A serious head injury can occur to anyone from children and teens to adults and seniors. All it takes is an abrupt blow to the head, potentially leading to a lifetime of health complications due to concussions and traumatic brain injury (TBI). A head injury can occur in many ways, including motor vehicle crashes, bicycle spills, physical altercations and falls.
It takes a great amount of medical care, rest and patience to recover from a head injury. Your brain – your body’s most important organ – has sustained trauma. It controls many facets of your body, including your ability to think, remember, talk, see, hear, feel and walk. Any one of these skills can be affected by a brain injury. And, sometimes, more than one of these abilities needs care and attention for you to recover as best as you can. Your brain likely will take a long time to heal.
Symptoms and complications
After such an injury, most people are assured a lengthy recovery time. In such scenarios, physical therapy, speech pathology and medication become necessary. But, remember, complete recovery does not always happen from a serious head injury. Death can even occur.
Here is a list of some of the symptoms and complications that may occur after a head injury:
- Loss of memory and difficulty concentrating
- Loss of balance as well as dizziness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fatigue
- Sensitivity to light and sounds
- Personality changes and mood swings
- Difficulty sleeping or even sleeping for lengthy periods
- Depression
- Seizures
- Bleeding and blood vessel damage
- Coma
- Death
So much uncertainty revolves around your recovery from a serious head injury. And so many factors must align to ensure that recovery is possible. Those factors include the seriousness of the injury, the medical care you receive, the understanding from family members as well as your perseverance.