How to Tell If You Have Suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury
When you’ve been in any type of accident or had a mishap that involved a bump or blow to the head, a snapping of your neck, or any type of trauma to your neck or shoulders, there’s a good chance that you’ve suffered some level of traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Studies show that approximately 3 million Americans seek medical attention every year for TBI, and medical professionals believe that such injuries are significantly under-reported.
With any type of head injury, it’s essential that you seek immediate medical attention. How can you tell if you’ve sustained a traumatic brain injury? What are the telltale signs? Here’s a checklist of the symptoms you can anticipate:
- Headaches – With just about any impact to your head, you can expect some form of headache. Often, it’s the result of inflammation, as jostled cells retain fluid to protect your brain. In mild cases of TBI, the headaches should only last hours or a couple of days, and then should subside. If they persist or start to get worse, you likely have a more serious injury and should seek immediate medical care.
- Loss of consciousness – It’s not uncommon, when you’ve been hit on the head, to pass out or lose consciousness. If you come to within 30 minutes, it’s generally considered a mild TBI. Not all TBIs involve a loss of consciousness, though.
- Confusion or difficulty with mental coherency or function – You may be aware of the situation around you, but be unable to articulate what you are feeling. You may have challenges putting words into meaningful or logical sentences, and you may have temporary loss of either short-term or long-term memory, including amnesia. It’s also common to struggle with focus or concentration.
- Persistent nausea or vomiting – A traumatic brain injury can cause issues with balance or vertigo that lead to queasiness or acid reflux. The symptoms should dissipate within a day or two, unless you have a more serious TBI.
- Heightened sensitivity to sound or light – It’s common, after a traumatic brain injury, for ordinary sounds and normal lighting conditions to cause significant distress or discomfort. Many victims of TBI also experience a temporary tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.
- Changes in your sleep patterns – This may manifest either as insomnia, where you find it difficult or impossible to fall asleep, or as extreme fatigue, characterized by a desire to sleep most of the time.
- Blurred vision – Many victims of TBI find it hard to focus on objects, both far away and nearby
- Uncharacteristic mood swings or other psychological challenges – You may experience extreme depression, anxiety, fear, paranoia or euphoria
Contact the Proven Personal Injury Lawyers at Bailey & Galyen
At the law offices of Bailey & Galyen, we understand the devastating impact any type of personal injury can have on every part of your life. We’ll aggressively protect your rights throughout the legal process, acting as your intermediary with insurance companies and as your voice in all meetings, hearings and legal proceedings. Contact us by email or call our offices at 844-402-2992. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
