What To Do With a Traumatic Brain Injury?
A Traumatic Brain Injury is not something that anyone wants to mess around with. It is easy for a person to suffer even more serious injuries if they do not follow a certain set of guidelines.
You should know what you should and should not be doing after suffering from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The problem is that many people are abiding by the old set of rules that we once thought were the way to handle a TBI.
Today, with the latest research and medical evidence, we have a better understanding of what one should do if they suffer a TBI or concussion.
What is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
What is a traumatic brain injury? This is an injury to the brain that often occurs when the person has been involved in an accident or taken a blow to the head, such as the case if a person is playing a high contact sport.
It should be noted that a TBI may not appear suddenly. It could take up to 48 hours for a person to start showing signs that they do have a TBI. This is often referred to as post concussion syndrome.
What are the Signs of TBI?
There are several signs of TBI/concussions that people need to be aware of and watch out for.
If you suffer a blow to the head or if someone in your family does, watch out for these symptoms that include:
- Constant nausea or vomiting
- The pupils of the eyes are large, or they may be an unequal size
- The behavior of the person is odd, as if they are not themselves
- The person may suffer the inability to recognize people or places that they are normally familiar with
- Seizures
- Severe dizziness
- A headache that continues to get worse
- There may be numbness or weakness in the arms or legs
- The person may faint
- They may suffer excessive drowsiness
- Slurred speech
- They have a problem with waking up that is not their usual pattern
When any of these signs are present, it is imperative that a person seeks medical attention right away to determine what the issue may be.
What to Do After Suffering TBI
When a person is diagnosed with a TBI or concussion, it is important that they follow the advice that their medical professional tells them.
Remember, following the advice of the medical professional is going to ensure that you heal properly and in a timely manner.
Here are a few of the things that you need to do when you suffer a brain injury according to concussionsontario.org:
- For the first 48 hours after suffering this type of injury, rest is imperative! Not only sleeping at night, but during the day as well. Physical and mental strength will be weakened at this point, so rest as much as possible.
- When you are given the go ahead to return to your normal routine, do this slowly. You will want to talk with the medical professional about when you should return to work/school, and if/when you can return to sports.
- Be sure to conserve your energy. When you have suffered this type of injury, you are going to find that you have little energy to spare. This is why you feel so tired after suffering this type of injury.
- Be sure to eat and drink plenty of water. You will want to ensure that you are doing all the healthy things for your body that you can.
- Avoid stimulants like coffee and caffeine in general as this can put more stress on the brain.
- Stress can make the symptoms that you feel with a concussion or TBI even worse. Try your best to avoid getting overly emotional and throwing yourself into stressful situations. Let those who are around you know that you are dealing with this injury so that they can help you out in whatever way possible.
Knowing what to do is a huge part of your recovery. However, also knowing what you should avoid aids in the recovery process as well.
What to Avoid Doing After a TBI
Some of the things that you want to avoid now are those things that many people have grown up hearing that they should do.
This is why it is so important to note only focus on what you need to do, but what you need to avoid as well. For example:
- You do not need to be woken up every hour, which is a myth that has been believed for a long time. Your body and brain need to rest, so waking up every hour is going to actually stall the healing process rather than help you.
- You do not have to be put into a dark room with nothing but rest for days. While rest is recommended for the first 48 hours, medical professionals now state that a person should do what they feel like doing. As long as they do not push themselves mentally or physically right after suffering this injury.
- You cannot exercise or play sports or do anything that is considered highly stressful activities until you have been cleared by a medical professional. Doing so too soon can lead to long term problems like memory loss, headache and even long-term balance/coordination issues.
- You cannot return to work or school right after suffering a TBI. This type of stress can delay your healing and even make the symptoms worse!
- Do not use electronic devices as this is putting a long of stress on your eyes, hence the brain.
- Do not drive, ride a bicycle, or work with machinery/climb ladders until you have been given the all clear by a medical professional. Why? When you have suffered a TBI your reaction time is not going to be as good as it was. In addition, you may find that your vision and even your thought process is not as good. This can cause an accident or even make your injury worse.
- Never use alcohol while healing from a TBI, or any other non-prescription drugs unless a medical professional has cleared you to do so. This is going to add to the recovery time and could even make your symptoms worse!
Suffering a TBI/concussion is a huge ordeal. Those who do will heal at different rates. However, it is important that a person does all that they can to heal 100%. Some of the main aspects to remember:
- Do NOT use alcohol/drugs while healing
- Avoid strenuous activity
- Eat healthy meals
- Rest
- Take it easy once you get up to see how much you can tolerate to avoid more injuries later
- Do NOT drive or operate any type of machinery until you have been given the all clear by the doctor
For those who have suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury, getting the proper medical attention is a must. You will want to listen to your doctor, discuss any issues that you may be having so that your progress can be monitored, and you can get back to a healthy life.
Have You Suffered A Traumatic Brain Injury?
If you have suffered any injury that was due to the result of someone else or their actions, be sure to contact a personal injury attorney.
You do not want to find yourself having to bear the results of someone else’s negligence for your entire life while the person responsible is not held accountable.
This is what a personal injury attorney can help you with! And remember, a traumatic head injury is no laughing matter, be sure to get medical help as soon as possible.
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