Give me an order of PTSD and a side of Mild TBI to go, please.

Definition for Mild TBI (traumatic brain injury) A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be classified as mild if loss of consciousness and/or confusion and disorientation is shorter than 30 minutes. While MRI and CAT scans are often normal, the individual has cognitive problems such as headache, difficulty thinking, memory problems, attention deficits, mood swings and frustration. These injuries are commonly overlooked. Even though this type of TBI is called "mild", the effect on the family and the injured person can be devastating.


Hello again from My roadside life. No major IED's of life this week other than the normal day to day. Here is an interesting little bit of news I just found while surfing the web. So how many of us have suffered from this? I wonder what the VA's take is on this. Its been my experience that some have been treated, while others have not. I have reported mild to severe headaches since my deployment and the most its got me was to a VA doctor ordering me to "Drink more water and take a few aspirin..." "Its all in your head, get some sleep and your head aches will go away".
I haven't slept a full night in 5 years without the help of a few drinks. Thanks for the advice Jack. Ok, so we know that we all experienced a blast from one type or another, but how do we know if we have this Mild TBI? I'm not a doctor, nor do I claim to be one on TV, however, I would suggest this...
Not sleeping a full night? Haven't for a long time? (This is outside the regular PTSD symptoms you may suffer from) Have short term memory loss? Every now and then you "Catch yourself" being off balance for a split second? (Mine always happens to the right I'm broken what can I say!) Frequent head aches? Mild or Severe? If you have any of these go to the VA and get evaluated. If you were hit (or near) an IED blast, VBIED, RPG shot, mortar or rocket impact or anything of the like, go get evaluated. To many civilian doctors and organizations have reported the seriousness of Mild TBI and now the VA has responded with new screenings and treatments. I have been officially diagnosed with Mild TBI, however the VA has done nothing to treat this so far. Its been 3 years since the diagnosis and I have not heard what they are going to do about it. I am going in to the VA to discuss this very topic in a few weeks and I will report my results. Read on and let me know your thoughts. If you have been diagnosed with Mild TBI whats your story? What are you doing to treat it?


For Iraq Veterans, Headaches Continue After Traumatic Brain Injury
ScienceDaily (Feb. 24, 2009) — Many soldiers who experienced mild head trauma or a blast exposure while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan are returning to the United States with headaches, according to a study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 to May 2, 2009.
The study, conducted at Fort Lewis, WA, involved 978 U.S. Army soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan in 2008. All had experienced a concussion, head injury or blast exposure while deployed.

Nearly 98 percent of the soldiers reported having headaches during the last three months of their deployment. The headaches started within one week of the traumatic brain injury for 37 percent of the soldiers, and within one to four weeks for 20 percent. Among the soldiers whose headaches started within a week of the injury, 60 percent had migraine-like headaches and 40 percent had headaches that interfered with their ability to do their daily activities. Thirty percent had headaches for 15 or more days each month.
"Mild traumatic brain injury is occurring in 15 to 25 percent of soldiers deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan," said study author Brett J. Theeler, MD, of Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. "The associated headaches can be a source of impaired occupational functioning. These findings should alert health care providers, especially those affiliated with the military or veteran health care systems, to the need to identify and properly treat headache among soldiers."
The study was supported by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences through a grant from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.

Her is another more recent story with a bit of personal touch to it. Let me know your thoughts.

Iraq War Veteran Shares Her Ordeal Of Living With Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic Brain Injury has been called the signature injury of the Iraq war. Nationwide, studies suggest 300,000 returning veterans experience the symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI. In San Diego, the V.A. Medical Center reports about 50 veterans a month present at the TBI clinic for testing.
For those who find themselves changed in ways they cannot explain, a diagnosis of TBI is the beginning of a long road to recovery. Sage Bird is a young woman who is on that road...

And last but not least. If you ever thought that your conditions were not "severe enough" to go in and get evaluated? This outta change your mind.

Soldiers With Brain Injuries at Higher Risk of Epilepsy Decades Later, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (July 20, 2010) — Soldiers who receive traumatic brain injuries during war may be at a higher risk of epilepsy even decades after the brain injury occurred. The new research is published in the July 20, 2010, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.