Have you encountered an accident? As a result, have you survived a brain injury? When it comes to brain injury, it is basically two types, traumatic brain injury and non-traumatic brain injury, where non-traumatic brain injuries are mostly treatable and do not stay for longer. At the same time, mild traumatic brain injuries also get resolved after a few weeks or months. It is a severe traumatic brain injury that causes permanent damage to the brain. Often you might not understand, at the initial stage, whether you have gotten a brain injury.
What Is Traumatic Brain Injury?
TBI or a traumatic brain injury is any type of sudden injury to your brain. When a blow, bump, jolt, or other injury damages the brain, TBI happens. This also can be the result of a violent or strong strike to your head. On the basis of how much damage is there, traumatic brain injury can be severe, moderate, or mild. Concussions are one of the mild forms of traumatic brain injury. On the other hand, mild forms often cause some temporary symptoms, and after a few days or weeks, they disappear. The most severe type of traumatic brain injury causes permanent damage to the brain, coma, and even death.
Signs of Permanent Brain Damage After an Injury
Brain injuries can cause severe issues if they are not treated at the right time in the right way. Often all these internal injuries can not be predicted from the outside. However, there are several signs and symptoms we might experience. Here are some of the major traumatic brain injury signs and symptoms which can lead to permanent brain damage.
1. Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Here are some of the mild traumatic brain injury signs you need to look for after an accident. For your reference, we have divided the signs and symptoms into three different categories. Now, let’s have a look at them.
Physical Symptoms
- Problems with speech.
- Drowsiness or fatigue.
- Loss of balance or dizziness.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Headache.
Cognitive, Behavioral, Or Mental Symptoms
- Sleeping more than usual.
- Difficulty sleeping.
- Feeling anxious or depressed.
- Mood swings or mood changes.
- Concentration or memory problems.
- Loss of consciousness at least for some seconds to some minutes.
- Usually no loss of consciousness, however, is a state of being dazed, disoriented, or confused.
Sensory Symptoms
- Sensitivity to sound or light.
- Sensory problems, like ringing in the ears, blurred vision, a bad taste in the mouth, or changes in the availability of smell.
2. Moderate To Severe Traumatic Brain Injuries
In case you hit your head against something really bad or any other type of accident has taken place, you might experience moderate to severe brain injury. The signs and symptoms of this type of brain injury include all the above-mentioned signs along with some others. Here are some more brain injury signs and symptoms which can lead to permanent brain damage.
Physical Symptoms
- Loss of coordination.
- Numbness or weakness in toes and fingers.
- Inability to awaken from sleep.
- Clear fluid draining from the ears or nose.
- Dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes.
- Repeated vomiting or nausea.
- Persistent headache or headache which worsens.
- Seizures or convulsions.
- Loss of consciousness from several minutes to hours.
Cognitive Or Mental Symptoms
- Slurred speech.
- Combativeness, agitation, or other unusual behavior.
- Profound confusion.
- Coma or other disorders of consciousness.
3. Children’s Symptoms
Young children and infants with severe brain injuries might not be able to communicate their sensory problems, headaches, confusion, and some other similar symptoms. In case a child has brain injuries, you might observe the following symptoms.
- Drowsiness.
- Seizures.
- Changes in sleep habits.
- Unusual or easy irritability.
- Change inability to pay attention.
- Sad or depressed mood.
- Changes in eating or nursing habits.
- Persistent crying or other irritability to be consoled.
- Loss of interest in favorite activities or toys.
When To Get Help
Whenever you experience a jolt, blow, or bump in your head and are experiencing any of the below-mentioned symptoms, you need to visit the doctor as soon as possible. In case you ignore those signs, the condition might deteriorate and cause permanent brain damage.
Brain injury treatments are indeed costly. A single severe brain injury is enough to drain all your savings out; apart from that, you also might lose your income, as you will not be able to work. In this case hiring a specialized brain injury lawyer who understands the legal implications of your injury is highly recommended
If the accident is due to someone else’s fault, you can claim the cost of your treatment and also your lost income, along with additional compensation for partial or temporary disability. Here you need to hire an injury lawyer to handle this matter in a legal way.