Although it develops following a sudden and impactful event, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to the appearance of some extremely subtle symptoms. For that reason, anyone that needs to watch for the appearance of such symptoms should understand the measures used to assess a TBI.
Examples of the TBI’s subtle symptoms:
• Light sensitivity
• Nausea
• Searching for words/ Slurring
• Sound sensitivity
• Trouble sleeping
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Trouble concentrating
• Ringing in ears
• Anxiety and
• Personality changes
• Imbalance
• Depression
• Easily angered
• Dizziness
Methods used to assess symptoms:
• Study victim’s motor responses
• Study victim’s verbal responses
• Study victim’s eye responses
• Supplement above with a CT scan; check for swelling or bleeding in the brain
Early treatments focus on rehabilitation of impaired function which can be aided by speech therapy, physical therapy and language therapy. There are many signals that the subtle symptoms have escaped detection. These include:
• A student’s grades drop for no apparent reason.
• The victim is quickly overwhelmed or fatigued.
• Victim exhibits poor coordination.
• Victim exhibits signs of depression or anxiety.
If a TBI goes undetected for a couple years, it may need to be treated by means of a neurosurgical intervention. That increases greatly the extent of the damage caused by the impactful event.
Nature of damages suffered by someone with a TBI
• Money used to cover medical expenses
• Lost wages, if victim is an adult.
• Lost future earnings, if victim is a child or a teenager.
• Emotional distress, leading to loss of enjoyment of life
• Pain and suffering: Damage can be extensive, if traumatic injury had to be treated by means of a neurosurgical intervention.
Warning associated with traumatic brain disorders:
A brain can suffer an impact when positioned close to an infection. For instance, a child might be in a car accident during a time when he or she has an ear infection. The infection’s presence can magnify the danger posed by any impact on the brain. The young victim’s anxiety or depression might get confused with the moody behavior of a preteen or a teenager. Then an event such as a seizure might alert adults to the TBI’s existence.
This possibility should be seen as a reason for hiring a personal injury lawyer in Dartmouth, if family members have been in a motor vehicle during the time of a collision. An attorney can work to delay the settlement until the full nature of each person’s injuries has been determined. Otherwise, the parents may have to deal with an older child that has a major medical problem.
If the child needs to undergo neurosurgical intervention, that could call for utilization of an implanted device. Such a device can go awry, and thus necessitate further intervention. Repeated corrections, if required, can put a number of objectionable “holes” in a working adult’s resume.