After a car accident, you closely monitor yourself for signs of delayed injuries. If you have a traumatic brain injury, you could have trouble discerning your symptoms and their effects.
BrainLine explains common indications of a brain injury. If anything sounds familiar, consider letting a doctor examine you sooner rather than later.
Common TBI symptoms
Some of the most prevalent symptoms and signs of a brain injury include trouble waking up, loss of consciousness, seizing, double vision, vomiting, unequal pupil dilation and fluids draining from the ears or nose. Someone with a TBI could also experience limb weakness, slurred speech or trouble with balance.
Additional TBI symptoms
A brain injury may trigger sensory issues, such as losing the ability to smell or taste, bad taste, blurred vision and tinnitus. Some brain injuries make individuals sensitive to sounds and lights, and a person could experience mood swings. TBI patients could experience anxiety or depression or feel drained of energy and motivation.
Severe TBI symptoms
A severe brain injury could lead to abnormal states of consciousness. For instance, someone with a severe TBI could fall into a coma or experience brain death, which means the brain shows a lack of activity and functioning.
Another abnormal state is being minimally conscious. That means that while the person shows self-awareness or environmental awareness, she or he displays an acutely altered consciousness. Depending on the degree of brain damage, a TBI patient could go into a vegetative state. While someone in this state may occasionally move, groan or have reflexive reactions, she or he does not gain consciousness.
You cannot afford to take chances with a brain injury. With a physician’s help, you may better understand how the car accident hurt you.