Head Injuries

I am watching this right now, for the first time, on HBO. I feel your sentiments as well, for each of the people and families of the people living (and dying) with horrible injuries like these. I was involved in a bad auto wreck 4 years ago, and for all I know I was mere inches away from similar injuries. I was lucky to escape any head injuries. Another man, named Andy, about 6 months younger than me (I was 20 at the time of the wreck), was involved in a similar wreck a few days after mine and his ICU room was near mine. I never met him and barely remember his family (I was heavily drugged during the first 3 weeks of my stay), but what happened to him was the reverse of what happened to me: he had no injuries to his body but extensive injuries to his head.

My family and his family got to know each other, we both have large families who totally filled the waiting rooms. Unfortunately, about 6 weeks after our accidents, I was making incredible bounds in recovery while he was getting worse. Eventually I met his sister, who had come to visit me a few ties and she gave me a big hug, and maybe it gave her a little hope that Andy would be OK, some how. Andy died about the same time I had my last major surgery to correct my injuries. He was only 19 years old, with a baby less than a year old.

The brain is a funny thing, so complex and amazing yet the smallest bumps and bruises can have devastating effects. It is also so amazing to see (as on this doc) someone who seems totally lost, making huge strides and resuming some semblance of the life they had before, yet different. And these things effect more people than just the person with the injury: the family and friends and healthcare professionals can go through so much. The scene where the son hugged his mother and father and gave a thumbs up, though unable to even vocalize a word, was very touching and offered hope to people with siilar issues.

The first 3 or 4 days after my accident, they were unsure of my injuries. I was not in a coma but was unconscious, sue to the trauma and drugs, and there were so many injuries to my body that needed attention that my head wasn't looked at until the 3rd or 4th day. I was almost completely unresponsive to the tests they performed, and my whole family was on the edge of their seats waiting to hear a diagnosis. I even overheard my mom a few months later saying she was prepared to completely change her way of life if I had a brain injury, willing to give up her job and assist me almost full time. I had a big cut on my scalp with bruising, so there was fear of a head injury. When I was finally given a CT scan, the nurse popped out of the room and gave my mom a thumbs up. My om had to wait a good 10 minutes or so wondering to what extent the thumbs up meant: maybe I'd talk again, recognize my family and friends, or have some sort of consciousness reminiscent of my former self. She said that was one of the happiest days of her life, after the doctor explained that there was no damage to my brain, not even a concussion.

I often wonder to myself how different things could have gone. I go through all the extremes: I wonder what it would be like if I had been in the accident and avoided serious injuries, maybe a broken arm or leg. Then I wonder about if I would have died, or if I had a spinal injury or brain injury. I have a friend who works with people with brain injuries, and I wonder what it is like to have these kinds of injuries and if they recognize the difference in themselves. But most of all I think about how lucky I am and we are to to have medical know-how we have and continue to gain. If we continue with the progress we have already made then, some day I hope, the long term effects of these injuries will be a thing of the past.

Amazing program, and I have already recommended it to my mom (I watched the first 15 minutes and called her, now she's watching it!).