TPN Fact Brochure Text: We are all Interlinked
(Copyright held since 1991 by TPN, Inc.)

From Bump on the Head to Coma: We are all Interlinked

The brain is the most complicated part of the human body. There are no simple answers when recovering from a brain injury. Every injury, like every human brain, is unique. Just know that you aren't alone .....

AM I REALLY AS ALONE AS I FEEL?

This brochure isn't intended as a Brain Injury Primer but as a guide to let you know that, as survivor and family member .. you aren't alone! Estimates place the annual occurrence of Acquired Brain Injury at 2 million. Tasks shared are tasks lighter. PLEASE take advantage of the people and organizations waiting to help you! Brain injury is traumatic .. physically, mentally and emotionally. It is hard on the person who has sustained the injury and it is hard on the family and friends of that person. It usually occurs quickly and without warning and finds everyone scared, confused, overwhelmed and in a state of shock.

Just as the definition of Acquired Brain Injury (A.B.I.) varies so does the information that is passed onto the survivor and their family. It can either be too much or too little. It can be only the good or only the bad. There might be times when you're so tired you don't think you can go another step. You'll find yourself caught up in many different emotions. You might feel that all hope is gone .. but never give up!!!

Brain Injury requires that someone without prior knowledge quickly become informed and aware of what is happening now and what might happen in the future. It requires that lines of communication be put into place and then used to their maximum advocating for the survivor until the survivor is able to assist with that responsibility or take it over completely.

If you are the survivor, there will be times when you are so frustrated, so angry, so depressed, so confused that you will want to give up .. don't! Reach out and find a peer group of survivors and let them help you. You will find out that you 'aren't going crazy' inspite of what it sometimes seems like.

Recovery will vary and changes will occur long after you were told they would stop. A great deal will depend on the desire of survivor to improve but 'desire' alone won't do it. Never feel that this injury will go away if the survivor really wanted it to. It will take work and lot's of it on everyone's part.

WHAT IS ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY (A.B.I.)***?

It is the impairment of normal brain function due to a neurological insult, such as: open or closed head injuries (traumatic brain injury or T.B.I.), select cerebral vascular lesions (i.e., aneurysm, hemorrhage, brain stem stroke), hypoxic event, intracranial tumor, select neurological diseases (i.e., encephalopathy). Well, that is a technical definition. Not very satisfying, is it? It's very impersonal and doesn't really even begin to answer the question. For something as complex as brain injury, there are no easy definitions or answers.

***Most often, brain damage from congenital or genetic origins or birth trauma is not included within the standard definition of A.B.I. Neither are degenerative neurological diseases or disabilities stemming from mental illness. However, the definition of A.B.I. will vary from organization to organization.

HOW DO WE RECOGNIZE AN ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY?

Acquired Brain Injury has many levels of intensity. It is possible that someone can acquire a brain injury without loss of consciousness or external bruising or tangible confirmation (i.e., CAT Scans, Skull X-rays, EEGs, etc.). Individuals who have even a mild brain injury may continue to experience a wide variety of symptoms than can have life-changing implications. You will find a short list of signs and symptoms on the next panel. Keep in mind, however, that brain injury is different and unique for each person.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO RECOVER FROM AN ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY?

Each injury is different and unique to the survivor and all survivors have different capacities for recognizing and compensating for the symptoms they exhibit. Much depends on getting the correct diagnosis and treatment and ensuring that good support systems are in place for the entire family. Changes and improvements continue although sometimes they are so slight they are hard to notice. It doesn't happen overnight!
 

Cognitive Symptoms

• Difficulty in processing information - decreased speed, accuracy and consistency
• Shortened attention span
• Inability to understand abstract concepts
• Impaired decision-making ability
• Inability to shift mental tasks or to follow multi-step directions
• Memory loss or impairment
• Language deficits - difficulty expressing thoughts and understanding others, inappropriate word selection

Perceptual Symptoms

• Change in vision, hearing or sense of touch
• Loss of sense of time and space and spatial disorientation
• Disorders of smell and taste
• Altered sense of balance
• Increased pain sensitivity

Physical Symptoms

• Persistent headache
• Extreme mental and/or physical fatigue
• Disorders of movement - gaiting, ataxia, spasticity and tremors
• Seizure activity (traumatic epilepsy)
• Impaired small motor control
• Photosensitivity (sensitivity to light)
• Sleep disorders
• Paralysis
• Speech that is not clear due to poor control of the muscles in the lips, tongue and jaw and/or poor breathing patterns.

Behavioral and Emotional Symptoms

• Irritability and Impatience
• Reduced tolerance for stress
• Lack of initiative - apathy
• Dependence - failure to assume responsibility for one's actions
• Denial of disability
• Lack of inhibition - may result in aggression, cursing and inappropriate sexual behavior
• Inflexibility
• Flattened or Heightened emotional responses/reactions

*** TPN, Inc. is agreeable to individuals and organizations using this brochure text ONLY if they have contacted TPN, Inc.first to clarify usage and copyright permissions.

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Updated: 07/31/02