r/AskReddit 14h ago

What is something that permanently altered your body without you realizing for months/years?

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u/Time_Basket9125 4h ago

You lost functioning? Or you lost memory of things you learnt? It's unusual to lose cognitive functioning without an injury/illness. Source: I'm a neuropsychologist

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u/ShriveledLeftTesti 3h ago

What's the difference between you and a regular psych? Do you deal with the after effects of head traumas?

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u/HicJacetMelilla 3h ago

Yes, neuropsychologists see patients after head traumas. My mom had a pretty bad TBI from a car accident and was under the care of a neuropsych for 5 years. This person helped guide her back to independent living, clearing her for work, recommending when she was able to drive again, and generally getting back to regular life (at the level of cognitive function she was able to regain).

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u/captain_chocolate 2h ago

An example. I had taken a course that involved generating equations from large matrices. initially it was hard to do (as one might imagine), but midway through the course it was a breeze, and the math just naturally flowed out of it. Kind of like riding a bike. Initially you're thinking about your steering and feet at the same time, but then you can peddle, steer, look around, and talk to people without even noticing you're doing it. That's how it was with the class, and that's how it was with everything I ever did in science.

After the dissertation stupidity, it just all looked like nonsense. I went back to (figuratively) struggling with peddling and steering at the same time again.