A Soldier's Tragedy: Ironically Bringing Much-Needed Awareness to all Americans Suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury

Tragically, it has come to light that over 20,000 of our young soldiers are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with traumatic brain injury or TBI. Some cases are quite severe, while others show only minor symptoms.

Often there are clear indicators that are misunderstood. Victims sometimes cry or become angry for no reason, suffer major depression or sleep through most of the day. Anything from your eyesight to your memory can be permanently affected. You may not remember your mom visiting yesterday or what you said to your child minutes ago.

All or many of these symptoms could be mistaken for physiological stress, but cannot be cured with common medication because there has been direct injury to the brain not the psyche. Further, it can take several years to even begin to see long-term affects of TBI.

I know, because I had a brother-in-law who suffered from severe traumatic brain injury. He was not a soldier in Iraq, but an American who spent his life doing all the right things like paying taxes and planning for his family, just like many of our soldiers. He, like our soldiers, was brave. He could not go to war because he battled instead a brain malformation that left him often incapacitated and unable to work or care for his six-month-old son. In an effort to survive, he underwent 15 hours in surgery only to awake five months later with severe TBI.

TBI is not usually caused by surgery; most notably it is a result of car accidents. There are also many cases in the U.S. that occur because of gunshot wounds and, since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, our soldiers are retuning with brain injury due to IEDs (improvised explosive devise).

Many of us are in the process of learning about TBI due to war. I learned firsthand by spending two heartbreaking years with my sister watching as her husband's muscles contracted mercilessly causing tremendous pain, no drug worked to ease it. I watched as his personality changed daily, as he drifted from one reality to another. He could only be fed by a tube and often drifted off to sleep in mid sentence. (Note, I'm only telling the publishable things here).

I learned more about brain injury than anyone should have to or need to know. More importantly, I learned how our system of care is letting all these victims and their families down.

Much like the military, hospitals, our TBI centers need resources, too. TBI, no matter how slight or severe, makes for difficult recovery. There is treatment, but all too often there is no cure. Rehabilitation can be extensive and often a lifelong process. It is extremely expensive as well. Some victims can live with severe trauma for many years.

In order to get care for long-term or severe TBI, patients are usually supported by Medicare, which most often does not include enough money for any type of rehabilitation. Insurance companies typically bow out after a short time saying they can no longer pay due to "no progress." Medicare is for the poor, so families who cannot afford the high prices of rehabilitation centers unwillingly become impoverished to get their patient basic care.

I am saddened that it has taken thousands of injuries to bring attention this injury. I can only hope that these young soldiers are not struggling in vain and that their struggle can encourage support of change in our understanding and care of TBI.

Fortunately Congressmen James C. Greenwood (R-PA) and Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) have chosen to respond. They should be applauded for starting a Congressional Brain Injury Task Force. Through this initiative the members are fighting for funding to take care of our injured soldiers partially through Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill and also the Defense Authorization Bill.

According to the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) "The bills will provide $9.455 million for the HRSA Federal TBI program, over the total $8.910 million allocated last year. Likewise, the bill includes $5.960 million in funding for CDC TBI programs, an increase from approximately $5.3 million last year. Also of key importance, the bill includes $900,000 in additional funding for the TBI Model Systems of Care program, which BIAA fought hard for this year, in order to prevent this important research program from being downsized."

Congress will reconvene in December after a two-week Thanksgiving recess and "it is expected that Democratic leaders will pursue a compromise multi-bill "omnibus" appropriations package that would split the difference between the White House and Congressional budget proposals. Such an omnibus bill is expected to include a cut of $3.5 billion in funding from the recently passed Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill."

Without this money our soldiers will not get the care they need nor will the families get support, which I might add, is priceless.

Now, it is our responsibility to persuade all of our representatives to support the allocations to fund programs for TBI. It is imperative that these individuals get the required care. They, after all, volunteered to fight in these wars. In turn, their sacrifice may also enable us to become more aware of what we all must do to take care of other Americans who are suffering from the same affliction. Otherwise, the incentive for continuing the tradition of "a hard-working American" for a prosperous America becomes obsolete -- leaving both civilians and soldiers alone.

Comments

[Vanska]

My father was diagnosed with TBI after a freak accident in which he hit his head on a sink. I am intimately aware of some of the problems TBI patients face daily; short term memory loss, debilitating anger, depression etc. One of the functions of the brain in the frontal lobe is to make judgement decisions. Is it a good idea to talk to that meth addict on the corner? Sure! Make snarky jokes with that police officer about corruption? Yeah! Drive the wrong way down that freeway offramp? You bet. What scares me is that the US has tens of thousands of these poor, deserving soldiers turned loose on an unsuspecting, uneducated (re:TBI) populace. These are men and women and families who need help. Now. Through the VA and other resources (which were hard to find and difficult to arrange) he was able to get rehabilitation, lots of one on one care and group therapy. Hes much better, but not 100%. I dont know if anyone ever gets to 100%. Most of our Vets wont have the opportunity to get help. Welcome home.

[babyboomerorig]

Maybe, just maybe, if the government acknowledges TBI, those of us who are caregivers for TIB patients with multiple side effects will finally be recognized, too.

We're fighting a losing battle out here.

[outnow]

As an attorney, I have litigated numerous TBI cases resulting from auto and motorcycle accidents and explosions. If you evaluate the injuries at one million dollars and multiply the 20,000 military personnel who have suffered this signature wound, then you can begin to realize the actual cost of this fiasco. The real value is oftentimes in the low seven figure area with the wage loss calculated over a lifetime, the medical bills, the rehabilitation. and the pain and suffering.

I have a friend who is a neurologist in San Diego. He has never seen such huge numbers of TBI cases in his twenty-five years in practice. Most of the cases are in the VA.

Depression following head injury is often the most debilitating. Because TBI in general and depression in particular are "invisible" injuries, these injured persons are often under-diagnosed and under-treated. Certainly, they are under-compensated.

When you vote, remember, it your vote that send s these people to fight in a war based on false pretenses. When you fill up your tank, remember your buying habits for energy are sending these brave young people to their doom.

[Jonahson]

They have fought for their country with their lives without questioning. Now the Nation owe her true sons the care they needed.

[Betsy]

My heart goes out to anyone who lost a loved one or suffered any kind of trauma or injury while serving their country.

MSM has certainly let our troops down. The American people should be told each and everyday how many troops were injured and how many lost their lives.

How can they pretend to "Support the Troops," when they don't even mention the fact that over 20,000 are coming home with TBI's.

What about the number who commit suicide? How many are in financial trouble and what about the divorce rate and the thousands of children who are affected?

All we can do is pray that the 110th congress feels more responsibility for our troops than the 109th ever did.

[ElkoJohn]

after having a TBI & enduring cognitive problems for several years & having to work only part-time, I finally found a neurologist who specializes in cognitive aging. The medicines have changed my life. I have recovered to 75% of my former cognitive ability. Not only that, now the emotional quality of my life is the best it has ever been. Bottom line: don't stop until you find someone who can help.
`

[pcay]

Have any of you ever heard of EEG biofeedback, otherwise known as neurotherapy? TBI sufferers can benefit from this therapy which has been shown to be quite beneficial due to its ability to retrain the brain's connections back to some form of normality. Talk therapy doesn't work. Drugs do not work, and have considerable side effects. The brain's inter-and intra-lobe connections need to be retrained. This treatment can be both effective and permanent. Check it out before your loved one continues to suffer needlessly. www.humanbionics.com for more information.

[xrmychick]

TBI, unfortunately will become the Agent Orange and Gulf War Syndrome of GW1. The only thing we can say about it now is that even though a lot more people are aware that it exists, only a fraction of the funds needed will be allocated to helping our vets with TBI. No more specialists will be hired to treat it. No facilites will be built to house or help those who need short or long-term care. Not nearly enough contracts with private facilities will be entered into. Our GW2 vets will suffer the same fate as the vets of our previous wars with "questionable" ailments. They will be denied benifits while retired MSG Joe Blow Smith (who served 0 months combat duty) gets his 100% disability payments because he developed type 2 diabetes and toe-jam due to his sedentary lifestyle.
Meanwhile our deserving vets will literally be red-taped to death.

[jeskiley]

This issue is going to become a part of our national dialogue, and it will not go away. Not to compare apples to oranges, but to invoke compassion,...we think dealing with PMS on a monthly basis is bad. Our soldiers are going to need our support. The new, updated equipment allowed them to survive blasts that would've killed them in previous battles, their chests were protected, but their brains received trauma. We need to be very sensitive to how this new disabilty will affect our crime rate, will invite alienation from families and loved ones. These veterans deserve for us pay attention this time, we must pay back their sacrifice with understanding and action. It's probably gonna cost us alot of money. If it becomes about a lone mother crying on the front lawn of the White House for someone to believe her, I'm going to be pissed.

[glitz]

I, like you, have a sister dealing directly with TBI. In her case however, it is her son...a soldier. Her fight will be life long, and then what? Her son was brain injured over 6 years ago while active duty. The first three years..with her stubbornness, resolve, and determination..he improved way beyond anyone's expectations, but he is getting worse. Predicting daily mental state and reaction is becoming impossible. Mind altering meds were introduced with no follow-up from the VA, as well as no positive knowledge that they would work. They didn't.

These families, in the thousands, are desparate for help, they are desparate for competent doctors, they are desparate for constructive therapy..not more task forces, commissions, discussions, groups, etc. They already know the answers, she has been actively involved in trying to get solutions for six years, she started when the numbers were low. Congress has to face the fact that it will be expensive and involve the civilian TBI community, something they do not want to hear. The facts are not coming from DOD or the VA.

These soldiers went off to do what they were told to do, they did it well. Their war continues and will for as long as they live, but for their loved ones, the war begins when they come home.

[Dap]

Dear Ms.DeGennaro,

Thank you for your essaay/post, it poignant, profound and deserves great attention. Agape.

[MadMoll]

Good article - I am living with a "mild" TBI caused by being assaulted during a home invasion. I am "high functioning" yet, should I get upset, I exhaust myself. I have damaged audio and visual cortices. I suffer from 'apahsia' and short term memory problems - and I'm an actor. What I find most frustrating, is that TBI is not considered a disability, but rather a mental or emotional illness. and, cause it is hidden, it is not considered 'real' as far as accommodations are concerned

[zizyphus]

I know all about it- my only brother was injured in an auto accident that left him half-paralyzed, no short term memory, deep depression, anger, crying, and a life's promise unfulfilled. I can't begin to describe how this affected me as a teen, and my widowed mother. Let's just say it was profound.

I hope these poor TBI vets get this much needed funding, and counseling for their families also must be considered. The despair is contagious, and no one can measure how much their pain, loss and suffering extends outward in an ever-widening ripple effect.