Recent injury, advice needed

[WiltsPotter]

Hi, I'm new. My husband had a fall at home on 3rd April and was in hospital for 9 days. They've said he fractured his skull, had an intracranial subarachnoid haemorrhage, a cerebral haemorrhage and a subdural hematoma with a contrecoup frontal contusion. He's been home for about a week now and is managing to get about the house but is very slow. He says his brain is foggy.

I'm so worried that he won't recover and be the man he was. The hospital discharged him without any follow up or advice so i'm really not sure who to talk to.

Is there anyone out there that has experienced similar injuries that can reassure me this will be ok? How long should we expect recovery to take?

[paxo05]

Hi and welcome,

Your first stop is your local headway group. Contact Headway uk and they will advise you if and where it is. They can also offer advice on possible effects he may encounter.

Unfortunately there is no exact formula with a head injury, the smallest injury can have a large impact and also others have walk away virtually unscathed from horrific accidents.

It is early days to say what long term conditions he may suffer and how he may have changed.

Hopefully this is some help to get you started. Once again welcome ,

Pax

[cat3]

Hi Wilts. Neurosurgeons can fix the visible damage of brain injury but they have no way of seeing or knowing the long-term outcome for patients, so it's a stressful waiting game for loved ones.

My family were told point blank that my survival was no indication of quality of life and that any post-brain injury prognosis is limited to 'Wait and See'. It's harsh, and still upsets me thinking of the stress & uncertainty for my own family in the early days.

Your man does seem to be coping well if he's getting around after only 3 weeks. He might (or might not) suffer fatigue, forgetfulness, emotional lability, intolerance to noise & crowds or any excessive stimulus. If he does you'll learn ways to adapt ; it's what we do. If he doesn't ....all the better.

Improvements usually take longer than we bargain for because they're often one step forwards and two back, plus reluctance to accept changes can slow progress. But stay in touch m'love ; ask questions, and talk about anything which troubles you.

Meantime, you might like to phone the Headway helpline for support and for printouts of further information & guidance. The tel.no. is freephone 0808 800 2244 during office hours, and staff are lovely.

Cat x

[Alibongo60]

Hi Wilts and welcome, you and your husband sound like you have been through it, and like you have been abandoned on his discharge. It must be very frightening to feel you just have to get on with it, as pax and cat say headway will help and there are lots of good people on here who have been through similar and will be able to help or offer support, lots of love Alice xx

[WiltsPotter]

Thank you all for your kind responses. I'll give headway a call for sure 🙏 I've been using a lot of their guides to understand the terminology and checking his symptoms which has really helped.

I think we've both been really surprised at how slow things are going - I've previously broken my back and had a heart attack so we're used to dealing with recovery but this seems to be a whole new ball game. It's quite scary.

[Pairofboots in reply to WiltsPotter]

Hi Wilts, I'm glad you are going to contact Headway.

With regards to recovery, unfortunately there isn't an equivalent injury to compare a brain injury to. Bones have a fairly predictable repair path, it is the soft tissue that needs the physio to gain normal range. Even a heart if caught early enough is a relatively quick fix, with a period of recuperation.

The brain is very different. As Pax said there is no formula. It is very difficult to say what is going to be recovered, what is minor, or severe. Only time will tell.

Will your husband be the man he was? No one can say. This is very early days, and will be early days for some time to come. It maybe that your husband will need input from the neuro rehab team, it's worth pressing for this even if you don't feel it would help, or isn't needed at this point. Recovery may well be a long journey for both of you, I hope it will be smooth.

It is a period of uncertainty, but with the help of Headway, and the support from here, you will never have to face it alone. Welcome, ask whatever you need to, as often as you need. Big or little, or just need to rant, there is always someone with lived experience from a survivor, carer, family or friend to listen. 🍀