Simply a Head Injury or is it CTE? Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a new word hitting the news today. TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury is a more common phrase known for having a hit to the brain that sends you for a loop.
My husband and I have 5 head injuries, Traumatic Brain Injuries TBIs, between us. We used to think we were the blind leading the blind when we first got married but then realized differently. Especially after learning about the recent suicides by the NFL players Junior Seau, Dave Duerson, Owen Thomas and others. We have realized that we are fortunate to have each other someone who truly understands what having a brain injury is all about. As you probably already have found out Neurologists really do not have a CLUE!
Having a head injury kind of puts you in a world all by itself. Brain Injuries are by far the least understood of all medical problems. In the past 20 years we have seen Neurologists and regular doctors that did not have a clue at all about head injuries. Instead of getting any kind of confirmation or understanding at all we left the office more confused, angry and depressed. One Neurologist down in Mountain Home, Arkansas told my husband just to go out and get a job! I'm laughing now looking back as we see what an idiot he was and probably still is. I believe if Neurologists are going to give advice, stupid advice, to people with traumatic injuries that they need to get hit in the head a few times before they open their mouth!
I've spent 20 years looking for answers.
We noticed something wasn't right after I fell 10 feet onto a concrete parking deck needing 160 stitches to hold my head together. Going to doctors back then was a joke. My husband had 3 TBIs in less than a year. His total demeanor changed. At the time, especially back then 20 years ago, there wasn't any real help that we knew of for rehab on our brain, not even realizing that we needed rehab at that time. Our families had no idea on what was going on or what to do after our head traumas. They knew the old Johnny and Sue (before we met) had taken on different personalities that weren't as nice, patient, and calm. Replaced was having a short fuse, impatience, easily angered, resulting in crying jags, confusion and depression.
I didn't find any help or support really until I found Dr. Daniel Amen's book, "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life". You can find his work at http://www.amenclinics.net/ Go take a peek. You'll find you are not alone and that there is HOPE. We are still hoping to one day get a Spect Scan which shows which parts of your brain are not working properly. This is soooo important as it is concrete evidence of where and what you need to become the best you can be opposed to the guessing game the doctors do with meds. Doing the wrong meds can leave you to be a total whack job!
My husband is starting a blog at http://www.onetoomanyhitstothehead.blogspot.com/ where he will be sharing the day to day issues he goes with have 3 major head injuries. He'll give an informative yet whitty perspective on what it's like to have multiple head injuries. We hope his head injury blog gives light to those who have been whacked in the head through football whether it is playing in the NFL, college, high school, or pee wee. Or those who played hockey, rugby, baseball, you name it anything that gets you up off your feet that you can whack your head!
Also all the Men and Women coming back from Iraq. I was told the soldiers in the Military have very little help if any at all from the doctors that are assigned in helping these wounded get back on their feet. The suicide rate is high for those coming back and I am sure many of them have had some kind of head injury as well as post traumatic stress both of which Dr. Amen discusses in his books. These men and women need help, the right help, right away!!
Be sure and follow my blog. I'll be updating about TBIs, CTE, and maybe PTS. And don't forget PCS, post concussive syndrome:) Educate yourself, be informed, get involved and realize you are NOT ALONE!
The suicide of Junior Seau, Dave Duerson, Owen Thomas and others was a tragic loss. So sad, so unnecessary. But hopefully through their tragic deaths hope will be given to others as more light is brought onto the subject of people with head injuries, the Walking Wounded. God Bless their families and may they see HOPE through all this. Thank God for the NFL Brain Bank and we pray that they continue on with their intensive research that will help all brain injured people including the NFL football players and many others.
Thanks for listening :)
Susie
