Closed Head Injury
There are two types of injuries commonly associated with the head. The first is called closed head injury while the other is called open.
When it is closed, this means it has not penetrated the skull but you are more likely to have neurological problems. If it is open, then obviously, it has gone in which is much worse.
A study shows that almost 2 million people get closed head injury every year. Drunk driving is in fact the leading cause. While some patients were not properly diagnosed the first time they were brought in which makes things worse.
One reason is the fact that the person is still able to talk with the police and exchange information with the other driver. In fact, the symptoms happen much later which neither the family or even the individual does not associate with the crash.
Some of these symptoms include dizziness, nausea, forgetting things, unclear thinking, poor organizational skills, poor judgment and reasoning. Perhaps another reason why it is difficult to tell how bad the closed head injury is the fact that the symptoms mentioned are very similar to someone that has depression.
The big difference with closed head injuries and brain trauma is that the injuries are very obvious. A stitch can stop the bleeding but it is going to take more than that when it can't be seen.
The patient will have to undergo a neurological test that usually takes 6 to 10 hours to complete. The results will show if there are any abnormalities in the brain and done several times to confirm the initial findings.
Treatment for closed head injury patients is achieved through cognitive rehabilitation and perceptual motor remediation. In some cases, specialists are sent in on more severe cases.
Some of these specialists are occupational therapists, physical therapists, social worker, case manger, speech pathologist and psychiatrist. There are times that these professionals have to work together to find a solution.
Before the patient meets these people for the first time, it will be a good idea to write down the symptoms being experienced. Family members should also freely give this information so proper treatment can be done.
The recovery period will take weeks or even months. Even someone that has experienced a closed head injury in the past may still get help from a doctor so you too can recover from what happened.
Surviving a closed head injury may disrupt your abilities in the old job. This is because something has already changed inside so it will be a good idea to be reassigned or look for a new line of work.
Since this has drastically changed your life, you have every right to demand justice by hiring an attorney and filing a case against those responsible. It will take time for counsel to gather the data but having strong evidence will surely compensate you for your troubles.
The matter can be settled out of court to avoid the long and legal battle but if the person refuses, then this should be decided in a trial among his peers. A lot of closed head injury victims have won and believe it not, were able to get much more than what was first asked for before this started.
Closed head injuries do occur. As long as the person survives through it, he or she can still get up and move on.
Head Injury Tip #1
Any injury to the head should be taken very seriously. Otherwise, the injured person could suffer from paralysis or even death if necessary medical treatment is not administered immediately. Without conducting some tests, like x-ray and/or CT scan, the injured or the doctor will not know the extent of the injury.
Head Injury Tip #2
Observe the injured person constantly for additional symptoms that may develop. Document these changes meticulously to help the patient's physician in diagnosing the extent of the brain injury, since onset of symptoms may occur days, weeks or months after the initial injury.
Head Injury Tip #3
Get as much details as soon as possible about the incident that caused the traumatic brain injury. Whatever the cause of the injury - car accident, work-related, working around the house, etc., it will be important to have all the details documented in case the cause of the injury ends up in court.