Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Facts

I am going to try something new.  I will be posting on my Facebook community page one inspiring quote everyday.  Todays is the following:

"It takes nothing to stand in a crowd. It takes everything to stand alone." - Hans F Hansen

At least I will try to do it everyday with my memory loss which comes to our topic of the day....Traumatic Brain Injury otherwise known as TBI.

TBI occurs with a blunt force trauma to the head, jolt, or any other impact.  Not everyone who has suffered a concussion develops TBI.  It can occur during a car accident, blow to the head, impact sport, explosion, etc.  The severity may range from mild to severe depending on the severity of the concussion and symptoms in the months proceeding.

Mild TBI (MTBI)

• Shows normal brain anatomy during MRIs and CT Scans
• Blasts are a significant cause of many military related MTBI
• Symptoms lasts longer in adults due to the less plasticity of the brain (the ability for the brain to recoup to "back to normal" and "rewire" appropriately).
• Symptoms are apparent for days, weeks, months, or even years.
• Symtoms are listed under the following four categories: physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep.
• Concussions fall under the category of a brief loss of consciousness or disorientation for up to 30 minutes.

Here are the following symptoms for MTBI....

• Physical
• Headache
• Nausea
• Balance Problems
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Visual Problems
• Fatigue
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sound
• Numbness/Tingling
• Dazed
• Cognitive
• Feeling foggy
• Feeling slowed down
• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory problems
• Forgetful of recent conversations or information
• Repeats questions
• Answers questions receptively and/or slowly
• Emotional
• Irritability
• Sadness
• More emotional
• Nervous
• Sleep
• Drowsiness
• Sleeping less than usual
• Sleeping more than usual
• Trouble falling asleep

As you can see, MTBI can easily be confused with PTSD with many of the correlating symptoms.  But, military patients MTBI typically are more susceptible to PTSD.  There are different types of testing used both in the civilian sector and during military theater to distinguish if a patient is showing signs of MTBI early.  But it is still more common for TBI to be diagnosed well after the trauma as occurred due to the patient not recognizing the symptoms or the inability for anyone to diagnosis until well after the concussion occurred.

Severe TBI

• Closed - movement of the brain within the skull
• Open - gunshot wound, penetration, etc.
• Loss of consciousness for at least six hours (my personal note: this is debatable due to many different cases that have no involvement of loss of consciousness but significant symptoms so keep that in mind)

Symptoms of Severe TBI

• Physical
• Paralysis
• Partial or complete loss of vision
• Weakness of eye muscles
• Double vision
• Problems judging distance
• Involuntary eye movement
• Intolerance to light
• Decreased or loss of all hearing
• Loss or diminished sense of smell
• Loss or diminished sense of taste
• Ringing in ears
• Increased sensitivity to sounds
• Chronic pain
• Control of bowel and/or bladder
• Loss of stamina
• Appetite changes
• Regulation of body temperature
• Menstrual difficulties
• Difficulties determining limb movement, touch, and temperature
• Slurred speech
• Speaking very fast or very slow
• Problems writing (may be either physical or cognitive)
• Problems speaking and being understood
• Cognitive
• Problems reading
• Difficulty with concentration
• Memory Issues
• Distractibility and attention problems
• Confusion
• Impulsiveness
• Language processing problems
• Not understanding what is being said
• Seizures
• Emotional
• Dependent behaviors
• Depression
• Emotional ability
• Irritability
• Aggression
• Interests and personality changes
• Sleep
• Trouble falling asleep
• Insomnia
• Irregular sleep patterns

I know I jumped from mild to severe TBI symptoms.  I did this purely because moderate TBI does not have a typical lists of symptoms.  It is known to be the "in-between" of mild and severe.  The concussion typically lasts from 20 minutes to 6 hours in cases of moderate TBI.  Keep in mind,  there is not much known about TBI and it is still a developing disorder.  MRIs and CAT scans can determine severe TBI in some cases, but many cases it cannot diagnose TBI.  The brain is a large organ of vessels, nerves, and sensitive to every stimuli it receives.  If a blow to the head is received or even a serious traumatic event has been witnessed, the brain "rewires" itself in some cases to survive.  We do not have the advanced technology to delve deep into the brain to evaluate if there have been changes to the functionality to determine if a person has TBI.  That is why specialists who are familiar with this disorder is essential to diagnose a patient properly and begin the treatment process.  Many specialists are involved with TBI.  The following is a lists I have compiled to explain what each role of each specialists is:

• Psychiatrists - to administer drugs as needed to calm the cognitive symptoms such as depression, mood swings, etc.
• Occupational Therapists - to help an individual learn to live with the disabilities that may have been sustained.  This includes relearning how to handle everyday life for those with memory loss.
• Physical therapists - helps with regaining balance during walking, movement, and any other injuries sustained.
• Speech and language pathologist - improves communication skills and speech
• Neurologists - frequently checks on the cognitive functions of the patients and any changes that may have occurred.
• Psychologists - Works through any emotional issues as well as any cognitive therapy.

This is just a basic lists of typical needs for TBI patients but depending on the symptoms involved, other specialists may be needed.  One cognitive therapy I have found extremely helpful that can be done at home is called Luminosity.com   I have used this for PTSD and TBI cases.  I have yet to have nothing but success with this site.  Some "games" are free but if you want the full experience, they have a few affordable plans.  It is worth a look if you are interested in helping memory problems and cognition.  I will post the link to the side of the blog as well so it will only be a click away.  

For now, here's the link for Luminosity.

I hope this posting has been helping in understanding the facts of TBI.  If you think that you or someone you know suffers with TBI, please schedule an appointment with your primary care provider to get evaluated.