Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

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Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

• Brittany Funderburke

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What is TBI?

• An injury to the brain caused by an external
  force or process that results in a change in
  neurological functioning
• Not all blows to the head result in TBI

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Traumatic Brain Injury

• Annually in the US 1.4 million TBIs
• 475,000 in children
• 50,000 deaths
• 60 billion

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Symptoms

• Mild

• Severe

• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Memory loss
• Dizziness

• Loss of Consciousness
• Memory loss
• Cognitive impairment
• Seizures

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Glasgow Coma Scale

• Eye Response (0-4 points)
• Motor Response (0-6 points)
• Verbal Response (0-5 points)
• 8 or below Serious Brain Injury

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LibbiMy Lost Summer

• Horse-riding accident at 13
• Glasgow Coma Scale 3
• Severe head injury

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Paul and DixieUnthinkable

• Hit by a car while riding bike at 13
• Glasgow Coma Scale 2
• Coma for 3 months

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Libbis Journey

• Will-Power
• Optimist
• Realist
• Accepting

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Dixies Journey

• Frustrated
• Vocal
• Pessimist
• Questions Higher Powers

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Differing viewpoints

• Parents

• Children

• Take responsibility for accidents
• Know they must be advocates
• Must witness each challenge that their child faces

• Acknowledge accidents
• Take life as it comes and be less rigid in their
  daily lives
• Usually do not remember all challenges

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Differing viewpoints

• Family

• Faith

• Build support system
• Being able to take breaks from the hospital
  routine and care for other children in family
• Having others to confide in

• Build support system
• Being able to accept the drastic changes a TBI
  brings
• Knowing that everything will work out for the
  best in the end

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Myths

• Recovery is complete when physical injuries heal
• When a person is in a coma, they are brain dead
• There are no long-term effects of a mild brain
  injury
• Children are resistant to brain injury and
  recover better than adults

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Conclusion

• TBI
• Is life-changing.
• Is difficult for the person affected and those
  around him/her.
• Has treatable symptoms.
• Can be overcome.