[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Have you ever known anyone who was mentally changed after head trauma? (Page 3 of 4)
| Yeah, a guy I worked around was DUI, into the back of a parked semi. He probably would have been off the job but he helped a bunch retarded chiefs get through the EMT skills test so they went to bat for him. After almost a year he came back. Think of someone super super tired. slow to respond, forgot basic hose and ladder evolution and needed retraining. When I told my boss I didn't want him backing me on a hoseline he was reevaluated and ended up retiring. It was a shame because he was super sharp witted and really a good fireman and medic. |
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My son. 
He was an academic genius, literally, with an identic memory, and probably the smartest person I have ever known. He was 16 when he wrecked his car and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. He is now 18, a Senior in High School, works two jobs, and has recovered remarkably well, but struggles with some subjects now. He is not the same person he was before. Before, he was very introverted. Now, he's an extrovert. He is also argumentative, angry, and aggressive, and his friends have abandoned him. He and I have always been extremely close, but now I, and only I, am the object of his aggression. I am very sad for him, and I would trade places with him, or give every material possession I have, if it meant he would make a full recovery. I AM THANKFUL TO GOD FOR SPARING HIS LIFE, REGARDLESS. It might seem counterintuitive but ECT has been explored as a treatment for frontal lobe damage. It's nothing like it used to be, or the movies. I just wrote a paper on its resurgence. Top research universities are using it quite successfully. Here's a single interesting case https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7796068 I'd encourage you to watch the TED talk by a week known surgeon and author whose life was saved by ECT. Also look into Transcranial magnetic stimulation. |
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Four years ago I slipped (*sober)on a frosty hill behind my house. We lived behind a park, and my son and I heard a kid screaming, not a tantrum screaming but sounded like it was being kidnapped. I was running out the back door, my son right behind me
I broke my left arm, and did damage to the ulnar nerve. According to my boy my head bounced off of the frozen ground too. My arm is still wrecked, but the biggest issue is I developed a seizure condition, and still have maybe 50% of my arm use, and 5% ogf what I had in the hand. ( I was left handed....) Here is where it gets weird. I tested in my late teens early 20's at a 127 IQ ( from a psycotherapist) In 1993 I had a 1440 on my SATs. ( this was before they changed the test ) 720 math 720 verbal. I took it hung over and stoned. I used to be able to do math in my head. fractions, unit conversions, geometry. even eww algebra and trig. I went back to college the last 2 years. (finishing the last few credits this spring, I need a specific class. I managed a B in 2 chem classes. As for my mandatory Math: despite busting my ass, 2 hours a day in the classroom, and hours every night doing paper homework and the online shit on the computer.... I got a C- by the grace of God and the professor having mercy on me as he knew I was busting my ass. before the accident I would have gotten an A+ without trying. in all of it. Funny enough the rest of my brain is fine. A's in English, biology, bacteriology, ect ect ect ( I'll graduate with a high B or low A average) my entire life I took it for granted, and kinda looked down on "the dumb kids/co workers... funny how that works eh? The bright side is I quit drinking, and have gotten closer to God. |
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My girlfriend's mother suffered an aneurysm about 2 years ago.
It was one that only ~1% of people survive. Even fewer then that regain consciousness, even fewer regain any quality of life. Less then 9 months post injury she was back to being fully functional. She is an interesting case, if you had never met her before you would think she is a 100% normal, functional woman in her late 60s. But to those of us who know her well, she is a different person. Not bad, not good, just different. It is really a trip talking to her sometimes. A buddy of mine that I have known since HS suffered two TBIs, both from motorcycle accidents, one when he was abt 17, the other in his early 20s. He is a functional, fairly well off business owner. The crazy part about him is prior to the accident(s), he was a full blown psychopath. The type that would have been voted "most likely to be a serial killer" in HS. I always kept him at arms length when we were younger, honestly I was scared of him a little. But he was loyal to a fault, the type of guy that you could call at 3am and ask him to meet you in the middle of nowhere with a chainsaw, a shovel and some lime and he would be there as fast as he could. The guy that wouldn't bail you out of jail because he would be in the cell right next to you. His noggin being bounced off car hoods and the ground knocked some sense into him I guess. He is still shithouse nuts in some ways but much calmer, rational and calculating. An old neighbor was a pro MX rider back in the mid 80s. He suffered a TBI and has the mental capacity of around that of a 10-12 year old. He lives with his parents and spends his days wandering up and down the street, yelling at passing cars for speeding, occasionally throwing things and placing objects in the road. He is not a small guy either, kind of spooky looking into his eyes and seeing, well, nothing. Like he could kill somebody and go back home to watch cartoons, not thinking anything of it. He has gotten locked up numerous times but never stays in long. I doubt they arrest him, just take him to a quiet place to chill out for a couple of days. Another neighbor is/was a friend of his pre-accident, said he was the nicest, most easygoing, happy person before it happened. Few years ago an industry cohort asked me to help him on a project. I went down an alley to where the house was located and was confronted by one of the client's neighbors. The guy started screaming at me for driving in "his" alley (that has 5 houses on it), called me the "N-word" repeatedly (I am white), threatened to call the cops and threatened to kick my ass (tubby guy in his 60s, not real scary). I wound up calling my buddy who told the client, he went out and smoothed everything over and I went to do the job. In talking to the client I found out that the crazy guy was a prominent neurosurgeon that fell off a ladder while he was cleaning his gutters. Said he was a really nice guy prior to the accident. Kind of sad really, a guy who used to fix brains for a living now has a broken one that he can't fix. |
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My cousin ran into a tree, went through the windshield, and hit his head on the tree.
He went from top of his class to barely able to live by himself. A good friend had been married less than a year when his wife ran a stop sign and got hit in the driver door by a pickup. She was in the hospital for weeks. Took her years to recover, and she's still not quite the same. Very socially awkward and can come across as rude sometimes, but she doesn't mean to. Still a nice person, but different. |
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A couple days after my 14th birthday my mother and I were in a traffic accident traveling from Connecticut back home to North Carolina.
We recuperated in New York City with her sister for a couple weeks but when we finally made it back to North Carolina she never came home. She went and moved in with a guy she had been talking to who she eventually married and while I saw her all the time, she never came home to stay after that. I was basically taking care of my grandmother with Alzheimer's until she went into a nursing home several months later. I then went to live with my sister until my sister went into a mental institution for a month so I was by myself. Then the county found out and put me into a group home for a few years. |
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Yup good friend of mine, was run off the road into a tree sideways. Was in a coma for a month, came out of it but was not the same guy really. Saw him once in rehab, he was reminiscing about our time in the army. He was never in the army.
Have not seen him in many years. His family (vietnamese) basicly took him home and locked him away from the world soon after I saw him last. His cousin has not even seen him in a long time. Sad really, was a cool dude. |
I worked with a guy that rode his motorcycle through a chain link fence drunk at a football game. Had a plate in his head and most of his face repaired. Always cussing and mumbling, drank all kinds of concoctions to get high, Allkaselzer and brandy and then some cough syrup, weird shit. I don't know for sure if he was changed or not
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More than a few but two come to mind.
Abused 9yo girl, she was hit in the head while being molested by her brother. Functioned like 1 year old and will probably never get better. Yes he is in jail for life, and was 21 at the time. Girl I went to school with took too much drugs and is now a functioning 38yo with the ability of a 11 yo. |
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Yep, guy I worship with sustained a pretty severe head injury in a construction accident. He was an RB and quite successful, and a very intelligent man. After the accident, he's not "slow," but he comes across as just being not-too-bright. It's really sad, as he has a heart of gold and he is very much aware of what he's lost. It frustrates him no end, and I hate to watch him when he has one of those moments when he's trying to muster up something that used to come easily, but now just won't come out.
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Back in high school I worked at a McDonalds for two weeks before saying "eff this" and quitting. They had a man working there part time who swept floors, wiped tables and stuff like that. He was in his 50s but had the mind of a child.
Found out later that the guy used to be a math teach at the my high school. Then he was in a bad car wreck that left him like he was. His wife took their kids and left afterwards. Poor guy felt bad for him. I saw him break down one day (which I learned was regular). He was all worked up because he remembered he wasn't always like that.
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For me at 17 lost control and ran my 78 VW Scirraco off a 50 foot bank, flipped 3 times and hit a tree. Was in intensive care and unconscious for 4 days from a contusion and hematoma to the brain. 3 other TBIs from parachute jumps, I was seeing stars for a few mins for each one. I walked away from all but one. Medic walked me off the DZ and they put me on 24 hour quarters. Truck got hit with a 200lb VBIED in Pasab Afghanistan, stuck in a bed for a week, after that I was back in the fight. I feel ok, short term memory isn't great at times, but I live a normal life. I keep info on my phone and implemnted COAs and reminders to help me remember things. I have portions of my life I will no longer remember, luckily the wife understands and tells me the things I no longer remember. Biggest problem is sometimes my brain just stops, I guess what ever processes info is jacked up, never lasts for more than a min or so. Could just be old age. I am pretty lucky considering all the bumps I have had. Glad you're still with us, sincerely. |
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Yes.
A girl from high school, who was normal, was hit in the head by a golf ball. She had stupidly stood in front of someone driving and the guy swinging shanked it a bit... The incident basically brought her down to a 6th grade level of intellect. I think she has recovered somewhat but she is very slow, cognitively. |
| Yes, I have many clients who have been involved in serious accidents with TBI etc....Since I don't always know what they were like before the incident I have to rely on simply knowing the signs of someone who has had a brain injury. They can be very difficult to deal with. |
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In 1989 I had a head injury, was in coma 4 days. Functionality of right side of body was lost. Had to learn to walk again. Recovered functionality in short amount of time. They studied me for over a year. Were amazed at my recovery.
Close friends said my demeanor changed as a person. I have a full time job as a Volvo CE tech. I also own a business. I had a large section of memory loss from that day back. |
| Yes. One of my college professors. Apparently they were in a hangliding accident years before. They decided their wardrobe from before the accident was no good and bought a whole new closet full of interesting outfits. I don't mean sexual, just different. And some other stuff. |
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My son was born 3 months premature. Grade 4 brain hemmorage. Put a shunt in, brain got infected, ventriculitus and mennengitis. Externalized shunt and when he recovered moved shunt to other side of head.
He's 23 now. He has to be supervised at any task he does. If he is given a verbal list of 3 things to do he will forget the second and third tasks. Very introverted and a Asbergers like behavior. Other than his brain physically he is fine. |
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My mother-in-law was hit in the head a few years back and is messed up. She is a real pain in the butt and I avoid her.
Sounds bad but she is such a mean person and has done bad things to my wife that I can not except. Evidently she has always been mean but now it is amplified and she is just a waste of a person. I try to tell myself she can't help how she is but I feel like she knows enough to be responsible. |
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Yup. Bullet bike. They found him with a Robin embeded in his face threw his helmit visor. He had some red white and blue bullet bike and would always rip down I-79 like he was on the Isle of Man. |
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Yes, I know one that can't tell anyone by their face. He is able to go on hair style though.
It's funny to get a haircut then he won't realize who I am for a few minutes of talking. Edit he can visually track movement like a hawk, and is great with lead and drop with a paint marker. He is also the fastest bank teller I've seen. |
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I know a few, myself among them. One guy was shot in the head at a card game, drove himself to the ER. Amazing that he survived at all. Another was in a bad motorcycle accident, his balance and vision is permanently impaired. Unfortunately he became addicted to pain meds and screwed himself up even worse.
At 13 years old I had a severe concussion from falling off a moving truck that affected the frontal lobe in the area that processes fear and reasoning. I'm either fearless and put myself in harms way without thought or I lock up for no apparent reason. It's messed up that I'm not afraid of almost anything or other animal on the planet (women scare me a little  ) but a tight space or long hallway makes me sweat, crazy things like that. My poor mother was always worried sick about me and my daredevil antics, especially when I got into dirt bikes.
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| I have a sneaking suspicion that most of the motorcycle accident injuries metioned were do to lack of helmet. Either no helmet at all or a douchebag half helmet/ brain pan, that Harley riders use. With a proper Snell rated full face helmet, I bet 9/10 of people would have walked away. I ride 5 days a week for work, always full gear. No time for injuries. |
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About 10 years ago, my cousin was riding 2-up on a quad and went off the back, no helmet. Medevac'ed via helicopter which saved his life.
He's operating at about 75% of his previous mental capacity. He's mostly able to function by himself--had an apartment, job, etc--but has struggled with money since the accident. Recently, he got caught up in a check cashing scam over the phone and only escaped jail time due to his reduced cognitive abilities. Really sad story. He is a great kid who will simply never be the same. |
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Correctamundo He had some red white and blue bullet bike and would always rip down I-79 like he was on the Isle of Man. Quoted:
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Yup. Bullet bike. They found him with a Robin embeded in his face threw his helmit visor. He had some red white and blue bullet bike and would always rip down I-79 like he was on the Isle of Man. |
| I know 3. My son was in an auto accident, crushed his forehead. No seatbelt. Very lucky to live. He recovered pretty well, but... at least he has that to blame his occasional poor judgement calls on. Another was next door neighbor that was hit on his motorcycle. My GF was first on the scene, and she didn't recognize him due to the head trauma. He turned into a squirrell. Third is a buddy's son, auto accident at 20 years old, he will have to be taken care of the rest of his life. Can't walk, limited speech, very messed up. Shell of his former self. Vehicle are dangerous. |
| One of my brothers is a brain cancer survivor, he had a Grade 3 tumor removed a few years ago. It didn't change him drastically, and fortunately no personality changes. He has trouble thinking of the word he wants, or when telling a story he'll forget the point he wanted to make...you know, like we all do occasionally. If you didn't know him before he got sick you probably woul not think anything of it. He's still as smart as he ever was but it's like it gets hung up between his brain and his mouth, if that makes any sense. He can get pretty frustrated with himself over it. |
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I know more than a couple myself, couple car wrecks, an assault.
One guy worked for me, abused as a kid, had no off switch, would absolutely work himself on any task until he was physically unable to do any more. Had to be made to take breaks, drags one foot, we bought him new boots every 6 weeks or so, or his knees would hurt so bad he couldn't move. Frequently crapped himself, lost 2 work radios in the shitter fumbling around fixing his pants, left a poo handprint on the bathroom door one time. Loves strippers and very spicy food, he looks scary as shit, I can't imagine him getting mad and actually laying hands on someone, he would most likely literally rip parts off of them. Good dude though, fun to make him laugh. Not making light of any of these cases, but reading this makes me want to wear at least a bump cap at all times, as I can't imagine losing what little capacity I am working with now. Some of the symptoms make me think back to falling out of trees, wrecking bikes, couple of bell ringers playing foot/base ball, or even soccer. 7th grade I took a kicked ball to the head and was out like a light, either the ball or the fall to the gym floor did it. I am pretty sure that was a concussion at least, I had wonky vision and headaches for several days. |
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My wife's friend had a car accident right after college and suffered head trauma. After her recovery, the biggest thing I notice is her conversation patterns. She will change the topic quickly to get thoughts out. It's minor enough that people that know her after the accident would just think it's normal, but to those that knew her before it's noticeable. I know a lot of TBI cases from the military and the biggest thing I see is impulse control and mood swings. |
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I work with a guy in his mid 40's. He is mentally slow. He is kind of a laborer or gopher in our shop. He can do simple tasks. Big guy. Strong as hell. I've been working with him a while and figured he was born that way. Found out today he was in a bad vehicle wreck when he was in his early 20s. Suffered head trauma. Also lost his teeth. I guess he has never been the same since. He lives on his own but can't drive. Only allowed to work 5 hours a day. His paychecks go to someone else who pays his bills. He is The nicest and friendliest guy. But he comes up with stories about how he owns over 70 trucks, half dozen 18 wheelers... He is the first person, that I knew of, who was the way he was because of a trauma. Mentally, not physically. I imagine I've encountered more but never realized it. I realized today that the times I have encountered people with mental disorders, I always assumed they were born that way. How dumb of me. Just curious if any of you have had similar instances meeting people who have been mentally changed due to a head trauma or tbi. BTW, our company does employ people with disabilities, there is him and a guy missing a leg. I was told "it looks good to the government". Yes personal acquaintance Same kind of story. The guy was in a motorcycle accident after high school. Works construction, can take care of himself and finances, does have someone who looks in on him a little slow on understanding and speech - you can almost see he knows what he wants to say but has to take time to form it all Yes friend of my uncle who went to school with him visited him with my uncle on occaision head and spine trauma from a HS football injury in the 60's - 17 years old he was in one of the local nursing homes - ward of the state - after he was released from the hospital and whatever rehab there was never walked again and very limited use of extremities passed away about 6 years ago - in his 50's Yes son of the bar owner I worked for in college 15 year old kid involved in a school bus accident highway construction company was cited for an un-safe road and signage company was sued and lost - paid out to family of kid for [hopefully] lifetime care still a happy kid, will likely never walk again - gaining some use of extremities learning a lot all over again and slow to speak I think there is a lot locked up in there that he wants to get out, but can't form it into coherent sentences sometime He was a bright mischievous kid with a future. He was unfortunately on the wrong bus at the wrong time coming home from a band competition |