TBI or just BI?? Not sure.

[Mayzoo]

Not sure if I had a "Traumatic" Brain Injury or just a BI. I was hit broadsided by a motorcycle near my driver's door. He was traveling about 120mph. I hit my left temple on my driver's side window, and must have blacked out for a bit. He is fine now to my knowledge--he flew 60+ feet over my car, and moved my car sideways by about 8 feet. He was riding a Suzuki Hayabusa 1500 special. They are commonly refered to as ninja bikes. He hit so hard he broke the twin forks on his bike in half at two different locations, and he caused frame damage to my car, splitting some of the metal frame in some places.

The accident was 07-21-06. I am still not recovered. I am better, but not the same. My memory was horrible for at least 30 days. It is better, but still short term memory is a problem. I could not focus. I used to be able to do many different things at one time, now I do good to accomplish one thing at a time successfully.

I have not had a CAT scan or MRI. I am not insured, and even if they did those test and found a problem--there is not much of anything they could do at this point anyway.

My daughter has two neurologic brain conditions (not from this accident---traumatic birth injuries)...so I know my way around the brain pretty well. She has an Arachnoid Cyst and Chiari. She also has torticollis and a syrinx.

Well, just wanted to talk a bit I guess. I am pretty frustrated with the whole thing.

Mayzoo

[Shown]

I hear them tell my hubby all the time that the brain will take up to if not longer than 2 years to get way, so be very patient and hang in there.

We are still waiting for semi normal not asking for normal just something that is similiar to it.

Shown

[mommaoftoddlers2]

Well, they say you can have a "mild" tbi too. I had multiple concussions. My last one was May of 04. Put me in hospital for a week. I had major headaches and a list of symptoms, short tempor, short memory, on and on. I finally found a cocktail that helped give me a break from headaches. but, my experience has not been mild.

Try to keep your chin up! Play some games to exercise the brain! Take rests too....don't overdo it....find the medium...wow, I just confused myself...lol

Take care!!

[The Dude]

God bless you..........Thank god your ok!!

Take care

[Mayzoo]

What kind of memory games? Like concentration (the card game)? Any recomendations?

Thanks

Mayzoo

[spinnymommy]

Both TBI and ABI are brain injuries.

An ABI is an aquired brain injury. It is a result of something within the body,
like a stroke or a bleed or a tumor or something. I don't know much about these, as my injury is a TBI. I have talked to survivors of ABI however, and their symptoms seem very similar if not the same as TBI survivors. (although of course, all people are different)

A TBI is a traumatic brain injury and is caused by something outside the body hurting the brain. These can be open head injuries or closed head injuries.
They can lead to coma or unconscienousness or not even manifest symptoms for a day or so. A TBI can be mild to severe. Their effect on the survivor can last a life time.

I have been told and researched the web and found out that although a brain injured person never completely recovers, we get better. The "one year" thing is a myth. That is where they say you can only improve for the first year and then you are stuck with what you got.

I've used scrabble, crosswords, children's memory games, and web sites like Braingle to exercise my memory. The best thing I have found is keeping a daily journal. Not so much writing down my feelings, but writing down what I did that day. Doing this at the end of the day is HARD for me. But good exercise.

[gah]

I had a severe TBI in Sept., 2000. Some people who were in the TBI program that I was enrolled had less outword problems but had a more severe TBI injury. While others, who had severe symptoms had very minor 'accidents'. As you are probably aware, because of your daughter's condition, the brain is very, very complicated and reacts differently depending on the circumstances.

In my friend's Chris's case (made up name), his injury was in the front of his head, so his balance, walking and gate were severely affected. My injury was in the lower rear of my brain so my memory, balance and a few psychiatric matters were affected - plus a few others. From the description you gave of the accident you are blessed that the motorcycle driver and you are not in much worse shape. God was looking out for the 2 of you.

Some suggestions that may help:
-contact the state Brain Injury Association; they probably have local resources or groups that maybe of use.
-there are many great resources on the INTERNET for TBI, such as this site. You can search using the words "traumatic brain injury" and you would be amazed at the resources you will find, especially memory games, etc..
-read "Over My Head" by Claire Osborne. An MD who had a relatively minor concussion from a bicycle accident. If you haven't read it, it will enlighten you, as well as give you insight nto mild TBI.

I hope some of these thoughts help.

[Kevin Jackson]

MayZoo I've found that our brain is connected with a lot of tiny blood vessals. Think of a potato with a lot of toothpicks stunk in it. The toothpicks being blood vessals. When the brain is shakened some of theses vessals break, not to mention damage to the central nevous system. When something like this happens to a younger person the brain finds other courses to take. Repairs its self so to speak. When this happens as we get older, it dosen't work like that. In all you might feel better but their is still damage. Think of what the central nervous system controls and you will have a better look at your condition.
Hope this helps
Kevin

[rosie444]

Hi,
I posted long message, but these posts are interesting. Do most people suffer severe post concussion migraine pain with tbi?
Thanks,
Rosie 444

[Foggy]

I have an acquired mild TBI, and you can have permanent migraines from it. Something that a cognitive therapist did with me to help me, who has no short-term memory, was to train me in the use of a PDA. I use this as my second brain for telling me when I have appts. (with alarms), my To Do List, jotting things down, when to take my medications, my address and telephone book, grocery list, etc. I even have games on my PDA to help me with my cognitive exersices that I do daily. Examples of games are MemoryBlocks (http://www.megasoft2000.com) and Solitaire. I also have an activity box to help increase my mental processing (how fast the brain processes information), and for a real challenge I try to do it with a distration or noise (to test the attention of the brain). Of course I don't do well with distraction, but I try. I found a PDA very valuable and I'd be lost without it!

[gah]

??? I used to get mild head aches, or beginning migraines but started to take imitrex. A couple of days ago I was in a car accident (had seat belt) but my migraine will not stop. Does anyone have suggestions. I take the imitrek but the front of my head feels like it going to explode. In addition my left eye is full of tears and I cannot see out of it or see cross eyed. Perhaps this is a more medical issue for the HMO but though I try to get some suggestions - should I go to the ER% - Call my doc, etc, this has bee going on for 1 week, I only want to sleep.

[Discododi]

George,
I suggest you go to the ER and get checked out. It is much better to go and be given the ok signal to return to normal activity, than to wind up there next week because of some residual affect of the injury.

Wishing you the best, Dodi

[Shown]

MayZoo I've found that our brain is connected with a lot of tiny blood vessals. Think of a potato with a lot of toothpicks stunk in it. The toothpicks being blood vessals. When the brain is shakened some of theses vessals break, not to mention damage to the central nevous system. When something like this happens to a younger person the brain finds other courses to take. Repairs its self so to speak. When this happens as we get older, it dosen't work like that. In all you might feel better but their is still damage. Think of what the central nervous system controls and you will have a better look at your condition.
Hope this helps
Kevin

I am trying to prove just what you said here. Hubby had TGI last Oct, fell roller skating, found a pineal cyst, but hydro developed from the fall, so brain surgery in Nov. Now he went back to work in Jan. in a juvenile correction facility a violet place for any one to work much less someone recovering from a TBI, after each fight that occurred in his shop he would have bad days, then there was this fight in on campus with five gang member, hubby just happened to walk up as the staff was trying to restrain them, and he help with the restraint, something he had done so many times over the years he had been there, but this time was different, after the fight was over, everything was calm, then all of a sudden one of the boys slugged him in the face (right side), grabbed him by the throat and they went down to the asphalt ground, James got pretty scraped up, then there was another fight in his shop, abd he has not been back to work since and that was the end of July. Now Workman's Comp is sayint they will treat anything on the right side of his body except for the brain. I can not convince the stupid people of the world that control my husband's mental fate right now, that his brain is different than ours and being shook around makes a big difference for him, he is 47 and this really sucks to see him like this and to not be able to get help.

Thank you this was info I did not have and I find it very valuable.

Shown

[spinnymommy]

I want to second the recommendation to read "Over My Head" by Claire Osbourn. Reading is very very difficult for me, but this was definitly worth
the effort.

May I also recommend the site www.tbiguide.com ?

[bon]

Hi! I agree with the fact that you do get some better as the years go by. You also learn to adjust and make your life easier based on your own specific symptoms and problems.
A book I found very helpful was "Coping with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury" by Diane Roberts Stoler, EdD and BArbara Albers Hill. "Sound information and meainingful advice from a practicing psychologist who has herself experienced mild head injury."
I too found playing games useful in rejuvenating my memory. I didn't do this for probably 9 years or so after my accident because number 1 - I didn't know it would help, no one ever told me to do it and number 2 - I never felt like I could. The frustration is.....well, you all know.....but anyway, I started with Bingo. Yup, Bingo. One card, very slowly. Then added another card with special patterns that you would need to bingo. I was nervous, tense, frustrated, ticked off BUT I finally learned it and do quite well with a number of cards, playing many patterns at one time. This took years to accomplish but not only do I feel good about myself, I think it helped me in other ways of learning as well. YOu can find bingo games on line, you can buy bingo sheets and a deck of "Bingo Cards" with a dauber in a discount store where games are. We have an old fashioned 5 and Dime store where I got mine.
The next game I tried is Mahjohng Solitaire. It takes concentration to match tiles and get them cleared. I play online at Yahoo cuz I like that version better than others but you can buy a CD and download it into your pc.
Addressing the migraine issue, (sorry for skipping around), I have migraines now really bad. I had them before the accident also but now they are different and more severe. I take maxalt mlt and ibuprofen when I get one. The maxalt takes a while to work but makes my life a whole lot more tolerable. Sometimes I get many in as many days and sometimes just one once in a while. I was just put back on Topamax to help with my sz and headaches....oh goody...lol.
I hope we keep this information coming. It will always be and has always been a godsend to me to know there are others out there with the same thing and that we can help each other. My greatest strides in my recovery were from things I learned from you all here and in the epilepsy section (I have epilepsy from the accident too).
Thanks all and take care! bon:D

[Foggy]

I developed daily migraines after my TBI. I was eventually put on Topamax...was a lifesaver that was! I still get auras on a daily basis, but I can deal with that...it just takes getting used to it. As for getting used to the side effects of Topamax, its better than having a migraine :).

As for the games to play to help you with your memory, you'll have to find what works best for you. For example I can't do things with numbers (like Bingo) because the part of my brain that was damaged controls math and I have great difficulty with numbers, reversing them, etc. But you might do better with a different type of game. Only you will know what your needs are, or you can ask the group and perhaps we can help you. We've been there and struggled with it, and we're always willing to help others.

[Aurora]

Hi--
I'm on my third TBI (1 car accident, 2 epilepsy-caused falls). Traumatic isn't a measure of seriosuness, but of how it happened--from a trauma. My injuries showed up on neuropsych tests, not imaging, which only shows fairly major tissue damage. I have ongoing memory, concentration, organization and other issues. One of the most helpful things for me has been neurofeedback, which is biofeedback using brain wave patterns as the feedback. I started it hoping for help with seizures, but what it really worked for was fogginess. My favorite hepful book is Coping with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, whichis written in short TBI sized chunks and describes a big range of symptoms and what you can do about them. There is also a new software program called PEAt which some state rehab depts are paying for, that is especially designed for us, and plays on a palm-top. It doesn't just have your schedules/routines. It prompts you to see if you actually did what you intended to and helps you make decisions when something runs over, etc. Aurora