Traumatic Brain Injury Basics

I was shot in the back of the head with a .38 caliber handgun. The bullet ripped open my skull from left to right and exited to the right side of my head. I suffered a severe concussion which also gave me two black eyes. Once the doctors were told that my husband had actually shot me in the head, and not thrown a bottle and busted my head, the doctors started looking for the bullet. Thankfully the bullet didn't penetrate my skull, but my head was split open from left to right. I still have tons of bullet fragments in my head. I do not suffer from headaches. I do believe that I did suffer traumatic brain injury due to the extremely hard blow to the back of my skull and the concussion. I am blessed to be alive and not have any complications.

I am 58 years old, a shipyard employee. I stood up and hit my head on an air conditioning units' metal frame and suffered a TBI. The DOD employees have a medical called OWCP and there are no neurologists in 3 counties that will treat anyone because they do not want the "hassle" of paperwork and less money for services when you are a federal injured worker. I have finally received an appointment for a neurology visit 359 days after my TBI. When the injury happened, I was not speaking in coherent words, I had my license suspended for over a month and my ability to walk in a straight line was impeded. I suffer excruciating headaches and my outer scalp still swells. I am mad. I should have gotten treatment right away. I cannot imagine what all of you have suffered with and through.

Plan to read your book. Nice to know it exists and there are professionals trying to help survivors. Please continue to reach out and make quality of life better. Thank you.

Thank you I have a TBI. My family has never acknowledged the injury. Thank you for your acknowledgment today. God Bless You

I am near 70 but had what I call an untreated triple TBI while in the Navy when I was 19. I lost a lot of memory but littlie pieces occasionally returned until I was able to connect approximately what happened. I was assigned to a buoy mooring detail along with four others. We were lowered into the water via motor-whale boat and three of us were told to climb onto the buoy while the boat coxswain and radioman remained on the boat. They had instructed us to connect a heavy wire rope/cable to the buoy which we did fine. Then the ship was supposed to reverse until the cable was taut, at which time the anchor chain with detached anchor, would be slowly lowered down to us to connect also to the buoy.

After what seemed like a long time, I looked up to see what was happening. The ship was coming at us and would hit the buoy, when I looked up to the focsle I saw an E-5 Petty Officer cutting the rope that held up the chain. About the same time the ship hit the buoy, the chain came down on top of us. One guy to my right got hit in the leg and went into the harbor/ocean. The other guy stood in the middle where the chain sort of wrapped around him but he did not get hit. I knew that I had less than a second to decide what to do and that I would be in the target area of the chain and tried to jump towards the boat. As I went to jump, the chain (roughly 100 pound links) hit me in the back of the head, changing my trajectory to where the front of my head smacked the metal boat rail pretty hard and then my head ricocheted into the concrete buoy floor. That last hit made me think that was it, I could take no more. I blanked out and do not know if I got hit or crushed more times at that point.

My next memory is in slow motion - I was in the icy cold water going down and tried to see each of the other four and what they were doing at that moment. Once in the water, I reasoned that my safest place would be right next to the back of the buoy under water. The 570 foot ship had bumped into the buoy and there was anchor chain roughly about 200 feet flying around so lots of chaos in only a few seconds. When I arrived at the back of the 12 foot wide buoy, I remember thinking that it was perfect, I did not have to breath and the water was luke warm there and that I could live there. At that time I kept looking for an opening after everything sort of settled down, where I could climb back out of the water and help connect the chain. After what seemed like only a few minutes to me, an opening came and then slammed shut by the boat hitting the buoy, but another longer one later where I climbed out and helped connect the chain which was difficult and took awhile.

We then double checked everything then got back into the boat and had to go around the front of the ship and to the other side to be raised back up to the ship. Upon going round the front of the ship, I looked down at myself and noticed that my dungaree pants were torn wide open all the way from the bottom to the crotch, and my kapok life-jacket looked like someone had taken a machete to it with numerous 8-10 inch vertical cuts all the way across the front. I then looked at myself and did not notice any cuts or other wounds. After a long while I decided that while I was nice and safe next to the buoy, my body was over coming into contact with the boat propeller. I soon had and still do have some memory breaks like repressed memories of portions of this, but I have memories of both this world and the other, in sequence. Witnesses in the group said I was under water for 8-10 minutes.

Soon I was in a mind fog and started having pains like electrical shocks coming out of my neck and other nerve pains which I could not connect to this incident. I was so confused that I could not explain to anyone what was happening to me. Prior to this I had been promoted to E-4 but was waiting for a billet to fill. After a couple weeks, my E-6 called me into his office and told me that my work was "slovenly" and that he was yanking my promotion, which meant more grunt work rather than being in a lesser physical duty where I could maybe heal. Recently I learned that according to the Uniform Code Of Military Justice one cannot be demoted except via an official Court Martial or similar event, but I did not know this back then.

After we arrived on ship from the anchor chain incident, the three people who did not get hit by the chain were sent to sickbay but the two of us who got hit were sent to the 1st Lt.'s office, where we were promptly verbally reprimanded for "jumping off the buoy" and of course we were not allowed to say anything. We were then sent to our berthing compartment but never told to go to sickbay. After now a bit over 50 years, I have lived a strange life but want to know if there is anything I can still do to alleviate even some of the aftermath of all this.

I have over 20 different conditions, at least several that are likely attributed to this multiple TBI. MRI showed a small piece of brain missing due to concussion in the front of my head. I relive this whole incident when I go into a deep sleep and simultaneously seem to randomly without choice lose or wipe short/medium term memories. My long term memory seems to me better but I do not know what I cannot remember. I was told I have post-traumatic selective amnesia, but I also have PTSD which is largely from this but also somewhat mixed with combat. I have hypothyroidism, GERD and stomach ulcers, am nocturnal in sleep or lack thereof, have osteoarthritis in all joints, short and medium term memory loss, probably some long term as well, IBS, tinnitus, hearing loss, entire spine problems and an MRI shows that I had a broken dislocated pelvis but they said it was not acute, peripheral neuropathy and radiculopathy, hypertension, sinus damage and was exposed to Agent Orange, etc., etc. Due to loss of pertinent medical records upon military discharge in 1972, mostly none of this was included so I had to learn to self-treat until around a year or two ago when I was able to produce enough proof of this incident including a buddy letter from one of the three of us on the buoy.

Now VA has me as total and permanent disability but have to continue various comp and pen exams. I also have a random blind spot plus most of the eye things that happen from a TBI. About ten years after this incident in 1981, I was pitching a slow-pitch softball game and got hit very hard in the upper lip which caused loose front teeth, 26 stitches inside my mouth and eight days in the local hospital. I did not see this as the blind spot showed up and that also happened another time during a minor car accident. During this softball hit, I came to on a raised platform where I could watch everyone looking down at my body. There was a long dark hallway to my left so I walked over there but decided not to go down there as it was not lit up. When I decided to return to the platform, I was there in an instant, prior to finishing the thought to go there. In the afterlife, we move by thought so we better have our minds in order or we will be jumping everywhere just by thinking.

Recently I was told by a VA referred community doctor that my cervical MRI indicated I may need repair from C-3 through C-7 and possibly T-1. There are others further down in thoracic and lumbar but they were not now critical. He in turn referred me to a specialist in Denver that I requested who I saw a week ago and he said I needed immediate total disc replacement "stat" which he performed the next day on C-4 to C-5 to prevent imminent paralysis. It seems to have helped, maybe a lot, but time will tell when all the painkillers and things wear off and are out of my system, maybe 3-4 weeks yet. To go through this in one day's time what with VA and the local clinic and hospital all making arrangements, to me this was an amazing miracle.

I seem to remember things in sequence so when people start asking me questions they refuse to listen to my way of answering them which is very annoying to me. They want yes or no but most of this requires sequence of events to answer for me. I do not mean to be annoying to them, but I have taken to answering the only way that I can and if they do not wish to listen, then I tell them I am going to walk because that is the only way I know how to answer them. This excerpt is a short version of a 67 page writeup that I sent to VA a couple years ago, plus around 100 pages of exhibits. It took me around 10 1/2 months to write this for them because I had to re-read everything each day prior to writing or I might include the same things multiple times because I would not remember if I had already addressed things. I look and act normal and have learned to do this in order to fit into any given situation. I have had work experiences that lasted up to 3 years but was forced to be less than totally honest with regards to this disability group. Now I simply tell people that I have a memory deficit and a few other things. In my mind in many ways I am still stuck in this time period due to PTSD which seems to consume my every moment of life, whether awake or asleep. So now I have around 50 years of VA files where they previously told me I was delusional, but now they know that I am not. When I asked them to go through my 5000+ page file to correct this, all I get is a deer in the headlights look. I know you do not provide advice here but am wondering what type of specialists I should seek or if anything can be done to improve my brain-life. I read about a feedback process that allows one to reorganize their brain and wonder if that or anything would be helpful to try at this late date, so far removed from the 1971 TBI's that caused all this?

When I was in high school and even later in college, post military, I always wanted to become a writer, so I can communicate better in writing than verbally. I got through college mostly by reading difficult textbooks into a recorder and then playing this back to me during sleep via a timer and that worked amazingly well. It is just strange living a largely pretentious life when I know there has to be a better one out there. My sister once said: "Out of all the things I've ever lost, I miss my mind the most".

I’m a 36 year old woman now, but at age 12 in 1995 I was in a bad car accident and I was air lifted with open TBI. IT BBROKE MY SKULL PIRCED MY BRAIN I LEAKED FLUID AND HAD SEIZURES. I WAS NEVER FOLLOWED UP WITH, never given any of this information. I have struggled my whole life now I did get married, had kids and worked up till I was diagnosed with cancer. I started 5-6 years maybe even 10 really having problems. I do have a plate in my head, I started having seizures again I also was told a few years ago my whole left frontal lobe Is dead scare tissue now. I am going through a divorce after 17 years my whole family kids all just have nothing to do with me. I have found it hard to be a normal person I have done things I would never during in adulthood and I really don’t use it as an excuse but if there was more awareness about TBI AND OPEN TBIS, maybe my teenage daughters would understand and not hate me. I will tell you reading how they affect you can late in life I have almost all the problems they list and most unnoticeable till adult hood it changed me the day it happened. I would love to see if there is a study I could do to help understand how they effect ppl later in life. I want to start raising awareness for the ppl who are not athletes and who have now Wound up alone and If it gets worse I will be bad off. I know that it is something that has been tearing my life apart from day one.

my son has 2 twenty two bullets in brain and is being held in santa rosa county jail and being abused mentally as well as physically, he was in on a misdemeanor now felony because he got scared and kicked a guard, he is wheelchair , cant walk, deaf in right ear, and i am sure confused as hell that no one cares for him. I need help, this is mom joanne we live in navarre florida

In 2015 I hit a tractor on my way to school for the sun was shining to bright. I was life flighted to the hospital 30 minutes away from the hospital in my home town. They put me in a coma for my brain bleed was on the outside of my brain (frontal lobe). I was in the hospital for 3 months. I was cleared to work and do all that I normally would. Sometimes I wonder if I should have my brain activity checked sometimes because I was diagnosed with severe major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, a bipolar disorder, and a mood disorder. Any recommendations?

I am a survivor of a head on collision that almost killed me at 3yrs old, it damaged my frontal lobe , I had nightmares galore and hallucinations and couldn't distinguish between what was real and what wasn't and today I still struggle with my cognitive disorder, mood disorder, mathematics disorder, depression and anxiety that I take meds for for the rest of my life, am on SSD and SSI after several attempts to hold down a job, then a abusive step dad that played right into that but key word here is survivor eith mental issues

I’m not sure if I should post on this site or not. I’ve just started reaching out for resources in order to find anyone who can point me in the right direction to help me get the help I need, to help my daughter was is 38 now, and I care for 24/7 by myself. As I’m a single parent, without any family support except my inky other child, my son, who is 4.5 yrs. younger than his sister. If it wasn’t for my son we would be living on the streets.

First, the disclaimer is irrelevant as my adult daughter isn’t receiving any medical care, therapy, durable medical equipment, needed supplies, nutrition, etc since we’ve moved to Florida.
She acquired a severe DAI and short term memory loss and many secondary injuries related and non-related to the car wreck at the age of 33, and during her baby making years. She was a passenger in a fatal car wreck. Of course, the driver who caused the wreck had no insurance or assets
I can assure you no one is financially prepared for this type of injury should it occur.
At the time of wreck, I was trying to find my own legs, after divorcing my ex husband after a little over 33 years of marriage.

I wish I could say he cheated on me, as that would be so much easier to explain why our divorce happened and is the reason I divorced him. As it’s so very relevant to what happened to the oldest of our 2 children, and solidifies I did the right thing when divorcing him.

He’s extremely intelligent but lost his job making over 6 figures at the age of 47 when there was a corporate takeover. He was devastated, i I understood that, but 47 yrs old isn’t over the hill. However, I was very sympathetic and actually now know I was his enabler.

Without me knowing after the first job interview he went on and didn’t get the position, he began to research and manufactured syndromes that only behaviors and verbiage can confirm. You can’t determine by a X-rays, CT, MRI, blood test (believe me I’ve learned a lot and not just from his losing his job, but what he was actually capable of doing and something he would have discouraged and been an advocate against anyone attempting what he was very successful at doing and enjoyed the challenge-it was sickening). People say “Do you really know who you are living with or who your souse is?” I could prior to this happening, answer those questions with an honest “yes” we didn’t hide anything, we shared everything, at least I thought so.

Please keep in mind, this man never took a Tylenol except for a few times in college.

All of a sudden he has PTSD from being in the Air Force after he voluntarily deciding to get out 15 years earlier. He put on a show and when he was only awarded 30% VA disability, he had made his mind up he was going to receive a rating of 100% prior to decision to find anything to acquire a financial gain and life time medical care, which he would have received had he retired from USAF. He couldn’t believe the 30% and back to the drawing board. I left him by this time, as I wasn’t having any part of his deception. Now he all of a sudden has become bi-polar. Not once has he ever displayed any of the symptoms of these 2 real issues that people do experience and have. He had the audacity to ask me to sign a unbelievable statement to attest to the things he said he has been thinking, doing, unable to work, have a relationship with our immediate and other family members, friends, etc. I obviously didn’t sign it, but he talked our daughter who at the time had 3 children and having issues with her ex to sign this with the promise of helping her (probably financially). I don’t know the entire truth about this, as she was a “daddy’s girl.” But she wore her heart on her sleeve! However, she signed it. But it didn’t stop there. He went through multi interviews and psychological testing, even had himself committed to a psychiatric facility to ensure he would get the additional 70% VA disability, which would also allow him to automatically receive the full amount of SSDI (additional tax free income). I personally went to his main psychiatrist at Kaiser (in GA) office one day, which was prior to me moving out. This was his 3rd week of actually seeing a doctor who would get the ball rolling and after the months of the research about PTSD. I asked him every single evening and morning if he wanted me to go with him, as I didn’t know a thing about PTSD, and was worried because he was taking these crazy meds that left him sleeping all the time until he needed to attend these daily group sessions. He was adamant no one else was allowed to attend these meetings because of privacy. It made since to me at the time. One day, I decided to go and meet him for lunch and just talk to him vs him coming home and taking meds that literally left him comatose. I arrived earlier than I thought I would. I went inside and asked where his doctor his doctor was located and was told he was in a session for approx. 30 mins. But I was welcome to wait in the waiting area in his office. Approximately 5-10 mins later a woman who I now know to be a psychiatrist as well, approached me and asked if she could help me? I let her know the above and introduced myself by giving her my first name. She asked he who my husband was and I let her know his first name only, she asked me if my last name was ———? I said yes, and let her know I just wanted to surprise him, and since we weren’t allowed to come, to ensure he knew he had moral support at home, as he isn’t the same person I married a bazillion years ago, and to find out why this all of a sudden started happening to him. She reiterated my name, and didn’t blink a eye and said, “I smell fish.” I asked what she meant by saying that, and she very politely asked me if could stay after the group was released I answered her with, “Of course!” She thanked me and made the comment she was glad she needed to take a restroom break and said it was a pleasure to meet me, but she needed to get back into the group, and thanked me again for staying. I didn’t think another thing about the conversation except way she had said, “She smelt fish???”
She asked who to know why he was doing this, and if he realized what it was doing to our family. to meet him for lunch after his daily group meetings. This is when I found out he was spinning some serious stories while attempting to get the disability. The woman who approached me in the waiting area, and who was also a psychiatrist. She just happened to be sitting in with my ex’s particular psychiatrist with these daily group meetings for personal research. Anyway, she asked if she could help me? I let her know who I was and I didn’t mean to get there as early as I did and decided to come in, so I could met my husband for lunch. She asked me to group to let him know what my still husband was doing & hoped he knew what to look for in individuals manufacturing anything to intentionally

Hello, My son 21 was in a accident On April 2,2020 he was hit by a car while riding a bike home from work. He Is now home eating,talking ,cursing, walking with assistance but, he does not want to get out of bed and try to do anything. Should I make him walk? He’s incontinent and hates to be changed... he holds on to his briefs so tight... I don’t know what to do

Thank you for your insight and I appreciate it very much. As a single mom caring for her adult daughter who acquired a severe DAI, severe short term memory loss and many secondary injuries in a fatal car wreck as a front seat passenger wearing her seatbelt in late 2015. It’s end of June 2020 now, and the difference of care my daughter receives in Florida vs Georgia is less than despicable. If someone would get her the help she needs, there’s no doubt in my mind she would recover to 80-90%. I’m not naive and know she will never be 100%. My daughter was 33 and has 4 children when the car wreck occurred. Had I known my move to FL in order to be in a warmer climate so she would accelerate in the already amazing progress she was making from having the incredible rehab and then continued medical care/treatment and therapy’s while living in Georgia I never would have made this decision to move to Brevard County, FL. Not only is she not receiving the proper medical care/treatment, therapy’s , and medications she should be receiving, she’s declining at a very rapid pace, as I can’t do everything on my own. I didn’t make this move blindly, I researched, reach out and spoke to medical individuals to ensure she would receive the same quality of medical care as she was receiving in GA. However, I was given erroneous information and to this day I can’t wrap my head around why I would be told the information I was given.
What’s so upsetting is the care is available, but her insurance company is denying everything my pcp has written orders for in order to help my daughter. Her PCP was changed to another Physician who could give 2 cents how she’s feeling and/or doing. I asked why was my daughter changed to you as her PCP after over a year of having the same PCP. Her reply, your daughter needs a higher level of care. This from the doctor we’ve seen twice who didn’t call I. A specific medication my daughter has been on still 2015, and wouldn’t listen or look at the damages she caused by not calling in my child’s medication that took forever to get the right medication regimen while in GA, as all TBI individuals heal and respond differently to different medications because we are all wired differently. I feel so guilty for making this move, and allowing her insurance company and now her new PCP having the ability to control her outcome and future. It disgust me they are allowed to get away with this, and allow my child to suffer and in pain. You name it and I wear that hat, as we aren’t receiving any in home help, therapy, etc. that would help dramatically only if she receives the medical care/treatment the insurance company says they cover, and when a Order/Referral is written, they deny it faster than anything and I’ll receive the denial in the mail. How am I supposed to file appeals and give my daughter all the help she must have in order not to be in a vegetative state? There’s something very wrong here, and she’s even on a waiver program that doesn’t supply what they say they do and she must have. I’ve reached out to ACHA and nothing has changed. If it wasn’t for my son, and my only other child we would be living on the streets due to financial reasons. My son is the youngest of my 2 children and has altered his life so his sister can remain in a safe, loving, and caring environment where she’s treated with respect and dignity. I’m so tired of hearing your doing a great job and hang in there it’s worth it. I just want to scream you don’t have a clue what is happening to my child since we’ve moved to FL.
Whatever individuals you are a case manager for are very lucky to have you as their CM. You actually sound like you care, and are an advocate. My daughters CM will not do anything to help us but says she will, and that adds to the stress and anxiety I already had. God knows, I don’t need anymore of either on my very full plate. Thanks for being the person you are, you have some very fortunate individuals who I hope know how lucky they are and your understanding of what it’s like to be a caregiver and everything else you must do. But this is something I’ve never encountered and someone should be held accountable for my child not receiving the proper medical care/treatment she’s required to receive abd is covered by her insurance company.

a few days ago my hair was pulled hard by someone. it made a scary skull sound . the person that pulled said they felt a liquid at pull. looking for answers of what that was . and what symptoms to watch for.. cant find in google.

My husband had a severe fall head first out of his bobcat. Major lacerations on head emt said you could see skull. No ct scan was done and since then I have noticed his thinking is not normal. Mixed up doesn't remember things etc. Went to a neurosurgeon and he prescribed a medication for headaches. Felt like he were wasting his time. The medication made no difference. Can something be wrong ?

I had a Head trauma at the age of 24 in 2006. I am now 37 is it true that your mind stays the way it was at the age of 24??

I fell top to bottom of staircase backwards missing majority of stairs I hit the skirting board with corner of my head there was no cut but the impact on my head caused indent on my brain I now have uncontrolable unpredictable seizures I find it very hard to remember things or even explain what I've just seen its very frustrating I've found help controlling seizures a bit better with a VNS monitor

I've occasionally called my partner a name that's from my past it upsets her no end but she doesn't believe me that it's not intentional. Is this common?