• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
The Brain Health Magazine
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The Brain Health Magazine
No Result
View All Result

Never Give Up Hope

After years of seeing no improvement, one woman's life takes a turn for the better.

in Althernative Therapy, Featured content, Headache, Nutrition
May 11, 2021
0
Never Give Up Hope

Article and photos by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief

In June 2009, Kate D’Orazio flew to Mississippi to visit her husband, who was at Air Force Reserves training.

After an evening of dining out and celebrating their time together, her husband found her on the floor of their room. She was unconscious and bleeding from the back of her head. After they got her cleaned up, they went back to bed.

The next morning, Kate assumed she just had a hangover and continued her visit. A few days later as she flew home, she knew something was wrong because she had excruciating pain in her head and was throwing up.

Kate went back to work, even though she struggled with her symptoms and vomited into a wastebasket by her desk. They sent her home, and she saw her doctor, who sent her out for a CT scan and x-rays. He told her she just had a concussion, and she should feel better in a few weeks.

Kate had several concussions in her life as an athlete, as well as a broken nose and several hospitalizations, but she always bounced back and never struggled with any lingering symptoms.

At the end of July, her husband came home and saw Kate was getting worse. She went to the neurologist, who did an MRI and put her on amitriptyline, an antidepressant prescribed for people who don’t get better. She continued seeing the neurologist, but he had no answers for her, and was of no help.

In October Kate was attending a festival at church when a girl pulled a chair out from under her as she was sitting down. The fall knocked her out for 45 minutes and she was hospitalized. After a battery of tests, doctors concluded she had complex migraines and her autonomics weren’t working, so she continued to see the neurologist for follow-up care.

Kate was losing time and staring into space, so the doctor prescribed anti-seizure meds thinking she was having absence seizures. She could no longer drive, her headaches were getting worse, and stimuli often made her nauseous enough to make her vomit. She often thought at that time, “I guess this is just how I am now.” She was giving up hope.

In her quest to find answers, Kate had testing done for gene mutations, which showed nothing. She tried acupuncture and massage therapy, but nothing helped. She struggled to find the energy to even consider trying a new therapy, and was discouraged because nothing worked, but her husband kept pushing her, saying, “We have to keep trying.”

In 2013, Kate and her husband moved to Colorado, where she started seeing a neuropsychologist. She tried doing EEG brain mapping and controlled breathing, yet nothing helped. A Google search revealed Integrated Brain Centers in Colorado. Her aunt told her about Dr. Carrick and how he had helped hockey player Sydney Crosby, and suggested Kate consider Functional Neurology. Kate was skeptical, as nothing had helped her thus far, but in July 2014, she gave Integrated Brain Centers a try.

Dr. Shane Steadman was different than anyone she had seen. He was confident he could help her through nutrition, brain-based exercises, adjustments, and supplements. She agreed to go all-in 100% and did an eight-week elimination diet. When they reintroduced foods, they found she had sensitivity to dairy, wheat, potatoes, and nightshades (foods including potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and more).

Kate had to shift her way of thinking about food, as she had a deep love of food and enjoyed trying different things. She started to think of food as a way to nourish her body.

As she began her treatment, she noticed little changes, but didn’t feel substantially better yet. However, after about six months of treatment, she experienced major improvements: she hadn’t had a major headache in weeks, and her balance was improving.

“The entire staff motivated me and made me feel encouraged to follow the plan and make the commitment to get better. I felt like I had the whole team on my side! They believed in me and I believed in them,” said Kate.

Dr. Steadman explained Kate’s injury was close to her cerebellum, and her body tensed to keep her upright instead of falling over. He told Kate her headaches weren’t actually migraines, but were from her body constantly tensing. Once her headaches and nausea were eliminated, everything else started feeling better.

In regards to her recovery, Kate stated, “I’m in the best shape of my life right now!” She is currently enrolled in a masters in clinical mental health counseling program at Denver Seminary. She wants to help people who have experienced trauma.

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare Via EmailPinterest
Next Post
Caregiver Corner: Reassessing the Family Dynamic

Caregiver Corner: Reassessing the Family Dynamic

SIGN UP

BLOG

Yoga: Seated Cobra Pose

Yoga: Seated Cobra Pose

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Yoga is a powerful tool for neuroplasticity. Contrary to some beliefs, everyone can do yoga — you don’t need to be super flexible, be able to balance, or even be able to stand up. The beauty of yoga is every pose can be modified to accommodate anyone. An important aspect of […]

Read more
Resilience After a Brain Injury

Resilience After a Brain Injury

By Dr. Shane Steadman, DC, DACNB, DCBCN, CNS Recovery after a brain injury can be a long journey. Working hard and hoping to get back to baseline often can be frustrating, and for some, unattainable. With the many doctor visits, exercises, rehab appointments, medications, and supplements, goals can become lost. However, amid recovering from a […]

Read more
The Resiliency of the Human Brain and Body

The Resiliency of the Human Brain and Body

By James A. Heuer, PA As a personal injury attorney for over 45 years, I have witnessed many of my clients successfully recover from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Whether the TBI occurs from a car crash, a slip and fall, or blow to the head, the resiliency of the human body and brain is […]

Read more
Resiliency: Is It Just Personal or Part of Brain Chemistry?

Resiliency: Is It Just Personal or Part of Brain Chemistry?

By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D. The term resiliency encompasses “the range of personal protective factors, environmental supports, and resources, as well as self-regulatory processes, engaged in response to adversity,” according to investigators writing about recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI) for the publication Disability and Rehabilitation. Indeed, author Mike Norton  said it best when he wrote, […]

Read more
Stress Away Essential Oil

Stress Away Essential Oil

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief A complementary tool that can help you achieve a healthy lifestyle, essential oils are easy to use and smell great, with a variety of uses. All oils are not created equal. I personally only trust the Young Living brand because I know they maintain complete control over their product from seed […]

Read more
Resiliency and the Courtroom

Resiliency and the Courtroom

By Jeff Heller Resiliency is one of the greatest attributes anyone can have. From an early age, parents teach their children, “if you get knocked down, you get back up.” Coaches teach their players, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And one of the cornerstones of the underdog mentality is to “never […]

Read more
The Quality of Resilience

The Quality of Resilience

by Shauna Hahn Sometime in 2019, in the weekly “Healing and Recovery” therapy group I lead, we discussed the topic of the quality of “resilience.” When it came time for a patient to contribute, he said, “I don’t want to be resilient. I get tired of being resilient all the f**king time.” And I heard […]

Read more
Peanut Butter Protein Fluff

Peanut Butter Protein Fluff

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief What You Need: 1 cup (250g) full-fat Greek yogurt 2 tbsp. peanut butter or almond butter 2 tsp. stevia Favorite garnish (banana, granola, blueberries) Add the yogurt, nut butter and stevia into a small mixing bowl and whisk together using a hand mixer, until fluffy. Transfer the mix into a bowl […]

Read more
Arizona Man Overcomes Three Traumatic Brain Injuries and Gives Back By Building Adaptive Recreation & Socialization Program for Survivors

Arizona Man Overcomes Three Traumatic Brain Injuries and Gives Back By Building Adaptive Recreation & Socialization Program for Survivors

By Ed Roth Randy Elston is finally living his best life, which may be an odd thing to say about a Marine Corps veteran with three traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Recently named as the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona’s new Adaptive Recreation & Activities Coordinator, Randy’s tours of duty in Iraq left him with a […]

Read more

INSTAGRAM

Follow Us!

  • It was such a pleasure to keynote at the @biaofms NeuroTrauma Symposium last Friday. What an amazing group of professionals and survivors. I found some new resources I didn’t even know existed out there!! 

#bia #braininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #keynote #brainhealth #neuroplasticity
  • Neuro fatigue is beyond tired, it’s when you’re brain says “I’ve had enough” and shuts down everything. It often a sneaks up on you when you least expect it, making it hard to manage. 

If you’ve never experienced it, it’s truly hard to understand. But please believe us when we tell you we’re done and need to rest. And that rest may look different for everyone. Some may need a nap. Some may just need a quiet space. There’s no right or wrong way to rest. 

#braininjury #tbi #pcs #concussion #braininjuryawareness #braininjuryawarenessmonth #TBIsurvivor
  • A traumatic brain injury is the ultimate “invisible injury” as no one can see what’s happening inside your brain. Even imaging doesn’t show a TBI (unless you have bleeding or severe trauma). It’s impossible to explain to others, and even doctors don’t take us seriously or know how to help us. 

It is incredibly frustrating to go through life being told “there’s nothing we can do. You’ll just have to give it more time and see what happens” and even more frustrating when you find out that there are doctors out there who truly DO know how to help us!  Like @integratedbraincenters 

#braininjury #tbi #pcs #concussion #functionalneurology #braininjuryawareness
  • I remember how I would literally need to lay down after taking a shower because it was so exhausting. And something like going to the grocery store and bringing them in and putting them away would require me to do nothing else for the rest of the day. It was a one-chore kind of activity. 

These are normal, every day things we take for granted before brain injury, and afterwards they require soooo much energy and effort. It’s truly hard for someone who hasn’t experienced a brain injury to understand. 💚

#braininjury #tbi #concussion #pcs #braininjuryawareness #TBIsurvivor
  • You totally got this!! 
Is it gonna be easy? Nope. 
Is it gonna be worth it? Absolutely! 

#tbi #braininjury #concussion #pcs #TBIrecovery #TBIsurvivor
  • The Chair Yoga Pocket Guide is trending on Kickstarter! We’re over half-way to our goal! Can you help us get there by pre-ordering an autographed copy of the book?? 

LINK IN BIO 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brainhealthmag/the-chair-yoga-pocket-guide

#chairyoga #accessibleyoga #chairyogateacher #chairyogabook #chairyogaworkshop #accessibilityinyoga #kickstarter @kickstarter #chairyogaauthor #author #mnyoga
  • I remember folks would talk to me and my brain would take forever to process what they were saying. They would be into the next subject and I’d still be trying to decipher their first sentence. It was frustrating and exhausting. 

Friends would tell me to “try harder” and concentrate. But that’s not how it works with brain injury. 

It’s like if you drop your laptop and scramble it’s processor. 

#braininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #braininjuryawareness #braininjuryawarenessmonth #TBIsurvivor
  • #Repost @integratedbraincenters
Recovery as defined in the dictionary is a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. 

Missing from this definition is that recovery is a continuum. We often hear in recovery post surgery that a patient is a percent recovered (Sue is 80% recovered post hip replacement) demonstrating that recovery is not an all or nothing situation but is rather a spectrum. 

Not everyone will make a 100% recovery but most people can move forward in their recovery in some way, even if it is only 10% or 70%. 

To say that recovery is not possible in any capacity is probably untrue. The more severe the injury the more likely you will never be the same person you were prior, but that does not mean that you can’t get back to doing the things you love and contribute to your family and community.

#beaininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #neuroplasticity #resilience #resiliency #TBIsurvivor
  • No two brain injuries are the same, therefore, no two recoveries are the same. Don’t compare yours against someone else’s, as you never know what they’ve already gone through. 

Focus on YOU and your recovery. What could you try differently? What should you maybe give up? I personally gave up alcohol and gluten and that was huge for me and my inflammation. 

#braininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #neuroplasticity #functionalneurology #funcneuro #neuronerd

© Copyright 2019 | The Brain Health Magazine

  • Advertise With Us
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us

DISCLAIMER: THIS MAGAZINE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE - View PDF

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.