by Janet J. Seahorn

Several weeks ago I talked about going to a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) conference and promised I’d write more about what I learned.  Now I feel like the Grim Reaper explaining the various causes and symptoms of a TBI.

  Luckily, being Halloween, perhaps the trick is dealing aggressively with the spooks of TBI injuries and the treat is getting better with focus and determination.

Much of this information is taking from a brochure, Brain Injury: How to Recognize and Treat It, by Harvey Jacobs, Ph.D. and Flora Hammond, M.D.

So let’s talk about some of the “tricks” of a TBI.  First, it can be due to many causes: falls, car accidents, sports, blasts/explosions, strokes, viruses, or aneurysms (weak spots in the walls of the brain’s arteries and veins). 

Since many of our war vets have experienced a TBI mainly from an outside force, I will concentrate on this area.  If the force is powerful enough, it can cause bleeding in the brain, bruising, and/or tearing of the brain cells.

 ”Once a traumatic brain injury occurs,” according to the experts, “there is risk of additional damage over the next several days due to lack of oxygen or reduced blood flow or medical complications”.   When a blast occurs due to an IED or other combat offenses, the shock waves move through the brain and injure the soft brain tissue causing cell damage.  The person doesn’t have to be unconscious to encounter a TBI, but the results can be quite damaging, nevertheless. 

Another trick of this demon is that no two injuries are exactly alike due to the location, size, and impact of the TBI; cells can begin to die within four minutes of losing oxygen because of the impact.  Sometimes, if the injury does not appear severe or life threatening it can be missed, yet the results are nothing short of problematic. 

The person,” according to Jacobs and Hammond, “may appear dazed or just a little confused for a brief time and then return to work or usual activities.  Problems may develop later.”  Often times other people notice the problems first, like a spouse, close friend, or employer. What they may notice is problems in the person’s short-term memory, difficulty in organizing and planning, shorter attention span or easily distracted, unclear speech, irritation, anxiety, depression, and other cognitive or emotional behaviors that weren’t present before the injury. Therefore, getting proper diagnosis and treatment is essential to restoring an individual to health and normal activity.

 This Grim Reaper can’t leave you with such a dismal TBI spook, so take heart and recognize that help is available. There are more effective and innovative treatments than ever before if treatment begins immediately.  Time is crucial. Don’t wait.  The major part of the brain’s mending normally takes place within the first two years of the injury, but the brain can continue to mend far beyond that time. 

 Trust me, having experienced a mild TBI many years ago, I kept engaged with as many cognitive and physical activities as possible and this made all the difference with being able to return to a normal life - the best treat ever.

by Janet J. Seahorn

OK, here is something to ponder; can Brain Trauma cause Soul Trauma? 

By “brain trauma”, I mean a traumatic brain injury, a verifiable medical condition caused by some insult to the brain, i.e., car accident, falling, hitting one’s head, being in or close to an IED explosion, shaken baby syndrome, stroke… and the list goes on. 

Every year over 1.5 million Americans experience some type of traumatic brain injury (TBI). 

Personally, I believe the number is higher, as many incidents never get reported because no one knows or realizes that such a trauma has occurred.  Which is why all of the information on TBI makes me muse over what actually goes on in the brain/mind, body, and soul when it has been injured?

I think about the mind and wonder how such a magnificent organ can be in command of so much in a person: body, emotions, perceptions…

I think about the soul and wonder how such an invisible concept can make such a difference in one’s life; a difference that gives one strength, courage, and hope to make it through some truly desperate times.

I think about how anyone who experiences a restructuring of the brain after some internal or external trauma can move forward in ways that are nothing short of miraculous.  A healing that leaves the brain changed, but the person still functioning.

I think about how the soul and spirit must somehow be part of the healing that takes place in the organ called the brain.  How the soul/spirit may give some kind of divine direction to the mind that allows it to mend.  In many cases it may not mend itself back to its original state but reorganizes in such a manner that perhaps enhances the individual with greater compassion, humility, and fearlessness.

I’d like to believe that angels watch over us and it is this entity that connects the mind, soul, and heart.  Noah benShea thoughtfully noted, “Faith sees around corners”.  Maybe these celestial beings are also within the corners of our battered minds, soothing, comforting, and mending.

Most days, though, I am just immensely appreciative that something more powerful than I can ever imagine is taking some charge over all of our well-being, perhaps from that place we call Heaven.