I believe that some people recover faster or better because they are diagnosed early and get exemplary care from folks who are well trained with TBI issues. My road was not that. I have a moderate TBI and it wasn't even diagnosed until a year and half to 2 years after multiple collisions. Then, even though it was found, I didn't get rehabilitation like speech therapy and occupational therapy until another 2 years later. I am now 6 & 1/2 years after and just began hormone replacement therapy and hormone rebalancing with growth hormone replacement (a common deficiency caused by TBI, which has serious physically debilitating effects unless you get replacement therapy.) Also DHEA, magnesium, iodine, cortisol manager by Integrative Therapeutics - this one works good for the elevated vitals at the end of the day (the brain doesn't regulate my vitals very well, so they start out low but go up a lot by the end of the day and it is hard to fall asleep - the cortisol manager (and I've tried more than one) works good for this. I get pain management therapy and gabapentin (Neurontin) works wonders on that! It helps with the weird nerve pains and with the headaches and my recovery time has been cut in half thanks to it. I also sleep throughout the night and get better sleep with gabapentin, the cortisol manager and SLEEP by NatureMade. Plus cyclobenzaprine (flexoril)for the muscle pain, stiffness and spasms. I still need more cognitive therapy and to become functionally independent. I am doing well now. I continue to progress and regain back functionality, but my life still looks nothing like it did before the injuries. I've learned to accept the disability and have forgiven it, others, myself, the situation, released them and can now look at myself as not "less than", but as the beautiful being I am. The core of who I am is the same. My relationship and ability to interact in it is different and it is what it is. That transition will happen when it needs to. What I would like to see within the health care community is a set of tests to be run on any individual who is in a collision - both from emergency personnel and the primary care doctors that most tbi victims go to. Doctors should have a set of questions that help identify brain injury. It needs to be diagnosed as early as possible. There are tests that can be run, which determine if the chemicals in the brain have been altered. If there are memory glitches in the patient's recalling of what happened, they should be documented and tested. Also, a very serious issue is plaguing the health care system right now. If the injuries are caused by collision and there is a legal case, many doctors and therapists do not do their jobs with due diligence and they ignore you when you tell them your symptoms and they don't address them because they suspect ulterior "secondary gain" motives. This is a serious issue and needs to be addressed. Doctors and therapists need to proceed as a scientist does. You take what the patient tells you (and a brain injured patient obviously can't tell you all their symptoms, if their processing and ability to identify their own symptoms is impaired due to the brain injury) and you conduct the necessary labs and tests and base your treatment toward the patient off of facts. Also, thorough treatment needs to be conducted. Right now, I am the coordinator of my own medical care. But as the brain injured patient, I am probably not the best person for the job - however, there is nobody else, so many things fall through the cracks. I should have been on hormone replacement therapy six years ago. I am glad I'm on it now, but I would like to see changes in the overall system to handle the issues of delayed treatment to TBI survivors. Labs to check IGF-1 (especially) and other brain hormones are very important not only right after, but also at the very least, annually for the first five years post trauma. I need to see and/or have seen a Neurologist, Endocrinologist, Pain Management team (including a behaviorist & support group), Speech Therapist, Neuropsychiatrist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Primary Care Physician, Nutritionist, Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, Massage Therapist, Personal Trainer, Personal Organizer, Atlas Orthogonal practitioner, and vocational rehabilitation. An organization or patient advocate of some sort, who develops a relationship with the tbi survivor and assists with coordinating treatment and helping fill out complicated paperwork or planning out tasks that require more than one step is needed. TBI survivors still have a lot to offer the world. We just have only about 1-2 good hours a day in which to do so. If we could do some work from home (or in a quiet, dark and controlled environment) that doesn't have strict time-lines, that would be ideal. Since there are almost 2 million new cases each year, that one or two hours per person could add up to a lot of hours of work accomplished. I am not sure what types of things could fall into this category and the income would have to be based on the deliverable rather than the hours spent. I think Support system also plays a part in recovery speed, as well as the mind-set of the survivor. I was a victim in 3 collisions all within less than a year. I could not avoid them and I did not cause them. But what I've learned is that even those who are victims, it is important to not feel or be a victim within my own mind-set. If Mandela could do it, so can I. The whole thing isn't right or wrong - I've forgiven the other drivers, the insurance lawyers, the situation, my disability, even myself for somehow attracting them to me. I've released it all and have chosen to surround it all, myself included, with unconditional love. It is what it is. I am lucky to have great people who love and support me. I didn't always. It is important to surround ourselves with people who love us just as we are (not resenting that we aren't what we used to be) - this goes for ourselves, too. When we create an environment (organized and clean and full of loving people) that supports our success, we recover a lot faster. This actually goes for anyone, not just TBI survivors. Maturity, education and inner work prior to the collisions also impacts how quickly we recover. Without all of these, we are more likely to be undiagnosed, undertreated, homeless and/or commit suicide. As far as I know, the statistical data doesn't even take into account all of the folks in that category. And it is sad. What I can say to any survivors who are still reading this, if you are in that dark place - whether it is days, weeks, months or years - hold on and keep plugging forward. Believe in yourself and advocate for yourself until you find answers and get the treatment you deserve. It doesn't get handed to you, you have to ask for it. If your doctor doesn't want to do their job, go to somebody who will. But if they are trying, continue to give them time. Be patient. This isn't an exact science and each injury is different and affects different parts of the brain, creating differing symptoms. Ask your neurologist for a full lab panel and if you aren't getting better after 1-5 years, get them re-checked. Many deficiencies don't show up for a while. ...Remember that you are a beautiful being and it doesn't matter if you can't do what you used to - many people are born that way and never get the opportunity to do or be the way you were prior to injury. Some folks are born who can't do what you can do now. Find your new strengths. Love you as you are and surround yourself with people who love you as you are right now. You deserve it. It may take years, but it is possible.

Mar 30th, 2013 9:52am

My husband is at resent going through mTBI it has changed our lives so much, it has taken 5 mths before anyone took him seriously he suffers severe headaches and tremors down his right side of the body, constant ringing in his ears and terrible sweats when trying to do anything even talking to people also slight memory loss, from been a very hard worker all his life he now just lies on the sofa day in day out. How long more can it last!!!

Dec 26th, 2012 6:36pm

I think there is a problem in this explanation of MTBI injuries in that the foundation of the argument is "a nearly identical injury in terms of mechanism and severety during the acute stage" In fact there is at present no diagnostic tool effective enough to locate and assess damage to individual neurons or breaks in synaptic connections. What is being assessed when determinining that it is a "nearly identical injury" are the very broad circumstances surrounding the injury (i.e. two people in car crash with car going the same speed and no loss of consciousness) At present the only thing medical science can evaluate when assessing a TBI is whether or not there is bleeding. If there is bleeding there is a clearly defined medical protocal - surgery to drain blood and relieve pressure. If there is no bleeding it is said that the brain scan is "clear" . In fact the scan is only clear for bleeding and the medical diagnostic equipment is not able to assess damage any further. Given the enormous complexity of the brain and its wiring it is obvious that two blows to the head which are similar in terms of their "mechanism" can have significantly different impacts on the individual brain cells affected by the blow. In most TBI's it is not possible to effectively measure the trajectory of the head in the accident or the exact movement of the brain in the skull. With the current diagnostic tools it is simply not possible to "see" the exact extent of the damage from a TBI and therefore it is impossible to say that two "nearly identical injury's" are in fact "nearly identical" There are of course many factors which impact recovery for TBI patients - and all patients....good support system, existing conditions such as depression or anxiety. But I think that it is important for the medical community to admit that the primary reason that people with MTBI's recover at different rates is that their injuries are different, and unique - and that at this time the science does not exist to quantify that difference.

Oct 8th, 2012 9:40am

I become amused by the writings of others and appreciate the ability to interject thoughts. I, too, am a TBI survivor. 11 yrs. and counting. Fortunately I have progressed rather nicely and am in the process of devorcing my wife, who is also a good friend of mine. I have two daughters, 8 & 15, and still feel compelled to produce a good life and support for them.. Yes, daily, I must ask WTF? Why me? You begin to realize with time, that there is no answer. You must be happy to be alive and move forward.. There is still a lot of me inside of me that must be expressed and let loose.. I am determined, and must, no, will accomplish my goals.. At times things become like a giant game of Monopoly.. I tend to be a bit competitive and must be the victor in things I partake in.. My big life "accomplishment", if you will, was to receive a life threatening TBI.. Fortunately, I can now interact with society and cannot help but take everything lightheartedly.. Cannot help it.. I guess I am just a Lover of Life, and have had way too much crap served to me.. It is usually not too good to eat crap, so I pass.. Ha.. For anyone who has read my words, please have a wonderful day, and make it a pissa'.. You may call me at any time.. I am harmless, but love a good laugh.. (631) 707-3555 Gooday, Robert:)

Apr 14th, 2012 3:18pm

1994 auto accident T-Bone 35 mph was not diagnosed until one year later. My family did not realized the damage done and my x-husband used it as leverage to project see she is just crazy, because I left him after seventeen years of controlled marriage. It was extremely hard prior, worked in Critical Care Units. After rehabilitation ten years later, it was confirmed on a MRI scan, but because of the personal damage from family, I have lost all these years with two of my daughters but, have recovered nicely. Thank God for the advancement in technology. I can never get back this lost, and the case was thrown out because of insufficient evidence also costing me eight thousand dollars of court fees for a fibrous case.

Apr 1st, 2012 4:41pm

I had an mtbi. or a concussion, I beliene that I am fully recovered, I feel that the person thierselves, makes themselves better?

Oct 31st, 2011 9:13am

Not mentioned here is the issue of repetitive mTBI. A person can have a similar "concussive event" as another, but with a history of previous concussions have a different outcome also. Previous concussions seem to increase your incidence of further concussions and your risk of permanent cognitive function deficits.

Aug 8th, 2011 3:18pm