WE DON’T RAISE AWARENESS, WE SOLVE PROBLEMS – http://wp.me/p6az7f-Q
Author: brokenbrilliant
I am a long-term multiple (mild) Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI or TBI) survivor who experienced assaults, falls, car accidents, sports-related injuries in the 1960s, '70s, '80s, and '90s. My last mild TBI was in 2004, but it was definitely the worst of the lot. I never received medical treatment for my injuries, some of which were sports injuries (and you have to get back in the game!), but I have been living very successfully with cognitive/behavioral (social, emotional, functional) symptoms and complications since I was a young kid. I’ve done it so well, in fact, that virtually nobody knows that I sustained those injuries… and the folks who do know, haven’t fully realized just how it’s impacted my life. It has impacted my life, however. In serious and debilitating ways. I’m coming out from behind the shields I’ve put up, in hopes of successfully addressing my own (invisible) challenges and helping others to see that sustaining a TBI is not the end of the world, and they can, in fact, live happy, fulfilled, productive lives in spite of it all. View all posts by brokenbrilliant
Broken Brain - Brilliant Mind 
Hmmm – well while I like the tag line (we don’t raise awareness…) I have to question this as THE solution. On a quick glance there is no formal research to back up the claims. Also this is very geared toward military – and while I fully recognize the debt that is owed to veterans sometimes tbi only discussed as a problem of veterans and football players (with concern over children’s concussions). Many mid life folks have tbis – and suffer significant challenges due to loss of income, studies show that 50-80% of women in domestic violence shelters have tbi’s etc (in fact there is a huge gender bias in the research and so less is understood about how women differ from men in tbi – and they do differ). Not saying his approach isn’t a possible part of the answer – but I just don’t think its that simple.
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I agree with many of your points. The problems are many and varied, and one thing that may work for one person, may not work for another.
This approach appears to work for people – and there actually is some good research that describes TBI’s impact to the endocrine system.
The important thing I take away from this is that awareness isn’t enough. We need to actually take action. And find solutions. Because they’re out there.
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I agree about actions – indeed this is something I have said for years. The TBI community is both very fragmented and not well organized towards clear and meaningful goals – whether they be legislative, economic, etc. Some endocrine studies have been done – I know of progesterone – initially it showed promise but later studies were not so hopeful. However, I do adhere to the idea that if it works for you, causes no harm and you can afford it – then its okay.
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Yes, absolutely. Also, not having hard-and-fast medical guidelines may not be such a bad thing. The medical establishment seems to have a talent for complicating things – and putting effective treatments out of reach of those who cannot afford them. If we can make it on our own, so much the better. Experts aren’t the answer to everything, in my book.
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Why not have the concussed return to the field ASAP for repeat field performance, after taxpayer or corporate body takes ownership of player or soldier? The social ramifications huge, both ethical and moral, expenses will grow without paying attention to preventing these injuries. Current best practices and technologies of tbi and epilepsies are based upon decades-old medical work of the brain upon many ill in the general populations. In a future this switch to the military troops and corporate players out of necessity and speedy return to the field and function, also would not necessarily extend to the millions of people so affected in the national population. A situation that happens now with our current best technologies at the highest cost of treatments when the cost of treatment outweighs the return on the medical investiture, or the patient has no affordable renumeration. Having a national health insurance, has reduced this dilemma for many, yet the increased costs of effective and repetitive treatments over the life-span as applied to the millions of tbi sufferer cohorts, will increase in the 21st century provided PREVENTION is not maintained.
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Yes, one of the dangers of full recovery is that you’ll go back out and do it all over again… and again… and again. The goal, in my mind, is to get back to yourself so you can do something different and better with your life.
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