Traumatic Brain Injury
TBI
Traumatic Brain Injury (Wikipedia)
Traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as intracranial injury, occurs when an external force traumatically injures the brain. TBI can be classified based on severity, mechanism (closed or penetrating head injury), or other features (e.g. occurring in a specific location or over a widespread area). Head injury usually refers to TBI, but is a broader category because it can involve damage to structures other than the brain, such as the scalp and skull.
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Resurrection to learn more.
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Traumatic Brain Injury & Family Caregivers Update
Veterans' family caregivers getting support through new VA program
Stacey
Bredberg has cared for her husband, Timothy, at their Liverpool home
since he returned from Iraq in 2004 with traumatic brain injury and post
traumatic stress disorder. She does all the shopping because he cannot
stand being in crowds. She makes sure he takes his medications and
remembers to eat three meals a day. She helps him cope with recurring
nightmares.
New/Updated Page: Caregiver Benefits
Learn what your family may be eligible for and how to appeal a denial.
Jim's Mailbag
Dr. Chrisanne Gordon writes to alert me to the following article and her response.
Dr. Gordon is a dedicated caregiver. Her commitment to veterans is without equal. You may email her at the address below.
For Wounded Vet, Love Pierces the Fog of War
From: cgordon38 <cgordon38@aol.com>
To: michael.phillips
Subject: Re: Feb. 4th Article
Mr. Phillips,
Thank you for writing the informative and disturbing article about Veteran Ian Welch and his girlfriend/caregiver, Ms. Katie Brinkman. As an Ohio Physical Medicine Specialist currently advocating for our Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury, I can only ask what is being done to diagnose and treat his TBI? Your article mentioned PTSD frequently, and, yet, symptoms of amnesia, navigational difficulties, memory lapses, dizziness, emotional outbursts, and failure to a identify familiar face are all hallmarks of Traumatic Brain Injury for which neuropsych testing, diffusion tensor imaging, and cognitive rehabilitation are indicated. In fact, standard treatment for PTSD may, in some instances, delay healing in our returning heroes or even exacerbate the condition.
In your article you clearly identify a significant brain trauma rendering Mr. Welch unconscious and "foggy", in April, 2003, and then go on to explain that he served two more tours of duty. Most of the young Veterans I have evaluated who have served multiple tours experience, on an average, 6-8 significant brain traumas that are most often undiagnosed and untreated. Statistics reveal that fewer the 36% of our returning heroes with TBI, of which there are an estimated 400,000, are currently being treated at Veterans Administration facilities.
Please follow up your article with an information regarding TBI and the necessity to diagnose and treat our heroes EARLY in the home deployment process. Untreated TBI leads to substance abuse, unemployment, depression and even suicide. We owe it to our returning heroes to treat their brain injuries, which will require more than his allotted $1800/month disability payment, but will allow Mr. Welch to learn memory strategies and trade skills he currently appears to lack. We owe our heroes and their caregivers, a chance for healing, education, employment and a future.
THANK you for your service in bringing this article to the attention of the 99% of us who did NOT go war. And please, thank Mr. Welch and Ms. Brinkman for their service as well.
Sincerely,
Chrisanne Gordon, MD
www.resurrectinglives.org
Google:http://whatistbi.org
Twitter @OpResUSA
Brain Wars
How the Military Is Failing Its Wounded
Operation Resurrection
Since the beginning of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, over 2 million American service personnel have been deployed, many for multiple tours of duty. An estimated 350,000-400,000 will return with a traumatic brain injury and over 100,000 will be diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress (PTS). Many will have a combination of both conditions, Post Deployment Syndrome, (PDS), which may leave family members confused and fearful and health care providers puzzled. Tertiary medical centers, rehabilitation centers, and some Veterans Administration hospitals are best suited for the task of Brain Injury Rehabilitation which requires a team approach combining multiple therapies (Physical, Occupational, and Speech) with cognitive retraining and behavior modification.
The TBI rehab process is specialized and expensive, but a comprehensive program is necessary to accomplish reintegration into the community. The costs of untreated TBI result in far more costly care such as drug and alcohol treatment, incarceration, total disability, and a lifetime of medical assistance.
Our goal is to educate and connect the warrior with the TBI rehab sources in the community; and reconnect the warrior to his/her family and community. Operation Resurrection is not just a movie, it's a MOVEMENT!
Chrisanne Gordon, MD
WHOLE, Ltd.
Board Certified by the Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
President, Resurrecting Lives Foundation
www.resurrectinglives.org
.
