-
But My Brain Had Other Ideas
- A Memoir of Recovery from Brain Injury
- Narrated by: Helen Lloyd
- Length: 9 hrs
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95 a month
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Still Life: A Memoir
- By: Jeff Sutherland
- Narrated by: Nikola Muckajev
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), Jeff Sutherland lost his abilities to walk and speak within two years and, confined to a wheelchair, was forced to retire from his life's work as a physician at 43. Not long after, he was locked in his own inanimate body, unable to eat, drink, or breathe without assistance. His meals were delivered through a feeding tube, and a ventilator controlled his lungs through an opening in his throat. The only parts of his body he was able to move voluntarily were his eyes.
-
-
A very fine book
- By Minneapolis listener on 10-03-20
By: Jeff Sutherland
-
Love You Hard
- A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love
- By: Abby Maslin
- Narrated by: Abby Maslin
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Abby Maslin shares an inspiring story of resilience and commitment in a deeply affecting new memoir. After her husband suffered a traumatic brain injury, the couple worked together as he recovered - and they learned to love again.
-
-
The Maslin Family
- By Zack on 07-15-19
By: Abby Maslin
-
Together
- A Memoir of a Marriage and a Medical Mishap
- By: Judy Goldman
- Narrated by: Kathe Mazur
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Judy Goldman’s husband of almost four decades has a routine spinal injection to alleviate back pain, he is instantly paralyzed from the waist down - a phenomenon no doctor can explain or undo. She’s forced to take over, navigating the byzantine medical world they suddenly find themselves in. Her husband is forced to give in. This is the starting point for Together, which looks at the changes every couple faces - the slow, ordinary ones brought about by time and the sudden, dramatic ones that take us by surprise.
-
-
Interesting story...
- By Minneapolis listener on 08-21-20
By: Judy Goldman
-
ALS Saved My Life...Until It Didn't
- By: Jenni Berebitsky, Joyce Kleinman - contributor, Elizabeth Flynn - contributor
- Narrated by: Lynn Valinetz
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most people know life will not necessarily go as they planned. But what do we do when nothing goes as we had hoped? How do we cope with unpredictable changes in body and spirit - changes that require constant shifting of our view of ourself, other people, and the world? Jenni, diagnosed in 2009 with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease), has been forced to find answers to these questions every day.
By: Jenni Berebitsky, and others
-
Prisoners Without Bars
- A Caregiver's Tale
- By: Donna O'Donnell Figurski
- Narrated by: Donna O'Donnell Figurski
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This heart-wrenching and triumphant love story is a tale of advocacy and caregiving. Donna's husband, David, stumbled into their bedroom, his hand covering a blood-filled eye from a brain hemorrhage. Donna called 911. David slipped into a coma. At that moment, Donna was thrust onto the path of caregiver for her best friend and the love of her life. In her debut memoir, Donna shares how a neurosurgeon said that David would make a "great organ donor".
-
Unshattered
- Choosing a Beautiful Life After Unspeakable Tragedy
- By: Carol J. Decker, Stacey L. Nash
- Narrated by: Stacey L. Nash
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On June 10, 2008, Carol Decker walked through the hospital doors a healthy woman with flu-like symptoms and early labor contractions. Three months later, she returned home a blind triple-amputee struggling to bond with a daughter she would never see. Unshattered recounts Carol's fight for survival against sepsis and its life-shattering complications. From excruciating skin grafts to learning how to function in daily life without lower legs, a left hand, and her sight, Carol takes us on a personal and raw, yet inspiring journey.
-
-
inspiring !
- By Cindy Tortorici on 12-03-18
By: Carol J. Decker, and others
-
Still Life: A Memoir
- By: Jeff Sutherland
- Narrated by: Nikola Muckajev
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), Jeff Sutherland lost his abilities to walk and speak within two years and, confined to a wheelchair, was forced to retire from his life's work as a physician at 43. Not long after, he was locked in his own inanimate body, unable to eat, drink, or breathe without assistance. His meals were delivered through a feeding tube, and a ventilator controlled his lungs through an opening in his throat. The only parts of his body he was able to move voluntarily were his eyes.
-
-
A very fine book
- By Minneapolis listener on 10-03-20
By: Jeff Sutherland
-
Love You Hard
- A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love
- By: Abby Maslin
- Narrated by: Abby Maslin
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Abby Maslin shares an inspiring story of resilience and commitment in a deeply affecting new memoir. After her husband suffered a traumatic brain injury, the couple worked together as he recovered - and they learned to love again.
-
-
The Maslin Family
- By Zack on 07-15-19
By: Abby Maslin
-
Together
- A Memoir of a Marriage and a Medical Mishap
- By: Judy Goldman
- Narrated by: Kathe Mazur
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Judy Goldman’s husband of almost four decades has a routine spinal injection to alleviate back pain, he is instantly paralyzed from the waist down - a phenomenon no doctor can explain or undo. She’s forced to take over, navigating the byzantine medical world they suddenly find themselves in. Her husband is forced to give in. This is the starting point for Together, which looks at the changes every couple faces - the slow, ordinary ones brought about by time and the sudden, dramatic ones that take us by surprise.
-
-
Interesting story...
- By Minneapolis listener on 08-21-20
By: Judy Goldman
-
ALS Saved My Life...Until It Didn't
- By: Jenni Berebitsky, Joyce Kleinman - contributor, Elizabeth Flynn - contributor
- Narrated by: Lynn Valinetz
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most people know life will not necessarily go as they planned. But what do we do when nothing goes as we had hoped? How do we cope with unpredictable changes in body and spirit - changes that require constant shifting of our view of ourself, other people, and the world? Jenni, diagnosed in 2009 with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease), has been forced to find answers to these questions every day.
By: Jenni Berebitsky, and others
-
Prisoners Without Bars
- A Caregiver's Tale
- By: Donna O'Donnell Figurski
- Narrated by: Donna O'Donnell Figurski
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This heart-wrenching and triumphant love story is a tale of advocacy and caregiving. Donna's husband, David, stumbled into their bedroom, his hand covering a blood-filled eye from a brain hemorrhage. Donna called 911. David slipped into a coma. At that moment, Donna was thrust onto the path of caregiver for her best friend and the love of her life. In her debut memoir, Donna shares how a neurosurgeon said that David would make a "great organ donor".
-
Unshattered
- Choosing a Beautiful Life After Unspeakable Tragedy
- By: Carol J. Decker, Stacey L. Nash
- Narrated by: Stacey L. Nash
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On June 10, 2008, Carol Decker walked through the hospital doors a healthy woman with flu-like symptoms and early labor contractions. Three months later, she returned home a blind triple-amputee struggling to bond with a daughter she would never see. Unshattered recounts Carol's fight for survival against sepsis and its life-shattering complications. From excruciating skin grafts to learning how to function in daily life without lower legs, a left hand, and her sight, Carol takes us on a personal and raw, yet inspiring journey.
-
-
inspiring !
- By Cindy Tortorici on 12-03-18
By: Carol J. Decker, and others
-
A Mighty Boy
- A Mother's Journey Through Grief
- By: Sarah Pullen
- Narrated by: Antonia Beamish
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What would you do if a stranger told you your son was going to die? Silas is 10 years old when the headaches start. When the diagnosis arrives, his parents are told they have until Christmas...maybe. And so begins Sarah Pullen's battle to save her son, against doubting doctors and insurmountable odds. This story about love and loss traces her family's journey from that first day at the hospital, battling a tumour they named Bob, through Silas' death and beyond.
-
-
This is 100% reality
- By Leah on 09-12-17
By: Sarah Pullen
-
Struck
- A Husband’s Memoir of Trauma and Triumph
- By: Douglas Segal
- Narrated by: Douglas Segal
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of life's biggest cliches becomes a horrific reality when Douglas Segal's wife and young daughter are hit head-on by a Los Angeles city bus. Miraculously, his daughter was unharmed, but his wife faced a series of life-threatening injuries. Following the accident, Segal began sending regular email updates to their circle of friends and family - a list that continued to grow as others heard of the event. Segal's compelling memoir is an intimate and honest chronicle built around these email updates and is a profound example of how people show up for one another in times of crisis.
-
-
Heart Piercing
- By Jwoodward H on 11-13-19
By: Douglas Segal
-
A Few Minor Adjustments: A Memoir of Healing
- By: Cherie Kephart
- Narrated by: Lillie Ricciardi
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Told with brutal honesty, astonishing wit, and a haunting vulnerability, A Few Minor Adjustments is an unforgettable memoir that captures the horrors and triumphs of one woman’s harrowing quest to find life-saving answers. In the end, she finds much more than a diagnosis.
-
-
An amazing and unpredictable journey
- By Brian on 02-05-19
By: Cherie Kephart
-
101 Tips for Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injury
- Practical Advice for TBI Survivors, Caregivers, and Teachers
- By: Kelly Bouldin Darmofal
- Narrated by: Lisa Negron
- Length: 1 hr and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kelly Bouldin Darmofal suffered a severe TBI in 1992; currently, she holds a Masters in Special Education from Salem College, NC. Her memoir, Lost in My Mind: Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), tells her story of tragedy and triumph. Kelly will be teaching "TBI: An Overview for Educators" at Salem College. Kelly's "tips" were learned during two decades of recovery and perseverance.
-
-
Inspiring. Especially for parents who want to protect their children.
- By Rich on 10-08-18
-
Beautiful Affliction
- A Memoir
- By: Lene Fogelberg
- Narrated by: Henrietta Meire
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lene Fogelberg is dying - she is sure of it - but no doctor in Sweden, her home country, believes her. Love stories enfold her, with her husband, her two precious daughters, her enchanting surroundings, but the question she has carried in her heart since childhood - will I die young? - is threatening all she holds dear, even her sanity. When her young family moves to the US, an answer, a diagnosis, is finally found: She is in the last stages of a fatal congenital heart disease. But is it too late?
By: Lene Fogelberg
-
Fragile
- Beauty in Chaos, Grace in Tragedy, and the Hope That Lives in Between
- By: Shannon Sovndal
- Narrated by: Shannon Sovndal
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Shannon Sovndal started medical school, he was confident and motivated and felt invincible. He thought he was going in with his eyes wide open. Really, he had no clue. Nothing could prepare him for the harsh reality of being a compassionate human and working as an ER doctor. In his emotionally charged memoir, Sovndal examines the tenuous balance between trying to compartmentalize the trauma of tragedy while also preserving his own humanity.
-
-
Excellent
- By Sue on 12-19-20
By: Shannon Sovndal
-
The Ghost in My Brain
- How a Concussion Stole My Life and How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Helped Me Get It Back
- By: Clark Elliott Ph.D.
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1999, Clark Elliott suffered a concussion when his car was rear-ended. Overnight his life changed from that of a rising professor with a research career in artificial intelligence to a humbled man struggling to get through a single day. At times he couldn't walk across a room, or even name his five children. Doctors told him he would never fully recover. After eight years, the cognitive demands of his job, and of being a single parent, finally became more than he could manage.
-
-
Mostly Tedious With Moments of Insight
- By Brent on 01-17-16
-
Prognosis
- A Memoir of My Brain
- By: Sarah Vallance
- Narrated by: Cat Gould
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When PhD candidate Sarah Vallance is thrown from a horse and suffers a jarring blow to the head, she believes she walks away unscathed. The next morning, things take a sharp turn as she’s quickly led from work to the emergency room. By the end of the week, a neurologist delivers a devastating prognosis: Sarah suffered a traumatic brain injury that has caused her IQ to plummet, with no hope of recovery. Her brain has irrevocably changed.
-
-
Fascinating and inspiring
- By Ardent Reader on 08-20-19
By: Sarah Vallance
-
Still Emily
- Seeing Rainbows in the Silence
- By: Emily Owen
- Narrated by: Shelia Dunning, Emily Owen
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emily Owen was a highly intelligent teenager who was also athletic and a skilled musician. Tragically, in her late teens she was diagnosed as suffering from Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2). Since then, Emily has survived many complicated surgical procedures, been close to death, and seen the gradual erosion of all the abilities that defined her personality including the total loss of her hearing. Despite this, she has a remarkable sense of humor and has coped with everything she has been through due to her strong Christian faith, her supportive family, and indomitable personality.
By: Emily Owen
-
Drinking from the Trough
- A Veterinarian's Memoir
- By: Mary E. Carlson DVM
- Narrated by: Sara Morsey
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mary Carlson didn't plan to become a veterinarian, but her husband's work inspired her to leave teaching, become a vet herself, and open a feline-exclusive clinic. Along the way, there were grueling years of vet school, a shattered hip, an enduring love, illness, and death - and the rediscovery that life, especially one filled with delightful animals, is worth living.
-
-
Must read for pet lovers
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 03-28-19
-
My Husband's Daughter
- An Absolutely Heartbreaking and Gripping Emotional Page-Turner
- By: Emma Robinson
- Narrated by: Anne-Marie Piazza
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is past 10 o’clock on a cold Friday night when Rebecca and her husband Jack’s doorbell rings. Outside is a woman who introduces herself as Jack’s ex-girlfriend, Cara. And she’s holding the hand of a shivering, blue-eyed, four-year-old girl who she claims is Jack’s daughter. Rebecca is shocked to discover he has a child from his last relationship - even one he hadn’t known about. Because becoming parents isn’t part of their life plan.
By: Emma Robinson
-
Seven Signs of Life
- Unforgettable Stories from an Intensive Care Doctor
- By: Dr. Aoife Abbey
- Narrated by: Esther Wane
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dr. Aoife Abbey takes us beyond the medical perspective to see the humanity at work inside our hospitals through the eyes of doctors and nurses as they witness and experience the full spectrum of human emotion with every shift. It is their responsibility to mitigate the grief of a family in mourning, calm a patient about to die, and confront their own fear of failure when lives are on the line.
By: Dr. Aoife Abbey
Publisher's Summary
When Deb Brandon discovered that cavernous angiomas - tangles of malformed blood vessels in her brain - were behind the terrifying symptoms she'd been experiencing, she underwent one brain surgery. And then another. And then another. And that was just the beginning.
The book also includes an introduction by Connie Lee, founder and president of the Angioma Alliance. Unlike other memoirs that focus on injury crisis and acute recovery, But My Brain Had Other Ideas follows Brandon’s story all the way through to long-term recovery, revealing without sugarcoating or sentimentality Brandon’s struggles - and ultimate triumph.
More from the same
What listeners say about But My Brain Had Other Ideas
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- LA Meredith
- 01-08-19
Fascinating!
Interesting glimpse into brain injury recovery. At times, I felt as though it was happening to me.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
- Shanonymous
- 05-23-20
Worst book I've ever read
Time jumps around, so I can't follow anything - it was almost stupid to start each chapter with a time frame. The narrator sounds no younger than 75, so it was impossible to connect the character with her age. Her husband is an asshole, and she's too naive. I laughed when she didn't want to take psychotropic meds because "bipolar people have issues" yet she's a complete nutcase. She kept building uplo to things that were then anticlimactic. Like spending time writing of her fear of jumping from 400mg to 600mg of Lamictal because you're supposed to Hi and 50mg at a time, then..... nothing. No Steven Johnson's rash, no side effects.... so stupid. And MRIs for the kids... but her brother's a geneticist? Um, couldn't he just check for the gene? I pushed myself REEEEEAAAALLLLY hard after chapter - who knows, they didn't match up even close to the chapters of the Audible- but about ¾ through, then I just started fast forwarding until the end because every single thing was a let down after the surgeries. All over the place time wise, and going from 1st person to 2nd person describing flooding was annoying. By the time I started getting angry at her, I just started disliking her to the point that I wish I knew her to real life so I could give the btch a tab of acid to REALLY screw with her senses. This person has no business writing a book. Stick to calculus, lady.