9 1/2 Need-to-Know Facts About Traumatic Brain Injury

What a fantastic post!

Almost all of my 15 or so concussions were not in situations where one would wear a seatbelt or a helmet so I think that information isn't really accurate.
It would also be interesting to know why more males than females sustain concussions. Is it actually the case or do fewer females report the injuries. Perhaps it could be due to medical professionals not taking it seriously when a female does report tbi? It took two years for me to be taken seriously about the issues I was having and this mostly because I started bringing a friend or my Dad to appointments.

I was 15 years old with a severe traumatic brain injury, now 15 years later why am I realizing aggression and anger with my emotional up and down mood swings

Hi,
I was in an accident in August of this year and now have seizures. I known I have a TBI but my doctors are so stuck on "epileptic" and "non epileptic seizures" they've totally overlooked that I have a TBI. I'm on meds and they just minimize the seizures. Since my accident, I've had over 150 seizures and no answers from the doctors. Doctors now have little compassion. I cannot work, drive, cook, take a bath alone, be left alone due to the seizures. My hearts goes out to you all and I will keep you all in pray. Even with my circumstances if it's God's will I accept my seizures. Just want answers. God bless all

You say that most people do make a good recovery from TBI. This may be so, but with reference to your comment that a blow to one part of the brain can cause damage throughout, can I say that head injuries can be devastating? Mine destroyed parts of my brain that knew how to walk and to talk. My eyesight is not great nor my hearing; my concentration is poor, as is my stamina. My balance, literally, is loopy! I will never recover because to do so is to be like the person I was, but he has gone. I will never be him again! Thankfully I do a pretty good job as the new me, but that's because I have to - I was not given a choice... More about my injury, my recovery, as well as hope and inspiration for yours can be found in my book, Flight of a Lifetime, at http://ow.ly/DKc3l :)

I feel for all u beautiful people I got hit by a car whe I was 5 and they never checked my brain and as time passed I would get headaches for days and light bugs me people bug me I get Aggies easily I swore I was goraphbic or something crazy, I have 3 kidz who I don't want to see when the bad part comes up me the seizures I have been depressed since forever but I move on everyday forgetting bits and pieces of the past almost all the good parts are gone now it's just nightmares stuck inside my brain asleep and awake. Also I hear screams babies crying people whispering!!! I get freaked out sometimes wondering if there real

I had a TMI when I was 9 months old, I am 33 now. After a traumatic car accident they discovered I have parietal lobe encephalomalacia I have no idea how long its been there. I have been on antidepressants for a good 10 yrs of my life, I feel like its just been a cover up for what is really going on because they never really helped. I cant focus and I am tired all the time. Its like a my eyes just need to rest for a good 10 or 30 minutes mid day. I have to lie down otherwise I have brain-fog that just wont go away making it so hard to focus and function. I look at other people who are able to focus and get their tasks completed and I wonder how they do it. It makes me feel depressed. It feels like trying to focus when your just so tired you cant even think straight. That's how I feel on a normal basis even if I just woke up 2hrs ago. It has gotten worse over the last few years because the brain-fog wasn't as often during the day and these headaches that just feel so strange. They feel like a migraine but its more like my head as an electrical panel and its firing signals around my whole head. They can last for days, most times taking a potassium and bromelin supplement helps, not any NSAIDS. 

My psychiatrist finally gave me adderall which helps so much. I still get the brain-fog but its not as bad. I am only taking 30mg a day. I still have bad days but overall I can actually think and do. There isn't a cure for encephalomalacia and many would actually not understand. I can imagine most people just saying I'm tired all the time too. Its not something a cup of coffee can change, if anything caffeine can make it worse. I am pretty successful in my life, I am motivated to want better for myself. Whatever I focus on, I can complete though I usually am missing something. Adderall helped me a lot. I am not a med pusher and honestly I know its not good for you but neither is feeling like your mind is too tired to do anything ALL THE TIME. Its not depression, depression can be secondary but its not the primary source of this particular problem. You have to want to feel better too and your still going to have bad days. 

My son was in a MVA just before the start of his senior year of high school.  He was in a coma but came out of it.  Over 40% of his brain is now scar tissue including both front lobes.  It is now 8 years later and he is functioning but as a shell.  He is easily manipulated by others and lost all of his former friends.  He basically exists.  Trying to motivate him or reason with him can sometimes be impossible.  The one characteristic he still has is his love and kindness. It is sad that we haven't come further with treatment or therapy.  I cannot find anyone in my area willing to take on his complicated case.

Anxiety and depression I struggle with every day = get so tired and emotional with out bursts of built up anger and panic attacks = some days can be good and some days very hard = cant handle stress or do my old job of which i studied for 4 years and worked for 20 = now at a job that I have been at for 5 years with a pay rise of 50 cents to make it $15 an hour = struggle to make ends meet as only work 6 hrs a day as beyond that I get to tied = have no dreams or hopes anymore as i feel so useless = can get easily confused = when tired or stressed my words start to come out all wrong and I start to stutter = would not wish a brain injury on anyone

Sept 16th,the year 2000 changed my life forever,counting my blessings my 2 daughters had no long term injuries, I was in a coma a month in the hospital 3 months had out patient rehabilitation to walk & talk again, so thankful for my family & friends and the many prayers!I'm so thankful to be alive, has been a journey.

JULY 20, 2008; I'm 36 now. It ruined my life and any future plans. So often do I wish I wouldn't have survived. Life is too hard

My mom got an heart attack a few years ago , she got to less oxygen and she got brian damage. She was in n coma for about 3 months but when she got out she was like a 6 year old child. Is it possible to recover from brian damage ?

Its going on 30yrs for my Brain Injury. I'm learning how walk again & I'm having trouble with anxiety and depression. The therapists are saying I'm doing well but it's not fast enough, and that makes me sad!

I work for a company in Wisconsin that provides group homes for adults with traumatic and acquired brain injuries. 

husband sustained tbi/stroke form a m/c accident  back in '05, he is also paralyzed on the irght side, he has been home for 7 yrs, we've been married for almost 39 yrs..the only unplesantness ive had is dealing with our state govt and how tey treat him its the hardest thing to deal with..because as much as they say they help us..they do nothing but impede what my joe needs, fighting with them for almost 5 months to get him into a day program..and its been a battle ever since..have gone through a state rep, the governors office , and even a state senator..and we are still no closer to getting him the help he needs..the state puts more pressure on caregivers  ..fighting the battle alone..and my joe still sits and "waits"..nobody helps..joe isnt the stressor..its state policy..

My son has TBI and anoxia, he was in an accident. He has been in a vegetative state for 17 years and had to be move twice because they keep closing rehab hospitals for him to be in, the on he is in now is a nursing home with no activities and we were with him for 5 hours and no one came in to check if he had to be cleaned or not

One more comment- a patent spoke about an upcoming MRI for her son. It's critically important to know that MRI's can also be deceptive, in that typical MRI's show only 1/2 to 1/6 of the amount of damage shown by suseptibility weighted MRI's. The trauma to the brain is therefore at least twice to six times that shown in a typical MRI vs. the enhanced study. One has to wonder just how much additional damage will be found as imaging techniques improve.

Thank you for at least some validation for my son who suffered a concussion snowboarding 3 months ago. It was a "party weekend" with a lot of drinking,etc no sleep, so initial headache was assumed to be attributed to hangover. a month later, got headache. Never had one before in his life. Finally went to ER and "migraine was diagnosed" Given two shots and script for imitrex, which he still feels "fried his brain" Getting palpitations, HA, flashes of light, shooting pains, photosensitivity, and a great deal of anger and depression because he thinks everyone thinks he is a "pussy". Now finally insisted on MRI and get results today. Hoping for some better news, but still scared to death. mom in limbo

For support there is now a site called trymunity.com

I am truly sorry that so many of you are out there! If any of you are near the Western NY area we should create a support group.