Thursday, March 30, 2017

Brain Injury Medicaid Waiver in California


I was given the link for the brain injury Medicaid Waiver in California, http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/ltc/Pages/In-HomeOperations.aspx

CLICK TO ENLARGE


I had been having issues with a share of cost. I figured I'll just Medicaid Waiver the whole thing and be certified I should be in a hospital. Then that would be waived. That diagnosis that says I am a vegetable comes in handy.

I am met with, "We haven't seen this so we don't have to do it." This county had a different way of handling my issue. A family member went in and got the share of cost lowered if I purchase separate insurance.

So what's the deal with the brain injury Medicaid Waiver? We got it for a bit and then it was taken away? Is this only good for some counties but not the one I live in? It's not the local workers' fault. There could be some state policy they are not aware of.

There are brain injury Medicaid waivers available in other states. These are new with most workers. Give them some leeway. They are trying to find the best program available for you. Check with your state if there is a Medicaid Waiver available to you. The one above is California only.

This is not for everyone! Remember I said I had to be certified as hospital material? "Medicaid Waiver programs help provide services to people who would otherwise be in an institution, nursing home, or hospital to receive long-term care in the community." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicaid_waiver The person applying must be eligible for a "home" or higher. I was looking at these forms above. The medical form is 12 pages long!

This isn't easy. If anyone knows anything, please comment or message me.

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Not Brain Dead Or In a Coma


"A year ago, Mohammad Meshkin of California won a lawsuit that kept his daughter on life support and gave her the life-saving operation she so desperately needed." http://www.medicaldaily.com/comatose-organ-donation-brain-dead-misdiagnosis-coma-387079



What happened to this girl? That was me at one time. I just didn't do the lawsuit. I  got the needed surgery at an independent university as indigent. I also have some sort of "super" intelligence.

I'm skirting this like I did with high school. All you have to do there is ask how do I have college degrees but not a high school diploma. Now, you can ask how do I write all this stuff, but I am in a coma. (That one is easy. Some oaf goofed.)


Sunday, March 26, 2017

A Case For Misdiagnosis


Look up the definition of savant syndrome. Vegetative was given while I was in a coma. I think possible misdiagnosis occurred here. 




Savants are people who despite serious mental or physical disability have quite remarkable, and sometimes spectacular, talents. This is an exceedingly rare phenomena, although there are several well documented cases (see Sacks, 1986; 1995; Treffert, 1989), and recently the Academy Award winning movie Rain Man has led to the term savant being much more widely known. Savant syndrome is perhaps one of the most fascinating phenomena in the study of human differences and cognitive psychology. It is often claimed that, because of the extraordinary abilities involved, we will never truly understand human memory and cognition until we understand the savant. http://www.psy.dmu.ac.uk/drhiles/Savant%20Syndrome.htm

"Another form of savant syndrome is acquired savant syndrome, in which a person acquires prodigious capabilities or skills following dementia, a head injury or severe blow to the head, or other disturbances." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savant_syndrome


This is why I am picking on this particular disorder. I obviously have a brain injury. This can specifically be caused by a brain injury, but it is very rare. (I ruled out Einstein Syndrome. It is things like this as to why I always avoided diagnosis. Look at my history.)


"Although termed a syndrome, it is not recognized as a mental disorder nor as part of a mental disorder in medical manuals." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savant_syndrome


My initial diagnosis was given. I was still in a coma after opening my eyes. The type was changed. Vegetative is another type of coma. It is not conscious. Now get this...here I was staring off into space and remembering the primary doctor explaining why she was giving me the more severe of the two vegetatives (actually there is only one, Persistent Vegetative State (PVS), but  people with Minimally Conscious State (MCS) have also been called "vegetables.") There was no malice or incompetence. The doctor was deeply troubled. At least with the more severe diagnosis, I was guaranteed medical services for the severely disabled.


Another week goes by and I am definitely showing more signs of the lesser MCS, and I suspect Locked-In Syndrome. I specifically remember hearing, "Her AVM (what bled) was in her cerebellum next to the pons." Damage to the pons is associated with Locked-In Syndrome.



I made a move financially that was not expected. I filed to keep my work insurance. This can be done, but you have to pay for it. It's called COBRA. I let all my bills go to collections and I used my Social Security check to pay my insurance premium. I used my whole check for that. It's steep.

I was pretty much already dead. All my bills could go to collections. I was hospitalized. There was no rent. I had a feeding tube. Food was a medical expense. I didn't have to pay for that either.

The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMIS) took off my payee so I could pay bills. They left me vegetative. This is a big error. I appeared vegetative, but am of sound mind. This is Locked-In Syndrome. 
 
Fast-forward 14 1/2 years later. I now solely use Medicare and Medicaid. There is no other insurance. AVM removal and neural repair was performed by Stanford. I had to do this as an indigent through the neurology clinic as this was not a covered expense. I now have some movement in my left arm and use my left pointer finger to tediously type out this entire essay. I am still vegetative with the government
.
I look like a person with quadraplegia and some movement. Go back to that original diagnosis. I could pay bills but I was vegetative. If I had been given Locked-In Syndrome, it could be said I am no longer locked-in. Then it could be said the amount and content of these essays are extraordinary. This leads to savant syndrome, acquired.

I go on from here. Most people did not know that I already exhibited signs of savant syndrome, congenital. I played piano at an early age. My first piano recital was at five years old. I got used to the word 'prodigy' and took advanced placement classes.


I got lost in the school system when I moved, so I left and started college at 16. An AA at 18, a BA at 19, and an MA later at 24 are all noted in transcripts. (The MA shows that financial ingenuity, math, as I could not afford a degree. The college paid me to go there.) Later occupation can also be viewed as a success. You were looking at possible savant syndrome already.


Then this brain injury hits. This is where it gets messy. Is it congenital or acquired? I do have a new skill. I didn't type with one finger before. The knowledge is old. Some of the physics may be new. That may also be old fashion common sense.


All of this really doesn't matter as the government has deemed me vegetative. I'm not conscious in their eyes.  I can only say suffer the consequences of fate. The following was said before I was born.
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”― C.G. Jung








 

Monday, March 20, 2017

Daily Programming To Rewire the Brain


I was away from the beeps and buzzers. No one could step out from behind a curtain and suddenly appear at my bedside. If you thought children could give you a heart attack by showing up by your bed in the middle of the night, then try a nurse in the hospital. They both poke you to see if you are alive. The nurse just uses a needle. I didn't have to deal with that hospital smell, either. Some people vomit just thinking about it.


Stress is a big deterrent to rewiring. Your brain actually rewires to that stress. The above was a stressful environment. I wasn't going to get the kind of rewiring I have now while I was in a medical facility. I would get it at home.


I moved out of the hospital and into a private residence. My environment was minus that stress. I do want to note, a nursing home can do this, also, but not all can do the programming I next talk about.

Programming...you don't think much about home. You think, "I have to go to a program." No, you don't. It can be set up in your home. I've been doing this a while for others.
http://braininjuryknow.blogspot.com/2013/04/what-to-do-all-day.html




This gives you an idea of what I set up for myself,




 

Posit Science recommends that 90 minutes a week be performed. ("Recommendation
Try to fit in at least 90 minutes of effective brain training a week. Many people tell us that 3 times a week for 30 minutes at a time works best for them. http://www.brainhq.com/why-brainhq/brain-training-your-way/brainhq-training-help#A) I plugged it into my daily schedule. This would ensure I got at least 90 minutes a week. I was doing an hour a day, 5-6 days a week. I was getting at least four times the minimum recommendation on the weeks I did the least.



All of this extra training would have promoted rewiring... and possible neurogenesis?  I already believe nurogenesis was started years earlier with the initial injury in a procedure my mother described as the doctor "reversed blood flow." This procedure is not in medical records. Extra training could be responsible for further neurogenesis. This is a new concept that will need to be explored.



The Insight program isn't offered anymore. Alternatively, there is something easier to access. BrainHQ by Posit Science is offered on-line for a charge.  http://www.brainhq.com/welcome#  It is a fraction of the cost of that original program. The old games have been incorporated into this format.



I specifically want to address this type of training and these specific exercises. There is a good deal of research available on them. I am also awed by the amount of time I spent on this. It wasn't much daily, but a lot weekly. This is easily doable by a clinical program.



There is one other piece of programming I did that is not related to computer brain training. I did Range Of Motion (ROM) exercises. There is a great deal of research on the benefits of exercise rewiring the brain. I have also addressed ROM, https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/YnqoY.



Although I hadn't put the two together before (I did them at different times of day), ROM exercises may be the compliment brain training software needs to fully rewire a brain.
After the brain program ended, I changed to Oral-Motor exercises for speech. It would account for what you see and hear.


I added the 'pucker-smile' exercise mostly.

CLICK to enlarge


and I would sing along with the radio if I knew the words.

You end up with rewiring of my face and speech.


You see it.
AND
You can hear my voice.
(This video links to http://thoughtfulveg.blogspot.com/2016/12/yes-i-speak.html.)

There is still more to do. Obviously, I have yet to do gross motor. That one is difficult to do alone. I'm addressing problems one at a time and am in no hurry. I do not address fine motor as I have not formally worked on it here at home. I typed my first e-mails at El Camino Hospital to a Music Therapist.
 

Friday, March 17, 2017

Pinch Me and I'll Kick You

[I started updating an essay. Then I thought, "No, this stands alone... and kicks.]




My diagnosis is Semi-Vegetative (to my knowledge. I do know it was changed at least once.) My understanding is that Semi-Vegetative is under Persistent (or Permanent to some) Vegetative State, PVS. Recently, it has been referred to as Vegetative State. 

I still think my original diagnosis should have been Locked-In Syndrome with visual deficits. It's too late for tests now as I'm not locked-in anymore. I do display traits of being Locked-in, for example, typing with one finger.  Questions of consciousness should not be directed at me. LIS is conscious. My current state, Semi-Vegetative, and PVS are not conscious... yet I write this. That's an obvious error.

Now, I have been writing a while. Why hasn't my diagnosis changed yet?

To further bring question, why is my diagnosis changed?

Is this what happens to your loved one who is dying? You know they are dying. They should get _____ but they don't and they eventually die. You are too overcome with grief to fret about a lack of service. You get on with your own life.

I'm still at that diagnosis. I was dying and not given anything but the basic care. Now I'm not dying (anytime soon) and still get basic care. (That means no therapy or rehab.) This lack of service was my concern. I find out the lack is because I am not conscious.

Pinch me so I can kick you. Then tell me I'm not conscious.

(People seem to be more concerned over my conscious state than where I physically was and why I left.)




___________________________________

Since I am asking so many questions I will ask one more. What happened to the AVM, Arteriovenous Malformation, that was in my head? Why was an entire surgery, AVM removal and neural repair, omitted? Why? I want to know why. Am I not allowed to get better? Everything is pointing that way.

I do get better despite that. Now it's a miracle. 

Monday, March 6, 2017

Let's Make a Deal

CLICK for the whole picture.
[A person answered "yes" to this, https://www.quora.com/Would-you-trade-your-eyesight-for-a-perfect-memory-and-a-1-000-increase-of-your-IQ/answer/Bob-Leclair-2?srid=BWa and this is pretty much my answer with added pictures and corrected mistakes.]


I sort have done this, but the govt has me in a coma. "What the Hell?" I'm now low vision. MY RIGHT EYE WAS BLIND. It was patched shut. I remember only being able to see a little with my left eye when my right was patched. Now my right eye is stronger than my left. My right eye is no longer patched. As far as being in a coma...I was. There may have been misdiagnosis there (Locked In Syndrome and pseudocoma -this is rare, but it is in textbooks).

I initially did not have any speech. I now have limited speech.
This info on LIS is from https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/locked-in-syndrome/
CLICK the picture for the whole picture.

Inventing something to see would only happen if you have the means. I don't. I have done this all with neuroplasticity and possible neurogenesis. Both of these go to high IQ.

In children, some eye problems are treated by patching the stronger eye. This is so the weaker eye works. I started by trying my darnedest to wiggle that patch off my right eye when I couldn't move my arms. I then would close my left eye and force my right eye to be used. I knew I could see light and that this technique would increase vision.

I wrote on this,  http://braininjuryknow.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-can-see.html

I have been using an OTC eye drop. A while ago an OTC allergy medicine was proposed to reverse blindness. That medicine was later pulled for another reason. These drops are also for allergy and should be investigated. They may have neurogenic properties.


I doubt my IQ is that much higher. When it was last tested it was either 132 or 142. I'd say it's higher since my stroke, but nowhere near 1000.

I type this all with one finger and have quadriplegia but some movement. I have low vision and limited speech. To look at me, I would easily be put with vegetative patients.

"Imagine how much you could contribute to the human race! (That is, obviously, if having such an intellect directs you towards sharing and commitment.)" Explain that to the govt. I look vegetative so that's where I should be according to them. (By the way, I managed to get out of hospital care which was 2002–2006.)

I'm concentrating on myself at this time. In another 10 years it will probably be the human race. It has only been 14 years since my stroke.




I was blind in my right eye. My left eye 
could barely see. This is no longer the case.



Updated 6/8/2019

Thursday, March 2, 2017

I'm The Chicken That Grew a Head



U can survive without a brain...with proper care.  
 


I looked into this. The chicken still had his brainstem. "Although most of his head was severed, most of his brain stem and one ear were left on his body. Since basic functions (breathing, heart rate, etc.) as well as most of a chicken's reflex actions are controlled by the brain stem, Mike was able to remain quite healthy." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken
 
The ventilator initially breathed for me until I could breathe on my own. When was that, August 2003? That was so long ago that recalling a date isn't easy. It's not a miracle I breathe on my own now. It's called neuroplasticity. My accident was 12/15/2002 and 8 months is already beyond the time medical rehab is offered. 

I noticed they said in the video that they had to suction the chicken with an eyedropper. While I was in the hospital, I was routinely suctioned until my trache was removed. I had to learn how to manage my secretions.
  
I'm now into years passed from an accident. I see skills added now as a combination of neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. There definitely is no therapy for this. There should be.

Neurogenesis is the creation of a neuron and neuroplasticity is wiring it. Neuroplasticity is the one that has been more commonly heard. What was happening is that as people with brain injuries were being saved by medical science, the people already with other neurons available were rewiring. This was known as neuroplasticity. These people got better right away. The people who didn't get better right away were written off. Their brain injury was thought not to get better at all.

It was thought the brain did not make neurons until recently. It does, but only in small amounts has it been found. Those written-off people were reporting that they were getting better. They were probably experiencing this. That chicken would have had to grow its head back to compare with me. Large amounts are thought not to happen. I am exhibiting large amounts.

I write this. When did cognitive recovery happen? How about cognitive acceleration? More than basic competency is needed to draw comparisons to a decapitated chicken. Skills obtained are too shocking to be written off.

Large amounts of neurogenesis must occur. When? How? I can't answer those questions. Perhaps I should have been tracked. Maybe I'm still producing answers. My body still adds skills. Mainstream science continues with the belief that new neurons are not created. I'm a phenomenon. I'm the chicken that grew a head.