You might have heard the term traumatic brain injury before, which some people abbreviate as TBI. A concussion is one traumatic brain injury variety. You might think about football players or other sports figures sustaining TBIs, but any individual can suffer one.
You might slip on an icy patch, fall, and hit your head. Something might fall off a store shelf and hit you. Your skull protects your brain, but any substantial impact can hurt you, sometimes permanently.
If you suffer a TBI, you might not change very much, or it could completely transform you. It all depends on the injury’s severity. We’ll talk in this article about a few ways your life might be different following a TBI.
You Might Suffer from Short-Memory Loss
There are certain activities that can lead to TBIs more than others. For instance, you might own a motorcycle and ride it often. If so, you are as many as 28 times more likely to die on the road than if you drove a car. You can also easily fall off and hit your head.
You can avoid these sorts of activities, but a TBI is always still possible. If it happens, you may have to deal with short-term memory loss. That can change your life, and not in a positive way.
You may not remember a conversation you just had with a friend or loved one. You might not remember to pick your kids up after school. You may not recall you had dinner plans or that your spouse told you to pick up some bread at the grocery store on the way back from work.
Usually, writing things down is the best way to get around this. You might make a note of something on your phone and set it to make a noise to remind you when your appointment time is coming up. If the TBI is not severe, this problem might not be permanent.
You Might Suffer from Long-Term Memory Loss
You might have to deal with long-term memory loss with some more severe TBIs. That can be tougher than short-term memory issues.
You might not remember some of your life’s happiest moments. You may not recall your childhood best friend or meeting your spouse. You may not remember your child’s birth or the best family vacation you ever took.
Some doctors recommend looking at pictures of old times if you have any. That sometimes brings your memories back. You also might ask your friends or family to talk about the times you shared. Hopefully, the memories are still in there, and they will come back with some prodding.
You Might Deal with Headaches
If you sustain a TBI, you may have to deal with painful headaches from that point forward. These headaches might go away on their own, or you could get them for months or years afterward.
You can lie down in a dark room with a cold compress on your head, the same as you’d do for a migraine. You can also take some over-the-counter pain meds.
You might talk to your primary doctor about the problem as well. They may have some additional suggestions if this is a common issue hindering your life and affecting your happiness.
You May Deal with Mood Swings
The brain controls your personality. If something damages it, it makes sense that you might not seem like the same person you were before.
It will probably be quite hard for you to cope with that, and your family may find it difficult as well. Maybe you snap at them, where before you were very patient and even-tempered.
You might cry or laugh at inappropriate moments. That might embarrass you. The individuals around you might know about the issue, but if you’re around new people, you may have to explain the behavior to them. That’s a very tough thing to have to do.
A severe head injury can cause temporary or permanent personality changes, but just because you have this issue, it does not mean you have to accept it. You can speak to a neurologist about learning how to control yourself. You might develop some techniques for keeping a tighter leash on these outbursts.
Many people deal with TBIs every year, and while they are not ideal, you should be able to live with yours. The issues we mentioned often fade if the trauma is not too bad, and you’re a little patient.
