears.

-Difficulty in recognizing faces. (Prospagnosia) *I know now this was important but still annoying at the time from the nurses: ""Do you know who I am?""

-Difficulty in understanding spoken words. (Wernicke's Aphasia)

-Disturbance with selective attention to what we see and hear. *In the begenning I was in somewhat of a haze. I couldnt process anything as quickly as I was used to.

-Difficulty with identification of, and verbalization about objects.

-Short-term memory loss.

-Interference with long term memory.

-Increased or decreased interest in sexual behavior. *This is a family show kids.

-Inability to categorize objects. (Categorization)

-Right lobe damage can cause persistent talking. *That was my problem before the wreck.

-Increased aggressive behavior. *I can still be asserytive when I need to without being aggressive.

BRAIN STEM: Deep within the brain.

-Decreased vital capacity in breathing. *Couldn't seem to pace my breathing and speech.

-Difficulty swallowing food and water. *Choked a whole lot more than before. On everything it seemed.

-Difficulty with organization/perception of the environment.

-Problems with balance and movement. *This is the big one! I walked like the town drunk and did more "face-plants" than a figure skater on Methadone.

-Dizziness and nausea. (Vertigo)

-Sleeping difficulties (Insomnia and Sleep Apnea) *Woke up tired. Tired all day.

CEREBELLUM: Base of the skull.

-Loss of ability to coordinate fine movements. *Didn't need any. Had every family member in a five-mile radius offering to tie my shoes.

-Inability to reach out and grab objects.

-Tremors.

-Dizziness. (Vertigo)

-Slurred speech. (Scanning speech) *See above twon drunk reference.

-Inability to make rapid movements.

In college I met and fell in love with a neurosurgeons daughter. Little twist of irony for ya: I memorized the lobes of the brain so I could impress her Dad at dinner. Wierd how that worked out huh?