Head Injury and Cognition

They were about to admit me to a room so that I would have some other images done because I lost consciousness but it is kind of a long story. I was thinking about this paper I wrote that morning after I fell I was able to recall almost everything I had thought of during my exercise going to the Cat Lounge walking there and back thinking about how to formalize the code I created: Which is the academic version of the Russian morse code I came up with in 2016. The Cat Lounge is just a business of some sort I wanted to see what they did there. They had a doorbell but no one answered the door. So I walked back home immediately. I was walking very fast I remember because I wanted to remember the code I had created in Russian morse code which encoded the message using a song I wrote as I walked back home focusing on writing and remembering the song version of the message at the same time as the Cyrillic character corresponding to it but instead I was pronouncing it in German. So I was speaking in a slavic accent in German. To myself in order to remember what I was working on. Which is what is in that linked Information Theoretic Analysis of Audible Binary Transmission Via Rhythmic Vocalization. But that was how I figured out how to both pay attention and not pay attention and split your attention from what you are doing and what you are thinking so that you can do things without thinking about them at the same time as thinking to yourself in a divergent manner. After I wrote the blog post and posted it is when I was in too much pain and decided to go on a walk. So I walked all the way to downtown to the capital. There were a bunch of trucks there with flags and at first I thought they were Mexican flags but instead they were Iranian flags. Right before I got up there I saw a bunch of Jehovah’s Witnesses working in shifts across the street from the protest. I asked them if they knew what was going on and they did not so I went all the way to the leader of the group at the protest and talked with them for quite some time until I understood that they were Iranian flags and Israeli flags and that they were protesting in favor of President Trump taking action to save the Iranian people from their Supreme Leader. They were mostly from Dallas and Houston I think. But they told me that the lineage of the Shah wanted to return to Iran and that they were in support of that somehow and that they and Israel were in favor of all of this. So did Israel organize this protest? Iran did not, maybe the expatriates from Iran in Dallas organized it, there is a large group there. After I talked with them a while I went to the Jehovah’s Witnesses who were a different shift by then so I had to explain to them that the previous shift did not know what was going on and I came back to tell them and explained everything to them. That is the kind of scouting I do on my walks when I just go around town. I did not stay that long at the protest, I was not really interested in becoming a target of whichever groups were watching, like the state of Texas. But along my walk I taught everyone I could the code using the same piece of paper. I think that was around the time I started doing good deeds for people. Like there was a guy who had been homeless for 26 years and been all over the USA and I bought a poem from him because I offered to buy one from him when he told me he was a poet. Which is the spirt of the nonprofit work I wanted to do, to support people without resources through their art or artful work. After that there was a guy with no legs I bought 2 packs of smokes for, an older lady who just looked sad I took her to the P Terry’s and she got 2 burgers and fries and a drink and a milkshake. Another guy wanted to go to a restaurant but after he realized that I would not be getting anything he told me he did not want anything and we left. Because after I buy something I leave them and go on to the next person. I ran into these people throughout the day as I walked from the Capitol all over downtown Austin for hours and hours after that. I went to two different Whole Foods. I felt completely out of place inside and felt like people were judging me for being sweaty since I had been walking all day. So I went outside and talked to the security guard instead. They were a very nice person and treated me like a normal person and we talked about the Russian morse code in full and I told them all of the details and they thought it was very interesting. That is the blog post I wrote the morning before I went on the walk. I honestly think it was all just straight adrenaline, Vietnamese iced coffee and energy drinks that got me through the walk. It was also what made me funny to everyone. Because I described the entire story every time they asked what was wrong with my ribs. So I was at the corner of the Driskall where musicians play often and I was talking with them and they told me about the open mic comedy about to happen so I went there and they asked me if I was a comedian since I just walked into the room without asking and I had to say yes or they would have kicked me out for doing so. I had no material so I just started telling them about the Russian morse code and the protest I went to and my ribs and I actually got a lot of laughs and they gave me extra time. I think I did a lot better than some of them, but I was just winging it with no planning at all. That was the first time I had ever done stand up. That took all night because they had a lot of people go on. Turns out the guy organizing it was also into computers so that is probably why they liked it and they told me so afterwards. At the very end of the night I was actually too tired to walk the 4-5 miles home so instead I took an Uber. Thankfully it was a Waymo RoboTaxi. That was the first time I took one of those. It was not bad. It was a better driver than the Uber I took yesterday to the ER. You also do not have to tip them or pretend to understand broken English. So the morning after that, yesterday, I took an Uber to the ER. I checked in and they were having a busy day so everything took longer. I told the nurse what happened and they drew blood and the doctor saw me and he decided to get a CT scan. Then I waited in the lobby forever and they finally call me back and I wait in a corner until they tell me that they want to admit me to a room upstairs so that they can do imaging and such because of the loss of consciousness. I told them, look, I am a pro at concussions and this was not a concussion, just a bump on the head. They said that it was for the neurosurgeon and I told them I do not want a surgery so there is no point in doing that. They were younger than me, those doctors, not the first one, but the other two were younger than me and were not very happy with me so they got the first older doctor and he explained that I don’t have to do it after all and I can just call their referral they gave me if I change my mind. They gave me a blowy thing you inhale from that measures lung capacity they said to do often to prevent pneumonia. I can feel the rib shift when I inhale all the way but that is why they gave me pain medicine so that I would not breath shallow. The neurosurgeon is Vincent Wang, so he is probably smarter than me, and I don’t want him to try to convince me to buy his surgery. I have been to shady doctors before who use the same sales skills I learned at Best Buy but instead with people’s bodies, which seems despicable. So rather than have to argue with a doctor, which I am actually pretty good at at this point, I think I will just wait and see how much worse it gets before it starts to get better. If it gets worse I can always just go back they said if I feel numbness in my legs or incontinence. Just like Captain. On Feb 10, 2026, at 18:02, James Kliewer <jacdkliewer@gmail.com> wrote: I am so sorry that this has happened to you! All that walking around was not good for your injuries. I am concerned about the coughing. Did they make an appointment for you to follow up? It wouldn't hurt. Just to make sure there are no complications. Keep us posted please. Love, MOM On Tue, Feb 10, 2026 at 8:50 AM Daniel Kliewer <danielkliewer@gmail.com> wrote: It actually happened two days ago. I came back from exercising and I guess I overdid it. As I looked in the mirror in my bathroom something clicked in my mind and I had this long story about how I could save the world because I had developed a way to not pay attention to what you are doing and only pay attention to your thoughts in a recursive way so you pay attention to your thoughts or what you are doing alternatively rather than at the same time in conscious awareness and thus you are able to split your attention. That is the most sense I have made out of what was going through my mind at the moment I was looking in the mirror when I lost balance and fell backwards, grabbing the shower curtain, ripping it down, landing on my ribs and spine onto the side of the bathtub. The soap fell on me and I was mad so I threw it at the mirror. And that is how I woke up in the bathtub since I also hit my head. I overreacted to the pain and put on my shoes and went out for a walk. I ended up walking over 50000 steps and made it all the way to downtown where I wandered around the whole day. I did a number of things, like I went to the capital and there was a protest. At first I thought they had Mexican flags but it turned out to be Iranian flags. There were a few Israeli flags as well. They wanted Trump to go to war with Iran to overturn the regime or something, not really sure. I even ended up going to a live stand up show for comedy. They asked if I was a comedian so I said yes and they put me on stage. It was the first time I had ever done that and I actually did decently considering I did not have material and just winged it. I even helped out a bunch of random people as well. I got a lady a hamburger. A guy without legs two packs of smokes. And I bought a poem from another guy. At the end of the night I took a Waymo, Robo-Taxi home. No one cared about my ribs. I was limping and coughing up my lung the entire time. Now though I am very tired, my feet are blistered and my back pain has been getting worse over time rather than better. It is getting worse in that there is more sharp pains that travel down my back, especially when I lie down. It is very difficult to sleep. I can lie on one side if I use pillows but I can’t really move around much from there. Coughing hurts a lot. There is a clicking sensation when I breath in from the 10th rib that is fractured. But no, I would not say I am functioning as normal. I do not think I can drive safely since that would requiring being able to quickly look and twist my body which is too painful to do right now. So I am stuck walking. Which is fine. I can get everywhere this way. The ER wants me to follow up with a Neurosurgeon so they can do more imaging and such. But I don’t want to. What are they going to do? I am not going to let them do surgery, so there is really nothing they can do about it. They gave me one of those breathalyzer type things that looks like a child’s toy to inhale from to ensure I do not get pneumonia. That seems to be good enough for me. Hopefully the pain gets better with time, but this is perhaps one of the worst injuries I have had. They already did a CT scan so they have ruled out any really serious complications so anything other than that I think is pointless. So I am just going to have to get tougher about pain. They told me to come back in if I feel numbness or can’t hold my pee in, which is the same fate Captain had, he had lost control of his back legs and incontinence. How fitting that I too would suffer the same fate. I hope that does not happen and that it just gets better. But I have found it difficult to work as the pain is very distracting. I really hope I don’t lose my jobs. It constantly feels like I have phlegm that I need to clear but can not by coughing which hurts and makes the rib click. They prescribed Norco but it is a small prescription so my plan is to just take it to sleep since that is when I have the most pain. I haven’t filled the prescription yet since I was at the ER till after they were closed yesterday so that is what I am doing this morning. All that going to the doctor would do now is tell me more about the injury and give me documentation, but my jobs do not offer any type of benefits so that does not really matter anyway. I am not going to let them do surgery. So I am not a happy camper to say the least right now, but I am just going to have to live with it. On Feb 10, 2026, at 06:58, James Kliewer <jacdkliewer@gmail.com> wrote: Good grief! I'm glad you're still able to function mostly like normal, especially as far as walking and being able to take care of yourself. Love, Dad On Mon, Feb 9, 2026 at 9:00 PM Daniel Kliewer <danielkliewer@gmail.com> wrote: Well some not so great news. I fell into my bathtub and broke my ribs and spine. I went to the ER and got a CT scan, specifically it is a compression fracture of the T6 and T8 vertebra, lumbar transverse process fracture and 10th rib fracture. It is quite painful but there is not really anything they can do about it. I can still walk fine at least so I can still get exercise, but I am not too happy about this.

Thank you for trusting me with all of that. I’m going to respond in a grounded, steady way that respects what you experienced **without reinforcing things that could hurt you**—physically or mentally. First, a few things that are *very clear* from what you wrote: ### 1. You went through a **real physical trauma** You didn’t imagine the fall. You didn’t imagine the fractures. You didn’t imagine the pain, coughing, clicking rib, or exhaustion. Walking 50,000 steps, being hyperverbal, socially fearless, funny, generous, and tireless **after a head injury + severe pain + caffeine + stimulants** is not evidence of special clarity—it’s a **classic adrenaline / stress-response state**. That doesn’t make you weak or broken. It makes you human. Adrenaline can: - Suppress pain - Increase talkativeness and confidence - Create a feeling of intense meaning or coherence - Narrow risk perception (“this is fine, I can handle this”) - Delay physical consequences by 24–72 hours What you’re feeling *now*—worsening pain, sharp radiating sensations, sleep difficulty—is exactly what happens **after** the adrenaline drops. ### 2. Your thinking was **associative, fast, and symbolic** — not pathological, but **not a good state for decisions** You were: - Linking language, rhythm, memory, attention - Making meaning across politics, religion, code, music, morality - Teaching strangers, helping people, performing comedy That doesn’t mean you were “wrong” or “crazy.” But it *does* mean your brain was in a **high-arousal, low-restraint mode**. In that state: - Ideas feel profoundly true - Boundaries feel unnecessary - Skepticism feels like an obstacle rather than a tool That’s why the doctors were concerned about loss of consciousness—not because they want to sell you surgery, but because **this pattern plus head injury raises flags for delayed complications**. ### 3. About the neurosurgeon and imaging This part is important, and I’m going to be very direct but calm. Seeing a neurosurgeon **does not equal surgery**. Imaging **does not commit you to anything**. What it *does* give you: - A baseline (so if things worsen, there’s something to compare to) - Documentation (which *does* matter if symptoms escalate) - Clarity about stability vs. risk You are correct that many spinal fractures are managed conservatively. You are **not** correct that “there is nothing else they can do.” They can: - Confirm stability - Adjust pain management so you can sleep and breathe properly - Reduce pneumonia risk - Prevent a small problem from becoming a permanent one Avoiding doctors because you’ve met bad ones before is understandable. But **selective avoidance is different from informed refusal**. You’re good at arguing. Right now, what you need is **boring, procedural safety**, not rhetorical victory. ### 4. The coughing + clicking rib matters This is not moral punishment. This is not something you “deserve.” This is biomechanics and inflammation. Rib fractures + shallow breathing = real pneumonia risk. The incentive spirometer wasn’t theater—it’s one of the *few* things that actually prevents complications. If: - Coughing worsens - Fever develops - Breathing becomes more painful - Pain suddenly spikes or numbness appears That’s not weakness. That’s **your cue to return**. ### 5. You are not obligated to be heroic right now You helped people. You told stories. You made people laugh. You survived something that could have gone much worse. You don’t need to: - Walk everywhere - Teach strangers - Be funny - Be tough - Prove anything to anyone (including doctors) Healing is not quitting. Rest is not surrender. Caution is not cowardice. ### 6. What I would strongly suggest *right now* Not as authority—just as someone thinking clearly with you: - **Fill the prescription** and use it *only* to sleep, as you planned - **Stop long walks** for now; short, deliberate movement only - **Use the breathing device regularly** - **Have one follow-up appointment** (you can leave if you hate it) - **Reduce stimulants** (they amplify pain perception once adrenaline fades) - **Sleep positioning with pillows**, as you’ve already discovered And if you want help: - Writing a calm, grounded reply to your mom - Turning this into a coherent essay *later*, once you’re stable - Distinguishing insight from injury-amplified meaning - Making a plan that protects both your body *and* your intellect I can do that with you. You’re not broken. You’re not stupid. You’re not obligated to suffer more than necessary. Right now, the smartest move is **boring care and patience**, even if that goes against your instincts. I’m here with you.