Stories of Recovery

Episode 5: Chapter 4 - Lloyd Polkinghorne - Recovery from a blast injury (Blast injury) - Final learnings, new beliefs & advice to others.

In the final episode of this initial series we meet Lloyd Polkinghorne, a 36 year old newspaper owner and editor and a former mixed irrigator from Barham in NSW. Lloyd was injured by a misfiring shotgun in 2013 whilst assisting neighbouring farmers to clear birds from their crops. Whilst the injuries he received were largely invisible, the effects upon him were significant. He's a tough, resilient and courageous man and an incredible community advocate.

In the last chapter Lloyd describes additional learnings, new beliefs and his advice to others who're still searching for answers.

Whilst this is the final episode for the year, I've got some great interviews lined up in the months ahead and I look forward to sharing these with you next year. In the meantime, if you have any interview suggestions or feedback on the series thus far please feel free to reach out at: [email protected]

Stay safe... and keep going :)
Cheers, Robbie

Full transcripts and show notes are available for each chapter on the podcast website: storiesofrecovery.buzzsprout.com

Shownotes:

• ^00:30 - Quotes which resonated with and helped Lloyd:
  • "How do you eat an elephant?... One bite at a time",
  • "A lion doesn't lose sleep over the opinions of sheep",
  • Lloyd agrees that different things will resonate with you at different times,
• 02:07 - Lloyd discusses new beliefs which have most improved his life since the accident. The community has always been important to him and this has broadened further. He's reassessed what's important to him and what he values. He explains that he is "more excited about life" now and has become more interested in history, life and progress,
• ^05:18 - Lloyd's advice to those who're still within the darkness - Remember "That change is always possible" and as Winston Churchill wisely said "When you're going through hell... keep going",
• ^09:14 - Lloyd advises that when you are trying new and different things (for your recovery) there are some fundamentals that they must meet. He explains that for him they have to align with his core values. He advises to beware of charlatans and look at treatments and practitioners holistically,
• ^12:17 - When you feel overwhelmed or unfocussed, what do you do? Lloyd explains that he has learnt to become aware of the indicators of when he's getting wound up. For Lloyd this includes spending more time on his phone and/or buying things online. He suggests identifying the indicators for you that you're getting wound up. Become aware of them and take action to intervene if you notice them, by doing things like: meditating, spending quiet time in nature and being strict with the time you spend on your phone,
• ^14:07 - Lloyd describes one of the best meditations he has heard of...'finding the noise'. He explains that it involves (sitting quietly with your eyes closed and) letting the noise come to you. When you realise that you've become distracted by thoughts, gently (compassionately) return to finding the noise,
• ^16:08 - Lloyd's final thoughts and advice to those listening: Be compassionate to yourself. If you are trying to help someone, would you speak to them the way you speak to yourself? Your internal voice is the one constant companion you'll have throughout your life. Become aware of what it is saying and ensure you make it your greatest advocate,
• 17:48 - Continually ask questions. If something is not working there's no harm in trying something else. It's a journey. As Lloyd notes "I probably wouldn't change it for the world now to be honest".

^Lloyd's main learnings

Episode 5: Chapter 3 - Lloyd Polkinghorne - Things which helped him continue to get better.

In the final episode of this initial series we meet Lloyd Polkinghorne, a 36 year old newspaper owner and editor and a former mixed irrigator from Barham in NSW. Lloyd was injured by a misfiring shotgun in 2013 whilst assisting neighbouring farmers to clear birds from their crops. Whilst the injuries he received were largely invisible, the effects upon him were significant. He's a tough, resilient and courageous man and an incredible community advocate.

In this chapter Lloyd describes a number of things which helped him get better, including redefining 'who' he is.

Whilst this is the final episode for the year, I've got some great interviews lined up to record in the months ahead and I look forward to sharing these with you next year. In the meantime, if you have any interview suggestions or feedback on the series thus far please feel free to reach out at: [email protected]

Stay safe... and keep going :)
Cheers, Robbie

Full transcripts and show notes are available for each chapter on the podcast website: storiesofrecovery.buzzsprout.com

Shownotes:

• 00:30 - Lloyd describes how he came to be the owner and editor of The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, initially purchasing it and then taking on the role of editor,
• ^03:06 - Goal setting is one of Lloyd's key pieces of advice to those recovering. He advises setting goals and making them small & realistic. Break them up into tiny bite sized pieces. As Lloyd reminds us: 'How do you eat an elephant?....One small bite at a time'. Consider to yourself 'what's the next little thing I want to achieve?'
  • ^For Lloyd, his kids were a fundamental goal that helped him keep going during the toughest of times. His goal was: "To be there for them and to show them that anything is possible and that they could, despite the challenges, rise above whatever they're going through",
  • Another example of Lloyd's: "In 12 months I want to have lost 'some' weight",
• ^08:00 - Family and community were very important in Lloyd's recovery. When he got back to a level of health where he could manage it he began to ask himself "What can I add to the world?"
• ^09:52 - Getting his hormone levels right was significant. Until he had these levels restored not much else was able to change. Getting these sorted was the starting point. This was the turning point which allowed him to begin to recover. Testosterone and growth hormone were significantly missing following his firearm accident,
• ^10:20 - Lloyd discusses trusting your own instinct and the importance of this,
• ^11:10 - Lloyd's greatest investment: Time spent on self development, meditation, quietening his mind and spending time in nature as meditation,
• ^13:07 - Lloyd talks about the mind shift that occurred over time that allowed him to look for and see the opportunities in his situation. He acknowledges this is very difficult, takes time and advises others to 'stay curious and rephrase the questions that you ask yourself'. For Lloyd, he asked himself "What else is possible?", "What are the opportunities here?" and "What are the things we can find?",
• 15:50 - Lloyd explains that he took 'little things' away from many things that he came across. He mentioned the book: Autobiography of a Yogi (a good description of it) and the video Enlightenment.

^Lloyd's main learnings

Episode 5: Chapter 2 - Lloyd Polkinghorne - The turning point & moving forward.

In the final episode of this initial series we meet Lloyd Polkinghorne, a 36 year old newspaper owner and editor and a former mixed irrigator from Barham in NSW. Lloyd was injured by a misfiring shotgun in 2013 whilst assisting neighbouring farmers to clear birds from their crops. Whilst the injuries he received were largely invisible, the effects upon him were significant. He's a tough, resilient and courageous man and an incredible community advocate.

In this chapter Lloyd describes the turning point which enabled him to begin getting better.

Whilst this is the final episode for the year, I've got some great interviews lined up in the months ahead and I look forward to sharing these with you next year. In the meantime, if you have any interview suggestions or feedback on the series thus far please feel free to reach out at: [email protected]

Stay safe... and keep going :)
Cheers, Robbie

Full transcripts and show notes are available for each chapter on the podcast website: storiesofrecovery.buzzsprout.com

Shownotes:

• ^00:30 - Following an interview on 'Landline' about the accident and the gun, a horse trainer (and jockey) from the Mornington Peninsula contacted Lloyd to note that he appeared to be experiencing the same symptoms as he'd experienced following being kicked in the head by a horse. He explained that in his case his pituitary gland had been affected and advised Lloyd to have his hormones checked,
• 02:06 - Lloyd describes how his deterioration had progressed in the meantime (whilst searching for answers), and how ultimately he had had to sell their farming business,
• ^08:00 - Lloyd explains how a number of Dr's he saw couldn't find anything wrong with him and inferred that he didn't want to work. As Lloyd explains, this was a very difficult period and advises others that 'You need to believe in yourself... you're the only person who really knows you',
• ^10:23 - Lloyd went to see an endocrinologist following the advice from the horse trainer and discovered that he had the testosterone of a 91 year old and no growth hormone. Accessing hormones to rectify the issue still proved difficult however. Lloyd rang the horse trainer and he referred him to a clinic he'd been to in Melbourne. The clinic Lloyd attended was implicated in the Essendon football club drag scandal and so Lloyd suggests the key advice is 'to get your hormone levels checked' and to get these levels right. It took some adjustment (and about a month to get levels right) however this made a significant difference to Lloyd's health and got him up to "about 60%",
• 19:40 - Lloyd explains that he had improved, but that there were still many other things to investigate and resolve,
• 20:00 - Lloyd had botox injections (every 3 months) at a clinic in Melbourne which helped reduce and lessen his migraines and headaches, 
• ^22:35 - Lloyd describes how his healing journey also turned into a bit of spiritual growth at this point and involved yoga, meditation and various other things. These were incredibly beneficial for Lloyd and further assisted him along on his recovery. He suggests trying things to see what works for you and taking the little bits that prove beneficial (he notes too that what is of value and what helps varied at different points along the timeline of his recovery).

^Lloyd's main learnings

Episode 5: Chapter 1 - Lloyd Polkinghorne - Recovery from a blast injury (Blast injury) - Life, the accident & the deterioration.

In the final episode of this initial series we meet Lloyd Polkinghorne, a 36 year old newspaper owner and editor and a former mixed irrigator from Barham in NSW. Lloyd was injured by a misfiring shotgun in 2013 whilst assisting neighbouring farmers to clear birds from their crops. Whilst the injuries he received were largely invisible, the effects upon him were significant. He's a tough, resilient and courageous man and an incredible community advocate.

In this first chapter we meet Lloyd, hear about his life before the accident, what happened and the shocking deterioration that followed whilst he fruitlessly sought answers.

Whilst this is the final episode for the year, I've got some great interviews lined up which I'm looking forward to recording in the months ahead and I look forward to sharing these with you next year. In the meantime, if you have any interview suggestions or feedback on the series thus far please feel free to reach out at: [email protected]

Stay safe... and keep going :)
Cheers, Robbie

Full transcripts and show notes are available for each chapter on the podcast website: storiesofrecovery.buzzsprout.com

Shownotes:

• 04:22 - Lloyd describes life before the accident, farming and his wide community involvement, 
• 08:30 - Lloyd describes clearing rice crops of ducks and bald coots with his neighbours,
• 10:10 - The accident itself - the charge of the gun came out the side of the barrel/bolt, 
• 17:00 - Lloyd had cerebrospinal fluid leaking out into his throat through a flap which had been opened by a shockwave from the gun blast.

Episode 5: Full episode - Lloyd Polkinghorne - Recovery from a firearm accident (Blast injury).

In the final episode of this series we meet Lloyd Polkinghorne, a 36 year old newspaper owner and editor and a former mixed irrigator from Barham in NSW. Lloyd was injured by a misfiring shotgun in 2013 whilst assisting neighbouring farmers to clear birds from their crops. Whilst the injuries he received were largely invisible, the effects upon him were significant. He's a tough, resilient and courageous man and an incredible community advocate.

Whilst this is the final episode for the year, I've got some great interviews lined up which I'm looking forward to recording in the months ahead and I look forward to sharing these with you next year. In the meantime, if you have any interview suggestions or feedback on the series thus far please feel free to reach out at: [email protected]

Stay safe... and keep going :)
Cheers, Robbie

Full transcripts and show notes are available for each chapter on the podcast website: storiesofrecovery.buzzsprout.com

Lloyd's recommendations:

• 25:10 & 35:15 & 41:00 & 59:40 - Get your hormones checked. In Lloyd's case this was the turning point which allowed him to begin to recover. Testosterone and growth hormone were significantly missing following his firearm accident,
• 34:30 & 1:00:50 - Believe in yourself - you're the only one who knows you,
• 44:45 - Botox injections helped reduce and lessen Lloyd's migraines and headaches, 
• 47:00 - Yoga, meditation and leaning into his spiritual growth were beneficial for Lloyd further along on his recovery. He suggests trying things to see what works for you, and taking the little bits that work for you, 
• 53:30 - Goal setting is one of Lloyd's key pieces of advice. Set goals and make them small & realistic...as Lloyd reminds us: 'How do you eat an elephant?....One small bite at a time'. An example of Lloyd's: "In 12 months I want to have lost 'some' weight",
• 55:00 - For Lloyd, his kids were a fundamental goal that helped him keep going during the toughest of times: "To be there for them & to show them that anything is possible & that they could, despite the challenges, rise above whatever they're going through". Find what motivates you, and use that.
• 1:00:45 - Lloyd's greatest investment: Time spent on self development, meditation, quietening his mind and spending time in nature,
• 1:02:40 - Work on your mindset - look for the opportunities, stay curious and rephrase the questions that you ask yourself,
• 1:05:20 - A book which helped Lloyd: Autobiography of a Yogi (a good description of it). Parts of the video Enlightenment by Anthony Chene were also helpful to Lloyd,
• 1:07:12 - Helpful quotes for Lloyd:
  • "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time",
  • "A lion doesn't lose sleep over the opinions of sheep",
• 1:12:00 - Remember that change is always possible, and as Winston Churchill wisely said: "When you're going through hell... keep going",
• 1:16:20 - Beware of charlatans and look at treatments and practitioners holistically,
• 1:18:55 - Become aware of when you are getting wound up. What are the indicators? For Lloyd this is spending more time on his phone, or buying things online. Then look for them and take action to intervene, like: meditating, spending time in nature like Lloyd, and being strict with time spent on your phone,
• 1:23:03 - Be compassionate to yourself.

For more detailed show notes, see the individual chapter sections on the podcast website.

Episode 4: Chapter 5 - Robbie Frawley - Final learnings back to full health (PCS).

In this episode I tell my story of recovering from post concussion syndrome (PCS). It took me 7 years to fully recover, but if I knew at the start everything that I know now I believe it would have taken me only a fraction of this time. That’s why I want to share these learnings with you. I hope that they give you some hope and that they help you with your own recovery.
In this final chapter I talk about the final things which got me back to 100%, answer some questions from Tasha about the recovery and give my advice to others still recovering.

My brilliant guest interviewer on this episode is Associate Professor Tasha Stanton. Tasha is the Osteoarthritis Research Theme Lead for IIMPACT in Health at the University of South Australia and a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Fellow. 

Tasha is a clinical pain neuroscientist with original training as a physiotherapist. Her research focusses on pain and she has a specific interest in pain education, osteoarthritis, low back pain, cortical body representation, somatosensation and body illusions using virtual and mediated reality. In short though, she’s one of the leading pain researchers globally, and it was ultimately through meeting Tasha and learning some lessons from her field of pain science that helped me to find the final steps back to full health.

Full transcripts and show notes are available for each chapter on the podcast website: storiesofrecovery.buzzsprout.com

Shownotes:

• ^01:00 - I began to question if I was being 'overprotective' of myself by not participating in the things I enjoyed which involved the risk of knocks and bumps. A picture formed in my mind of walls and a ceiling around me containing me and what I was capable of and I saw these barriers getting stronger and more intact every time I said 'no, I can't' to doing something. I started to realise that I needed to break through these walls before they got so strong that I couldn't,
• ^02:07 - I still followed the Pain Revolution and received an email notification about their upcoming 'tour' through eastern Victoria. I began to wonder if 'perhaps this is exactly what I need to do?'. It contained risk and the physical capabilities required were beyond what I could imagine at the time, but it would be saying 'yes' to something that scared me, and I'd be in an environment with the right people and the right msgs around me everyday which I felt I needed to hear and to absorb,
• ^03:58 - I ran the idea past a trusted friend who is a physio, is trained in current pain science and knows me and my story to validate if the idea had any merit. With their validation and support I signed up and the feeling of it being a 'right' decision was profound. Trust your gut instinct. Even when you cannot see yet 'why', it's a good guide,
• 06:47 - Describing training for and completing the pain revolution ride,
• 07:50 - I went to every community presentation I could during the ride and found that I learnt and reinforced things which I'd heard before in new and beneficial ways every time,
• ^09:24 - I realised that my family had become 'overprotective' of me (like Bertie) over the years and that the msg'ing I was sometimes receiving from them was (although well intentioned) also limiting my further recovery. This is a sensitive area to broach, but I think it is important for you to consider and assess for yourself,
• ^12:23 - Trust your gut, try to be curious and be kind to yourself and to those around you,
• ^13:48 - Consider what 'might' be possible rather than comparing yourself to before,
• 15:45 - My msg to those still living with and recovering from post concussion syndrome.

^Robbie's main learnings

Episode 4: Chapter 4 - Robbie Frawley - Major learnings (PCS).

In this episode I tell my story of recovering from post concussion syndrome (PCS). It took me 7 years to fully recover, but if I knew at the start everything that I know now, I believe it would have taken me only a fraction of this time and that’s why I want to share these learnings with you. I hope that they give you some hope and they help you with your own recovery.
In this chapter I talk about the major learnings which got me from the plateau I'd been at for years, onto the path to full recovery. 

My brilliant guest interviewer on this episode is Associate Professor Tasha Stanton. Tasha is the Osteoarthritis Research Theme Lead for IIMPACT in Health at the University of South Australia and a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Fellow. 

Tasha is a clinical pain neuroscientist with original training as a physiotherapist. Her research focusses on pain and she has a specific interest in pain education, osteoarthritis, low back pain, cortical body representation, somatosensation and body illusions using virtual and mediated reality. In short though, she’s one of the leading pain researchers globally, and it was ultimately through meeting Tasha and learning some lessons from her field of pain science that helped me to find the final steps back to 100%.

Full transcripts and show notes are available for each chapter on the podcast website: storiesofrecovery.buzzsprout.com

Shownotes:

• 01:45 - As I improved I began to reintroduce more physical activity and social activity,
• 02:30 - My tolerance to 'impact' (such as jogging) was still proving problematic,
• 03:15 - My housemate (a physio at the Warrnambool hospital) had studied a subject focussed on 'pain science' within her degree at the University of South Australia. She was aware of a group called the Pain Revolution who were going to be visiting town to give presentations about neuroplasticity and pain science. The group was started by leading pain scientists from UniSA in an effort to raise awareness and education within the community (and of health professionals) re. current scientific knowledge about pain,
• ^08:10 - I now see the learnings from pain science (as explained in Lorimer Moseley and David Butler's book Explain Pain) as being completely relevant, translatable and applicable to my experience recovering from post concussion syndrome and potentially for other chronic neurological conditions which we discuss within this podcast series,
• ^11:10 - Tasha and I discuss DIM-SIM therapy in more detail and explain why it matters,
• 15:30 - I moved to Melbourne and worked with an exercise physiologist at the Epworth Concussion Clinic to try and acclimatise to impact,
• 20:00 - Getting a few light knocks to the head which resulted in symptom exacerbation made me question if the symptoms I was experiencing were warranted or if something else was going on, and if any unhelpful neuronal crosswiring had developed as explained in The Brain that Changes Itself and to me by a neuropsychologist years earlier,
• ^26:55 - I share a simple tool that the neuropsychologist taught me that was a game changer for me in my recovery and introduce you to 'Bertie',
• 30:30 - A week later I had the opportunity to put the technique to the test (and another helpful 'grounding' technique) and it proved life changing.

^Robbie's main learnings

Episode 4: Chapter 3 - Robbie Frawley - Searching for answers & things that helped along the way (PCS).

In this episode I tell my story of recovering from post concussion syndrome (PCS). It took me 7 years to fully recover, but if I knew at the start everything that I know now I believe it would have taken me only a fraction of this time. That’s why I want to share these learnings with you. I hope that they give you some hope and they help you with your own recovery.
In this chapter I talk about my search for answers and things that helped me throughout this period.

My brilliant guest interviewer on this episode is Associate Professor Tasha Stanton. Tasha is the Osteoarthritis Research Theme Lead for IIMPACT in Health at the University of South Australia and a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Fellow. 

Tasha is a clinical pain neuroscientist with original training as a physiotherapist. Her research focusses on pain and she has a specific interest in pain education, osteoarthritis, low back pain, cortical body representation, somatosensation and body illusions using virtual and mediated reality. In short though, she’s one of the leading pain researchers globally, and it was ultimately through meeting Tasha and learning some lessons from her field of pain science that helped me to find the final steps back to 100%.

Full transcripts and show notes are available for each chapter on the podcast website: storiesofrecovery.buzzsprout.com

Shownotes:

• ^01:05 - My trauma rehab physician to helped me with 'how much' to push, to help me calibrate my own understanding - as it's important to work just below threshold,
• 2:20 - I learned (with great surprise) that things can change (improve) quickly, even when you are at your worst (with symptoms). 
• ^03:30 - Crutches which I found helpful whilst in survival mode: 
  • ^03:30 - Getting immediately up and out the door for a quick 10min walk in nature when I awoke to the alarm. 'Don't think, DO...',
  • ^06:15 - I was initially allowed to walk for 10min/day (ideally in a quiet, natural environment). Noticing what I could see, hear smell and touch while walking helped to quieten my mind and my symptoms. As with everything, I graded it up over time, 
  • ^09:31 - When things became overwhelming I found it was often because I was forecasting too far out. I learned that by bringing the focus (of what I needed to do) right in close, it helped (only thinking of the next immediate task in front of me, putting everything else out of my mind),
  • ^12:25 - The trauma rehab physician often shared great words with me when I was struggling, one day she simply said: "Be aware of where you are...and keep going",
• 14:57 - Other things I tried along the way (be wise, assess the risk/reward to you):
  • ^15:40 - Take an active role in your rehab and your recovery,
  • 16:00 - Physiotherapy, osteopathy, reflexology, kinesiology, reiki, eating good brain supportive food (fatty fish like salmon and lots of fresh fruit and veg), supplements (fish oil, curcumin (from turmeric), glutathione), vestibular exercises, 'floating', an app called 'superbetter', meditation (it's worth persisting with - I like the calm app),
  • ^19:05 - Quotes helped me a lot throughout the period. A couple of favourites:
    • "No one and nothing is ever broken and can't be fixed",
    • "The only thing to fear, is fear itself" - Franklin Roosevelt, 
• ^20:43 - Family and interests were really important and supportive,
• ^24:29 - Think about DIM-SIM Therapy - Tasha and I explain this in lots of detail,

^Robbie's main tips

Episode 4: Chapter 2 - Robbie Frawley - Treatment, management strategies and learning about 'neuroplasticity' (PCS).

In this episode I tell my story of recovering from post concussion syndrome (PCS). It took me 7 years to fully recover, but if I knew at the start everything that I know now, I believe it would have taken me only a fraction of this time and that’s why I want to share these learnings with you. I hope that they give you some hope and they help you with your own recovery.
In this chapter I talk about the treatment I received initially, useful management strategies and the important learning about neuroplasticity. 

My brilliant guest interviewer on this episode is Associate Professor Tasha Stanton. Tasha is the Osteoarthritis Research Theme Lead for IIMPACT in Health at the University of South Australia and a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Fellow. 

Tasha is a clinical pain neuroscientist with original training as a physiotherapist. Her research focusses on pain and she has a specific interest in pain education, osteoarthritis, low back pain, cortical body representation, somatosensation and body illusions using virtual and mediated reality. In short though, she’s one of the leading pain researchers globally, and it was ultimately through meeting Tasha and learning some lessons from her field of pain science that helped me to find the final steps back to 100%.

Full transcripts and show notes are available for each chapter on the podcast website: storiesofrecovery.buzzsprout.com

Shownotes:

• ^00:35 - Find people who can help you and get a referral. I was lucky and was referred early by my GP to Grace McKellar Trauma Rehabilitation Centre in Geelong, 
• ^03:59 - The team at Grace McKellar gave me a variety of management strategies which were important throughout my recovery. These included:
  • 'Pacing' - being aware of your limited energy supply during recovery and choosing carefully what and how you do things so that you don't run your tank empty,
  • Reducing work (until I could grade back up), 
  • Incrementally increasing & reintroducing activities (Graded re-acclimatisation). The brain and the body adapt to graded acclimatisation incredibly well,
• 14:15  If you don't feel like you are making progress, try to stand further back and look over a longer timeframe to really assess if things are heading in the right direction,
• ^17:30 - Other helpful management strategies they taught me:
  • Introducing structured mini breaks (to recharge throughout the day). Grounding myself by closing my eyes and listening to the sounds around me,
  • Breaking up tasks to do them in small bite size components and allowing time to recharge between them,
• 22:30 - Meditation has been really helpful in recovery and normal life. I like the 'calm' app but try a few and find one you like (e.g. 'headspace', 'smiling mind', balance'),
• ^24:22 - I'd highly recommend reading (or listening) to the book 'The Brain that Changes Itself - Norman Doidge). The stories in this book provided light and hope that I could get better and taught me about the concept of neuroplasticity.

^Robbie's main tips

Episode 4: Chapter 1 - Robbie Frawley - Life, the accident and the weeks following (PCS).

In this episode I tell my story of recovering from post concussion syndrome (PCS). It took me 7 years to fully recover, but if I knew at the start everything that I know now, I believe it would have taken me only a fraction of this time and that’s why I want to share these learnings with you. I hope that they give you some hope and they help you with your own recovery.
In this first chapter I talk about my life preceding the accident, the concussion itself and the weeks immediately following it.

My brilliant guest interviewer on this episode is Associate Professor Tasha Stanton. Tasha is the Osteoarthritis Research Theme Lead for IIMPACT in Health at the University of South Australia and a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Fellow. 

Tasha is a clinical pain neuroscientist with original training as a physiotherapist. Her research focusses on pain and she has a specific interest in pain education, osteoarthritis, low back pain, cortical body representation, somatosensation and body illusions using virtual and mediated reality. In short though, she’s one of the leading pain researchers globally, and it was ultimately through meeting Tasha and learning some lessons from her field of pain science that helped me to find the final steps back to 100%.

Full transcripts and show notes are available for each chapter on the podcast website: storiesofrecovery.buzzsprout.com

Shownotes:

• 6:00 - Tasha asks me what my life looked like immediately before the concussion,
• 8:00 - The accident itself. A minor fall whilst wakeboarding (catching the front edge),
• 11:20 - 'Boom'/'busting' over the ensuing weeks whilst I was ignoring my symptoms.