Richard Hammond not yet fully recovered

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Richard Hammond not yet fully recovered
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a75707/richard-hammond-not-yet-fully-recovered.html

Richard Hammond has not yet made a full recovery from brain injuries that he sustained when he crashed a jet-powered car last year.

The Top Gear host appeared to make a miraculous recovery after being seriously injured when filming a stunt for the show in September 2006, but many fans are unaware of the long-term effects of the crash.

Hammond has admitted that he still suffers from mood swings and bouts of amnesia. He is also not able to run baths for his young daughters Izzy and Willow, due to a problem with his internal temperature gauge.

"Because there are no physical marks on me and I'm back to being an irritating, short-tempered little toe-rag, people assume I've fully recovered," Richard told The Mirror. "But that won't be the case for at least another year. I feel like getting a T-shirt printed that says 'I'm all right' on the front to help all the people who ask how I am.

"But I'd like to put 'I'm still f***ing poorly' on the back for those who forget I've got a way to go. It's not easy. Some mornings I really struggle because I've a tendency towards analysing everything and thinking, 'Oh God, I'm going mad again'."

"For instance, my body's thermostat's on the blink," he continued. "I can be freezing cold while [my wife] Mindy's walking around in a T-shirt. And I can hand plates to people who yelp in pain because they're scorching hot. Mindy's banned me from running baths for the girls in case I put them in it and they hiss."
 
It is to be expected that aftereffects of such a crash will be felt...

Mindy's banned me from running baths for the girls in case I put them in it and they hiss.
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LOL!
 
The full interview is in Saturday's Mirror (strangely, there isn't a link to it on the website). It seems he is still having problems and expects to have them for at least another year. As well as his new-found love for celery, is a love for pizza. According to the article he loathed it before. Now, call me a sad Top Gear anorak, but he and James got stuck into a pizza when they spent 24 hours in the Smart Four-Four. Mind you, he may well have spat it at James when the camera went off...

The book - Life on the Edge - is to be serialised over the coming week exclusively in the Mirror.
 
Recovery can take from 6 months to 6 years, just gonna have to wait...
 
many ppl cant fully appreciate the long lasting effects of a severe head/brain trauma, fixating on the obvious things like memory, thinking, motor function and not realizing all the other complex subtle things the brain does to regulate body function until it goes wrong. the difficulty with his temperature regulation and sensation is just one example of something non medical ppl would never expect.

and since traumatized brain tissue doesnt heal quite like other parts of the body, hammond may have to deal w and learn to adjust to certain problems for a long time.
 
edkwon said:
many ppl cant fully appreciate the long lasting effects of a severe head/brain trauma, fixating on the obvious things like memory, thinking, motor function and not realizing all the other complex subtle things the brain does to regulate body function until it goes wrong. the difficulty with his temperature regulation and sensation is just one example of something non medical ppl would never expect.

and since traumatized brain tissue doesnt heal quite like other parts of the body, hammond may have to deal w and learn to adjust to certain problems for a long time.
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Fortunately there is some new research that shows latent stem cells in the brain can be stimulated to grow new brain cells, also new neural pathways can be formed through neruogenisis that can bypass damaged parts of the brain. The good news is that with time and practice/therapy Hammond could make a full recovery.
 
Not that I know anything about these sorts of the injuries (or any injuries really), but I'm not surprised he's still not 100%. But he'll get there, and I wish him all the best in getting there.
 
My first thought upon reading the thread title?

"I'm not bloody surprised!"

However you cut it, the man had a serious crash, and it makes sense that he'd still be feeling one or two ill effects 12 months on. The more time he takes, the more he will recover. I just wish him well and still think he's damn lucky to only have the problems described above. It's not desireable, of course, but as has been said many times before - it could have been a lot worse.
 
Nerve cells cannot be repaired, so any nerve and brain damage is most likely (i am not a doctor), permanent.
 
I do have to admit i feel a bit guilty because alot of what people had been saying made it sound as though he was almost perfectly normal already, and really even in the best of cases you really should never jump to the conclusion that "everythings fine." A little caution can be helpful i suppose.
 
I know exactly how he feels, obviously his case is more serious but also having a long term illness.....I look fine to outward appearances but every day is really really hard. People look at you with disdain if you can't do things because there looks like there is nothing wrong, which makes it really tough to take.

I can relate to what he is going through and he has my full support.
 
Watch the last season, I think he may have a problem with one of his hands. Maybe a bit shaky?

Always trying to keep it behind him, moving, or behind something.
 
MattD1zzl3 said:
Nerve cells cannot be repaired, so any nerve and brain damage is most likely (i am not a doctor), permanent.
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Incorrect, sir. As I mentioned, the brain can bypass damaged areas by learning to use healty nerve cells to pick up the "processing" of the damaged area. They also found that stem cells from birth still exist in the brain all through life and these cells can be stimulated through mental exercise to grow into new nerve tissue.
 
I didnt say its impossible to recover from a brain injury, i just said that nerve cells dont repair themselves, and the damage is permanent. (despite the brain sometimes finding a way to cope with it and recover functionality)
 
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