Many folks have become aware of the term; Aphasia due to Bruce Willis. Sadly, it often takes a famous individual to make us aware of certain mental and physical health conditions.  Aphasia is not a new condition nor as rare as folks assume. Over two million Americans are struggling with this condition, including myself.  Yes, you wonder how someone like myself struggles with this condition and yet writes blogs every week.

What is Aphasia?

Aphasia is a disorder that impacts our ability to use language through verbal speech, writing, word retrieval, and even comprehension.  It does not affect the intellect, but it will impact how we express ourselves verbally. 

What causes Aphasia

There are a number of things that can cause Aphasia, which include the following:

  • Stroke
  • Head trauma, such as injuries, blows to the head from certain sports
  • Brain tumor
  • Degenerative brain-related diseases

Treatment

It is essential to get a proper diagnosis if you struggle with Aphasia symptoms. There are many forms of treatment, and there is no one solution since multiple factors contribute to Aphasia. Treatment will vary depending on what contributed to your condition.

My struggle with Aphasia

I was diagnosed in Harlem hospital in 2011. Still, due to ongoing cancellations by the medical facility, I believed that my tumor was typical and ignored it until I had a seizure on Sunday, April 1st, 2017. In my recovery journey, I learned about brain Neuroplasticity, which refers to the brain's ability to revise itself. I began writing blogs to help my brain recalibrate itself after having a frontal lobe tumor removed, on April 27th, 2017, in Sweden. I still struggle with Aphasia, which has contributed to my inability to learn Swedish, although I have lived in Sweden since 2015. It has also impacted my writing skills, so I rely on spell check, but I am aware I am not always clear.

The key has been self-compassion, being patient, and being kind to myself.  I maintain a routine that involves meditation, vitamins, exercising, and writing things down.  I also try learning new things and reviewing new and old material.  I focus on the present to avoid getting anxious about the future and avoid lamenting how I was in the past. I acknowledge things are not perfect, but self-acceptance is overall the key since this is part of who I am for now.

The biggest thing I have managed to focus on is what I have accomplished rather than what I am missing.

If you are interested in my journey to recovering from brain trauma, click here for more details

Copyright © 2022. R. Castro

Reference

(2017) NIH. National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders. Aphasia.  Retrieved from: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/aphasia

(2019) How to heal the brain with neuroplasticity after injury. Retrieved from: https://thebestbrainpossible.com/healing-brain-neuroplasticity-trauma-injury/

(2022) The Symptoms of Aphasia: Retrieved from: https://www.aphasia.com/aphasia-resource-library/symptoms/

Janin, A. (2022) The Wall Street Journal:   More than two million Americans suffer from Aphasia. Here is how to get help. Retrieved from; https://www.wsj.com/articles/aphasia-symptoms-and-when-to-seek-treatment-bruce-willis-disorder-11648760071