Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

:-(( this is what I was diagnosed with and suffer.... I look great BUT invisible wounds that have changed me forever.. Yes I may still recover more since it's only been 21months (happened May 13, 2010) ~~BritaJan

(((I added below € beside what I'm still dealing with)))

Borrowed from awesome site
http://www.traumaticbraininjury.com


Brain injuries can range in scope from mild to severe.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) result in permanent neurobiological damage that can produce lifelong deficits to varying degrees.

Moderate to severe brain injuries typically refer to injuries that have the following characteristics:

€**Moderate brain injury is defined as a brain injury resulting in a loss of consciousness from 20 minutes to 6 hours and a Glasgow Coma Scale of 9 to 12. ( my ICU records state I had a 9)

**Severe brain injury is defined as a brain injury resulting in a loss of consciousness of greater than 6 hours and a Glasgow Coma Scale of 3 to 8


The impact of a moderate to severe brain injury depends on the following:

--Severity of initial injury
--Rate/completeness of physiological recovery
--Functions affected
--Meaning of dysfunction to the individual
--Resources available to aid recovery
--Areas of function not affected by TBI

The impact of a moderate to severe brain injury can include:

€-Cognitive deficits including difficulties with:
ۥAttention
ۥConcentration
ۥDistractibility
ۥMemory
ۥSpeed of Processing
ۥConfusion
ۥPerseveration
ۥImpulsiveness
ۥLanguage Processing
ۥ"Executive functions"


€-Speech and Language

€not understanding the spoken word (receptive aphasia)
€difficulty speaking and being understood (expressive aphasia)
•slurred speech
€speaking very fast or very slow. €problems reading
€problems writing


-Sensory

€difficulties with interpretation of touch, temperature, movement, limb position and fine discrimination


-Perceptual

€the integration or patterning of sensory impressions into psychologically meaningful data


-Vision

•partial or total loss of vision
•weakness of eye muscles and double vision (diplopia)
•blurred vision
•problems judging distance
•involuntary eye movements (nystagmus)
ۥintolerance of light (photophobia)


-Hearing

ۥdecrease or loss of hearing
€ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
•increased sensitivity to sounds


-Smell

€loss or diminished sense of smell (anosmia)


-Taste

€loss or diminished sense of taste


-Seizures

•the convulsions associated with epilepsy that can be several types and can involve disruption in consciousness, sensory perception, or motor movements


-Physical Changes

•Physical paralysis/spasticity
€Chronic pain
•Control of bowel and bladder
€Sleep disorders
€Loss of stamina
€Appetite changes
€Regulation of body temperature
€Menstrual difficulties


-Social-Emotional

€Dependent behaviors. €Emotional ability
€Lack of motivation
€Irritability
€Aggression
€Depression
€Disinhibition
€Denial/lack of awareness

(((( I believe I've gone thru depression, even suicidal for over first year, over that!!! Went thru grieving stages which included the depression , grieved the looses I've gone thru caused by my Tbi changed me, my life!! And forgave myself for accident, injures, losses.. In Nov 2011--- been in peace, hopeful kind happy laugh cheer love and love the new me... Moving forward stride by stride, do not look back and focus on what I was what I lost and also do not focus on the next stride (future))~~BritaJan