does each Brain Injury patient recovers completely?

[sanju_littu]

Friends!! I have a doubt can anyone clarify this pls?

Do all the brain Injury patients recover not completely though? what will be the % of recovery. Will they be able to speak and walk and realise the nature calls? if not work?Pls clarify?

[StrawberryCream]

Hi Sanju

Every brain injury is different and whether the person experiences complete or partial recovery is dependent on lots of factors such as how much and what part of the brain has been injured etc. However, most people do experience the most improvements over the first two years but although the rehabilitation slows down after that the brain can continue to recover. Some do recover completely. The best person to ask would be their neurologist as they will have all the information. However the Dr's will usually make you aware of the worst prognosis because not even they will know how well the person with a brain injury will do. It s a case of wait and see as it is not unusual for remarkable improvement to be achieved. When I was in a coma everyone was told that I was not expected to survive or at best be mentally and physically handicapped. Even though I do have ongoing frontal brain injury problems I defied the odds!

I am wondering who has sustained a brain injury, your husband maybe?? It would be helpful if you could share a little more with us about how they got their brain injury, how serious it has been eg were they in a coma, how long ago it happened and how they are now?

Very best wishes

NB I just clicked on your profile and see it was your brother in law who has the bi.

[Canary56 in reply to StrawberryCream]

Hi strawberrycream, my partner had a tbi in 2018. He damaged his frontal cortex. He suffers from impulsivity, and hypersexualty . Each day is different. We hardly talk. He isnt too keen about the future. How do you cope when you are down .Tks

[Kirk5w7]

I echo all Strawberry has said, I too was not expected to have any quality of life IF I recovered, but here I am 4 years on. I doubt I will fully recover and be the person I was before and I will never be able to work even if I was young enough.

But I learned to walk again, and care for myself and run the house again, albeit more slowly and with loads of rest.

I have problems with my vision, this was never explained fully although I think my family was told early on that I could be blind, the brain swelling I had constricted the optic nerves.

I don't drive now either because of spatial problems, but I can deal with nature calls myself now too, although some of that had to be relearn the too.

I am afraid it is a wait and see situation, lots of love and support are needed for you all.

Take care Janet xxxx

[Kirk5w7]

Hi Sanju, not wishing to be depressing, when I was in the rehab unit, they had to send one patient home because there was nothing that could be done for him, his trauma was too great. They had tried but to no avail. Very sad.

Janet x

[bexx87]

I wasn't suppose to have an normal live but here I am 15 years later with 5 IT qualifications, a car and a 37 hour week job in IT working for my local council (stuns neurologist)

[sanju_littu]

Thanx friends, its been 0ne year my sister's husband had a fall and had TBI. he was in coma for almost 3-4 weeks. he could recover to some extent was able to eat and walk(with little support) till last month but suddenly everything dropped. Now he is literally not able to stand on his feet. Also he was talking a bit although irrelevant. he now has totally stopped talking and walking. has no strength in the feet. we are so worried. looking at him we worry whether he would be able to walk and talk and do his chores atleast. I would appreciate if you could tell me tentatively as per your experience how long it takes for a normal recovery and full recovery.

[RogerCMerriman in reply to sanju_littu]

is it possible that some other health issue is at cause? or possibly he's feeling hopeless?

on the whole people recover quickly at first and it plateaus out, but this is a how long is peice of string so people can and do buck the trends.

[Kirk5w7 in reply to sanju_littu]

Hi again Sanju you are asking for normal recovery and a full recovery. There I no such thing, everyone is an individual, some people never recover at all. A full recovery is also quite rare, and there is no normal. Each persons brain develops according to its use and the individuals ability to learn and lots of other reasons. Likewise their recovery will depend on how much effort is put in to achieve the best outcome, by physios, psychologists and most important of all the individual with the brain injury.

The brain does not regenerate, so a lot of work has to be done to encourage parts of the brain to take over the functions originally done by the damaged parts. So, repition, repetition, repetition is essential there are no medications that can make this happen.

I wish I could wave a magic wand to help all of us with brain injuries but I am a mere mortal.

Best wishes on the journey being travelled

Janet x

[cat3]

Hi Sanju. As Roger has said, the 'norm' is to make progress fairly quickly and then plateau to a point which, for some, can bring frustration and even depression.

But to actually regress after showing signs of improvement isn't something I've come across. Maybe your sister should ask her husband's GP for an urgent referral to a neurologist, at the hospital where he was treated for the brain injury.

Any deterioration or complication of your brother-in-law's condition should be discernable by appropriate investigations such as MRI.

My best wishes to you all, Cat x

[sanju_littu]

we have taken him to the neurosurgeon who has done his surgery. we got his volproic acid test Post which the neurosurgeon has asked us to stop giving him the tablet cloba( 10mg) which we were giving. But yet we do not see any improvement. Its merely distressing and worrying.

[Julesgettingthere]

Hi Sanju

Have you watched the video called 'Steves story' on Headways home page ? It gives one opinion from a survivor of TBi. But its not always so positive for everyone.

Hope it helps

Regards

Jules

[paxo05]

It depends what you class as recovered.

If you mean to how they were before then unlikely although depends on injury.

If you mean recovering to be able to live a functional life then quite possibly although once again dependant on injury.

Basically there is no set pattern or prognosis ( get me with the posh words).

Along with every person being different times that by how different bi can be and it may seem like a lottery. Then add in differances in care around the country and this becomes impossible to predict.

The only really helpful advice I can give is keep going and try any advice you get. Oh and hope never give up hope.

Hope this helps.

Pax

[Candace8]

I wasn't meant to live but I did then not meant to walk, talk ect ect and would always be in a home. I'm not I'm living alone and driving a normal car again. Every bi is very diff and you are only ever told the worst outcome. I will never be the same and I am often feel very very sad as things won't get better for me but after all I been through I should be grateful I not worse. It really depends on what part of the brain was injured and how it heals. It takes years x

[Nutkin33]

Hi Sanju

How long is a piece of string?

That's pretty much like our brains!

Each BI is different. Some may get back to be 95% recovered, and some, unfortunately, do not recover at all!

I hope I haven't depressed you!!

I think I have been a very lucky and fortunate 93%

Best wishes

Debs

[sanju_littu]

thank you friends for the responses. It really gives some relief to share the thoughts and get responses.

[sospan]

One of the things that medical staff constantly fail to tell the family of a BI survivor - recovery will be a roller coaster and so will life be with the survivor.

One of the things that happens is that after in injury we get a huge rest period either a coma or just sititng there unable to do much. When the injuerd start to do things then more symptoms become apparent or as many poster quote on here they become overwhelmed and have to shut down again.

I am guessing that the doctors are not overly concerned at this point and time is a great healer. As several posters have mentioned there will be incremental progress, set back then a little more and so on.

The one thing that the hospitals and staff never tell family is that quite often the person you knew pre injury won't be the person that recovers. It is a sad fact but it has to be accepted early otherwise it leads to a lot of friction in the family.

Wishing you well on your journey

[Katie55]

Initially following a TBI and coma . . Every milestone is an achievement ..,

With my husband I was warned his outlook was poor so I was thrilled when he woke from his coma Looked at me, Started moving and Talking,

He was very pleased to get home and enjoyed not going to work at first ,

But when he realised how different he was he went backwards ....actually went back to bed for nearly two months and only got up to eat but having lost his sense of taste and smell he took no pleasure in eating at all

The combination of the TBI Fatigue and depression really got to him

We have had to make so many adjustments to our new lives we tackle one thing per day preferably not in the mornings ie ,Headway Meeting ,Shopping, Car MOT GP Appts If we try and do too much the Fatigue kicks in and depression gets hold of him

Going to Headway meetings is very reassuring, we meet people who are suffering with the same problems as us and we are helped and encouraged to keep going and be Thankful for what we have because there are so many people who problems are much worse than ours ...young girls in wheelchairs who are walking now, a man that couldn't speak clearly giving a talk on his experience of his TBI loads of examples of achievements ...small steps but steps in the right direction

My Husband may never " recover " totally from his accident but we now have a different and just as fulfilling life We don't look back at what life might have been It wont bring it back. We look forward to the rest of our lives ....together !

[sanju_littu]

katie your reply is encouraging.

[Flumptious]

It varies enormously, and can be very slow. My accident was 11 an a half years ago, and I think I am still improving, in some things.

I was off work sick for 18 months - of course, I was very lucky that they held my job open for me to go back to (I am a university lecturer). I have run the London Marathon twice (but very slowly!). I was raising money for Headway, the Brain Injury Association.

I think I have been very, very lucky to have recovered as well as I have, but I have certainly not recovered completely - my balance is bad, I am officially 'blind', my speech still sounds horrible to me, my memory isn't all that trustworthy... but hey, I think I am doing well.

I just think you shouldn't give up hope. The early years you get lots and lots of improvement, but it can carry on, so don't think it is all over.

[Wifix]

Hi Sanju All I know is that my best friend at school ( a long time ago!)has a husband who had a colloidal brain tumour and had part of his brain cut out and made a full recovery after three years. It was in 2013.