Here's how Traumatic Brain Injuries become chronic for many

Over 1.5 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury each year. On Wednesday (March 22) night, a new study found for many patients, the effects of that injury can last long after their treatment ends. Traumatic Brain Injuries, or TBIs, can lead to memory, mobility, mental health, and cognitive function struggles.

[dbjbjhc]

I am 30 years into a severe TBI. Happened on my wedding day. Groomsmen took off with me thrown over their shoulder (as a joke) and they dropped me straight onto the concrete. I have struggled this whole time. Depression, anxiety, severe headaches, pinched nerves, stenosis and arthritis of the cervical spine. I wonder sometimes what I would have been like had this not happened to me. I am mentally tired on the daily. Constant dizziness, nausea, and mental fog. Sometimes I think I am crazy because I am always having some kind of "issue". I am grateful that God saw fit for me to survive. I am blessed with a great husband, two wonderful kids, and family support. I pray for everyone on here! I understand your frustrations and hope we can all push through it!

[Saint.questions]

Moderate tbi here 2013... brain bleed and skull fracture. Its so true. These things change you for a lifetine. I watch videos online made by and for clinicians and they tell each other "oh the person should be fine in two weeks" which is just a set up for disaster. There are no real supports for tbi, its an awful invisible disability because everyone assumes your fine. Stay in courage my fellow warrior's. We have survived 100% of our worse days so far.

[tinman]

Living with brain damage is a real suffering course because there is no escape, not even a moment's respite. It follows you everywhere like a shadow, even in your dreams where it takes the form of bizarre personifications and strange, broken landscapes.

[neoi]

Ppl who don't have it don't understand. You can tell by how she tries to explain it to us "they uhhh have problems with how they solve problems".. which is true but its deeper than that. Our thoughts can not form too complex. They're like surface thoughts sometimes. Complex layered thoughts can get lost and not successfully get figured out because it's too much - it's over stimulation, in a negative way. ❤

[kaygataki]

Major TBI 56 years ago. Concussion 8 years ago. Lifetime of emotional dysregulation, depression anxiety anger. Trouble with words. It just sucks.

[taiweannoona]

It's so nice to read the comments. It reminds you that others share your struggles. That you're not as alone as you are made to feel each and every day. I wish you all strength and better times ahead.

[berliancahyadi]

A mild TBI survivor here and mine was happened in 2013. It's very true that brain injury will last very very long or maybe i can say until the end of our life. My condition is far better than 1st year of having it but yeah, there's still some issues. My neurofatigue still showed up sometimes. 🥴

[biblical_unicorn]

I suffered a TBI at age 5 when the dog I was walking jumped off a retaining wall and I fell six feet and hit headfirst on concrete. I was never the same. I have experienced a lifetime of severe social and emotional dysregulation, sensory processing disorders, leaning disabilities, substance abuse disorders, eating disorders, and decades of being given a new mental health diagnosis every time I saw a new therapist because the thing was, I was never mentally ill. It was finally discovered at my 4th in-patient confinement (my first three were before age 21) the correlation between the TBI and why I couldn't keep myself in one piece for very long in life. This was later confirmed by a neuro doc and neuropsych that there was legit brain damage that gave me like dozens of traits of dozens of mental illnesses. I mean, before my meds, I was so out of control of myself...like walking around trying to do life as a teenager, a young adult, while contending with what manifested like I had OCD, ADHD, ASD, Schizophrenia, Bipolar, everything on the Cluster B tree, Major Depression, Generalized Anxiety, ODD, and the list probably goes on... I was trying to continue to move through life but I just really couldn't. Finally, they stopped trying to follow traditional patterns of medication for specific mental illnesses and started treating the traits. I'm on five or six medications now to essentially compensate for what's messed up in there and even though it took me almost three decades after the accident, I'm now stable on these meds and sober and have two master's degrees and a teaching career and a happy marriage and two precious daughters. Like it is crazy because in the late 80's when this happened to me, the fricking neuroscience hadn't even yet gotten advanced enough to have correlated this long-term damage with the injury bc they still bought into the whole neuroplasticity of child brains thing I think. Anyway, it happened. I cant go back and change it. I have to accept it as being what it is and do my best to live my best and understand that my best might not look like someone who is neurotypical and that's okay.

[KatieArrambide]

My brother suffered from one a bit over a year ago. He is still recovering but doing well. TBI isn’t something anyone should suffer.

[felicitydeikos]

Can last for the rest of your life, take it from me from an 18 year oldcar injury.

[brittanykiser]

I have a chronic concussion on top of already complex mental health disorders. I flipped in my vehicle after being hit in sept 2022 and have been dealing with issues from a concussion and whiplash. My short term memory is by far my biggest issue has its constantly effected by my anxiety and episodes in bipolar disorder. My anxiety, my OCD and my ADHD blew up, and we (doctors and I) can not seem to regulate myself or find a pattern. Unfortunately because I'm high functioning as is, and still am, its hard to get a lot of
doctors to listen or take me seriously. In all reality to an extent I feel as if I'm a different version of me as I have lost and gained qualities of my self. I'm hoping one day, I'll finally be able to find a comfortable place in my stability.

[RoadRunnergarage]

TBI .. You only know it if you live it!!

[ANT]

I think any brain injury will carry some form of partially permanent damage, I had recovered from a benzodiazepine brain injury it took about 5 years and the injury reactivated itself after I had panic attacks after a very stressful event, and the reason would be because the brain cells do not replenish themselves, they only grow out and try to heal around the damaged area… it is truly similar to death to live with this fatigue and 24/7 body anxiety and pain and all the other symptoms..

[BigBlueGuy]

When I was 17, I was working under my pickup. Unfortunately one thing failed causing the whole back end to fall on my head. I think I'm doing pretty well being that I wasn't supposed to survive.

[docwatson]

I hurt my brain about four months ago. I slipped on the top step, fell back hit back of my head, blacked out, came to flat on my back bottom of a full flight of stairs. I think I bounced my head on every step. Whiplash, and a whole lot of impact injuries, top, sides, and back of my head. I was fortunate I didn't hit low enough on the back of my skull to damage vision centers. I can drive, and walk pretty well.

It was only soft tissue damage, and the associated pain for the first 17 days. Then the head pain started, changing over time, here, or over here. Was awful for two months. Then the really substantial confusion and exhaustion started. Physically I'm improving, but the flat out exhaustion, it's real. I sleep 11 hours a day, at times any effort feels like too much.

That is the current experience, I'm sure it will keep changing. The longterm outcome is unknowable. That much I have taken to heart, it's not over yet. And it could be a long while till it really is resolved.

[chelseachyannejessyyork]

Me here with a severe traumatic brain injury since i was 7 from a board falling on my head from about 8ft apparently i had forgotten everything for 3 days im 27 now and only remember about 10 days of march but very little definitely not the whole day i had forgotten i turned 27 in January about week ago😵‍💫yet none of that makes sense to myself 😅we'll always have to deal with the crap sadly

[eveoakley]

I had a traumatic brain injury back in March after an accident at work. I was in critical care and put into an induced coma for one week and in hospital for six weeks. It took me another six weeks to feel able to start and potter about my house. I’m left with loss of smell, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, but annoying, and my sequencing memory and attention memory has been a little affected. I’m now suffering from a bout of Vertigo, but unsure if that is related to my brain injury.

[elliotthoward]

Tough to watch when you know all to well what they are talking about ptsd is like your shadow it goes where ever you go

[mcjs]

I am in the UK. I suffered a brain injury over 7 years ago. I am completely desperate from trying to live with severe cognitive and physical fatigue. It makes me not want to go on. I use all the management strategies etc. but the fatigue is so severe I am just existing rather than living. I have to rest my body and mind so much I can't do anything.
I am so desperate. If anyone knows anything that can help, I would be very grateful.

[scubadiva]

Well, duh…the effects of TBI are long-lasting, and I lost at least 50 IQ points as a result of mine.

I had a massive concussion as the result of a car crash in 1981: coma x 4 weeks, broken bones, physical therapy, and impaired speech. No way you're going to be "the same" after a major insult to the brain.

Double whammy time: I was diagnosed with autism a few weeks ago. Yes, I can be worse.