Brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder devastate many lives each and every year. PTSD and brain injury do share numerous symptoms and numerous strategies for overcoming or, at least, dealing with the changes that come.

A military wife writes, "He got hurt over there,but copes. He is now out too. He says he will finally seek help, but I dont know where to turn. He is not the same man, he drinks constantly, is always angry and withdrawn, is mean and distant…"

Another writes, "I didnt meet my husband until he was already back. However there are days that I dont feel like I know him at all! There are days that his PTSD is so bad its like he gets lost somewhere in the shuffle. … I have to remind myself that he is not who he used to be and this is who he is now." (continued below)

Larry and Beth Jameson, authors of Brain Injury Survivor’s Guide, received the following email. "I emailed you a few weeks ago about my husband who is a year post injury. He is definitely getting better, but I get concerned about all the ups and downs. When he is particularly tired (which can last for days), he is more confused. This morning he was going to take a shower, but instead of doing so he put two pairs of pants on (one over the other). Once I convinced him of what he needed to do, he ended up taking a shower in his underwear and couldn’t figure out why that wasn’t right.

"He usually doesn’t have this much trouble. He sometimes forgets which clothes are his clean ones and which are his dirty one, but that is usually it. The only thing I can figure is that he is tired, and it gets frustrating because I think he is getting better and then he goes backwards. He seems to get real tired and then he is like a completely different person. And he is tired a lot of the time."

Another email summed it up this way. "I suffered a brain injury about 39 and half years ago. I have had horrible things come out of this. I need support badly!"

Help is Needed

No one prepares to have a brain injury. Because each brain is different prior to such an injury, the help needed varies from person to person. The medical community needs far more information, and the health insurance industry rarely provides for the needs of a brain injury patient.

Another lady wrote to Larry and Beth. "I just want to say thank you. My father fell ill with Acute Viral Encephalitis on April 24th of this year. It has been quite a battle dealing with insurance issues. He is a retired Marine and even after further years of dedication to our government via civil service, Tricare has denied his coverage for cognitive therapy. My father has always been a pillar for our family and we have all suffered an extreme loss in losing a husband, father, son, and brother. Thank you most for giving us hope, especially the hope my mom has gotten from your book. We are a family that is spread throughout the country, leaving her as my dad’s primary caretaker. To hear the hope and resolve in her voice after discovering your website and then book has given me a sense of hope for her and my dad that I have formerly struggled with. So, thank you for giving hope to my father, my mother, and my family. You are both a blessing to this world."

More Brain Injury Information

Larry and Beth Jameson have a mission in life: to teach everyone about brain injury. They have two websites with hundreds of pages of information, including visitor-submitted Brain Injury Stories. The sites are Brain Injury Online and Brain Injury Guide.

Beth’s Brain Injury Blog is a favorite in the brain injury community. She writes about the good, the bad and the ugly of brain injury and how you must maintain a sense of humor to live successfully whether you are the victim or a caregiver. A longtime friend of Beth wrote, "I have loved Beth since we met in I think fourth grade, and her blog reminds me again why. The blog is one of the things that makes your site so special, her personality coming through, and she frames the realities in ways that communicate the good, the bad, and the hard. I can only imagine what hope she gives people and what a lifeline your site must be to so many."

"We didn’t know how extensive the need was," said William Ditto, head of the Office of Disability Services for the state of New Jersey. Mr. Ditto tried to explain his position in an interview with Susan K. Livio, a reporter covering the Statehouse for nj.com. "Nobody wants to do this. My back is against the wall," he further explained.

The State of New Jersey was a leader among states providing assistance to victims of brain injury. In 2001, the state developed the Brain Injury Fund that paid for speech therapy and other needed treatments not covered by health insurance. Since 2004, about 2,200 people have been helped. That will soon change with new regulations slated to begin in the Spring.

The proposed new regulation will limit access to the program to individuals whose brain injury is the result of a direct blow to the head. If this rule had been in effect in 2004 only 900 of the 2,200 would have received treatment.

Twenty-five years ago, Michael Jankowsky tried to help a friend who had gotten into a fight. He was stabbed in the heart, and his body began shutting down. The lack of oxygen getting to his brain caused extensive cell damage. He is confined to a wheel chair, still slurs his speech and has concentration problems – not unlike millions of other brain injury victims in the United States. In addition to limiting who can receive assistance from New Jersey’s Brain Injury Fund, available services are being cut as well.

Transportation will no longer be provided. Electronics like personal alarms will no longer be covered. Many brain injury victims use personal alarms to compensate for lost memory skills. It helps them know when to go places or perform other tasks. Personal computers play a huge role for these people who have both cognitive and memory problems. (continued below)

Brain Injury Costs

Living with brain injury is expensive. In addition to a regular medical doctor, many victims must see neurologists, psychologists, endocrinologists as well as speech, physical and occupational therapists. Migraine headaches are a common complaint as is high blood pressure and vision problems. Many brain injury victims find they cannot return to work or must, at least, seek stress-free work at a flexible workplace.

Chee Chee Parker worked at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Her desk was in a direct line of the impact when the plane commandeered by terrorists hit the building. Though she suffered many injuries, she says the worst was her brain injury. She left the military and was able to find another job…for a short time. The effects of brain injury forced her out.

Others say: "I lost everything, my home, job, car all.. I have not found fiance help anywhere I get SSI and food assistance I have been in poverty since my injury." – Lynn; "I have been in such poverty since my tbi." – Hope; "I sustained my TBI on March 3, 1994 when a student knocked me unconscious. Needless to say that was the end of my teaching career." – Melba; "We learn to live in poverty." – Terry

Increasing health care costs and limited, if any, sources of income make government assistance almost a necessity. Now, those programs are going away. Congress has pretty much frittered away health insurance reform. Short of Medicare for Everyone, a single-payor system, the people you read about here would still be unable to afford insurance premiums. Yes, some qualify for Medicaid, and some qualify for SSI, but that still doesn’t provide the therapies they need to develop their lives more fully. America, we need to do something.

Uncle Brice Supporters

Say Hey to the Good Folks that make this blog possible:

Online Little Rock.com is where Uncle Brice got his start. There’s a ton of information on this site about Arkansas, Little Rock, dining, dancing, shopping (and shopping online). It’s also a high-trafficked Civil War information site. You can even find out stuff about all the colleges and universities of Arkansas.

Home Business Opportunities is a site that has never been more in demand. You can find legitimate ways to earn money from home as well as a lot of information about Internet marketing, writing, building traffic for your website, and more.

The owners of Online Little Rock have a mission in life to teach everyone about brain injury. They have two websites that have hundreds of pages of information, including visitor-submitted Brain Injury Stories. The sites are Brain Injury Online and Brain Injury Guide.

Beth’s Brain Injury Blog is a favorite in the brain injury community. She writes about the good, the bad and the ugly of brain injury and how you must maintain a sense of humor to live successfully whether you are the victim or a caregiver.

Senator Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas) joined a Republican coalition to defeat public option amendments offered in the Senate Finance Committee. Having long been considered by the main media as a fence-sitter on offering a public option to Americans suffering under the current health care system, she finally showed her colors on the issue, and the color is green.

A few weeks ago the Huffington Post reported that Senator Lincoln was the top recipient of campaign contributions from the health care industry this year among senators. Blue Cross Blue Shield, the dominant health care insurer in Arkansas, is among her top contributors.

Responses posted on the Green Party Watch website are indicative of why Lincoln may lost her Senate race in 2010. Susan wrote, "That almost makes me want to move to Arkansas to vote against Blanche Lincoln. What a sellout to the insurance industry." Dave said, "Wow, if I lived in Arkansas I’d totally start a ‘move to Arkansas to vote against Blanche Lincoln’ campaign. And Lynn said, "I AM from Arkansas and WON’T be voting for her next election."

In February of 2009 Michael D. Tanner, a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, testified before the Arkansas House Insurance and Commerce Committee. He said, "I understand the frustration that Arkansans feel with the problems facing our health care system. In particular, Arkansans are worried about cost and access. Simply put, health care and health insurance cost too much, and too many people, including roughly 486,000 Arkansans, 17 percent of your state’s population, lack health insurance. And the two problems are deeply entwined; cost is the number one reason why people go without health insurance."

Tanner also stated, "…the average cost of a family insurance plan in Arkansas tops $9,900…" According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2001, Arkansas had a per capita personal income (PCPI) of $22,750 which ranked 50th in the United States (including the District of Columbia) and was 75% of the national average, $30,413. According to data released by the US Census Bureau, in 2000, the median household income was $30,293 compared to the national average of $42,148. In 2001, the median income for a family of four was $47,838 compared to the national average of $63,278. For the period 1999 to 2001, the average poverty rate was 16.3% which placed it 48th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia ranked lowest to highest.

With a median income of $30,293, is there any question why Arkansans cannot afford the average cost of a family health insurance plan of $9,900? That’s at the median level. What about the 49+% of Arkansans whose income is below the median.

At a time when Arkansas needs a Senator to stand up for them, Blanche Lincoln chose to support her contributors rather than her constituents.

More About Senator Blanche Lincoln

Blanche Lincoln Opposes Public Option

Blanche Lincoln Feet to the Fire

Sen. Blanche Lincoln Co-sponsors SHOP

Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas Republican?!

Blanche Lincoln Rakes in Health Care Dollars – Huffington Post 09/04/2009 – The senior Arkansas senator is also the top recipient of campaign contributions from the health industry among senators this year. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Lincoln has received $325,350 in contributions from the health industry, as of June 30. The large amount in contributions underlies a constantly shifting position by the senator on health care reform.

Monopoly Money: "Our good friend Senator Blanche Lincoln thinks it’s very dangerous for the insurance companies to have to compete with a public plan option: ‘One of our biggest concerns is that it doesn’t need to be a government plan that usurps that ability to compete in the marketplace, which I’m concerned that a totally government-run option would do,’ she said."

For more information about her political contributions, you can visit the Federal Election Commission Blanche Lincoln Page.

Brain injury blogs provide a great deal of current information about the number one cause of death and disabilty in the world. Jane H. of Seattle, Washington writes one of my favorites. After having two brain injuries three years apart, Jane describe herself as being like Swiss cheese: the block is still sharp but has holes.

The story featured in the photo, Something like "AAADD", is one that millions of people can relate to, not just persons living with brain injury. Here’s a short excerpt.

"Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D – Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests:

"I decided to wash my car. As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the hall table. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the trash can under the table, and notice that the trash can is full.

"So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the trash first. But then I think, since I’m going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

"I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go to my desk where I find the bottle of juice that I had been drinking. …"

You can read the rest of this story on Jane’s blog by clicking this link: Something like "AAADD"

Brain Injury Books at Amazon

Another entertaining and informative article by Jane is entitled, "This Too Shall Pass." Here’s an excerpt:.

"I feel so very confused as to who I am, who I am not, and who I should be, and who I can be. I want to know where the brain holes are so I can avoid them. I want something like a map to a mine field. I want to know exactly what is not working. I want to know exactly what I need to avoid. I want to know what I can do, and do well." …

" look normal. I seem normal. Not only to my friends but to me too! I keep expecting myself to be normal just as they do. The confusing thing is that often I am “normal” and sometimes I am not." …

"Another thing that is frightening or confusing to me about all of this is that I TRULY do not know what I can do and what I can’t. Now as I am learning more about TBIs I am also seeing how many compensatory techniques I have already developed. The compensatory techniques are a good thing. I am not knocking them. They are also part of the silver lining that I have talked about in previous posts. But all the compensatory techniques I am now identifying are also pointing to the number and depth of holes that currently exist. What I need to do is develop more compensatory techniques but first, as I explained above, I have to find and define the holes." Read the complete articleby clicking this link: This Too Shall Pass

Maj. Steven Hutchison, 60, of Scottsdale, Arizona, died May 10, in Basrah of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Al Farr, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

We salute Major Hutchinson as a true American hero, not because he was killed in combat nor because he wore a military uniform. Steven Hutchinson is a patriot. After 9/11 he wanted to re-enlist in the military to further serve his country. He had previously served in Vietnam. But Hutchinson’s wife protested, and he did not re-enlist. According to his brother, Richard, Hutchinson’s wife died and a little part of Steven died, too.

At age 59 he re-enlisted in 2007. He had to pull some strings to do that.

By federal law (10 U.S.C., 505), the minimum age for enlistment in the United States Military is 17 (with parental consent) and the maximum age is 35 (Note: Congress changed this to age 42 in 2006). However, DOD policy allows the individual services to specify the maximum age of enlistment based upon their own unique requirements. However, someone with prior service like Major Hutchinson, can get an age waiver.

About older recuits, Col. Donald Bartholomew, U.S. Army Recruiting Command Assistant Chief of Staff, G5, said, "Experience has shown that older recruits who can meet the physical demands of Army service generally make excellent soldiers. They are mature, motivated, loyal and patriotic, and bring with them a wealth of skills and experience to our Army." (continued below)

Major Steven Hutchinson is a hero for all Americans. Though most citizens now oppose the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and want them brought to an end, Steven Hutchinson is a man we can admire. Patriotism burned within him after the World Trade Center was destroyed but he followed the wishes of his wife. He was, and is, a man’s man.

It is sad, however, that America reached the point where a 59-year old could re-enlist in the military. When I first learned of Major Hutchinson, the 1967 Buffalo Springfield song For What It’s Worth immediately leapt into my mind.

There’s something happening here
What it is ain’t exactly clear

They can sing it far better than I can write it.

We salute, again, Major Hutchinson for what he has done for his country. We plead, again, with our nation’s leaders to bring these wars to an end. As of Thursday, May 14, 2009, at least 4,295 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. Others pay tribute to Major Hutchinson as well.

War On Terror News: RIP Major Hutchison – Maj. Steven Hutchison, 60, of Scottsdale, Ariz., died May 10, in Basrah of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Al Farr, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, …

HolyCoast.com: 60-Year Old Hero – An Associated Press database of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan shows that Maj. Steven Hutchison, of Scottsdale, Ariz., is the oldest member of any service branch killed since the wars broke out. His brother said Hutchison …

Thank You Major Hutchison « Infidels Paradise – This man, Major Steven Hutchison had already sacrificed for his country in the Vietnam war yet was compelled to join the Army again after 9/11. At the age of 59 years old he still felt he had not sacrificed or given enough for this …

Brain injury victims usually find themselves trapped inside a fog because of memory problems. Imagine walking down a sidewalk in a soupy fog. You cannot see anything in front of you or to your sides yet you know there is a cross street ahead. You also know other people are walking on the sidewalk. You move along slowly, cautiously.

Brain injury is similar to enshrouding the victim’s memory with fog; it slows down. The victim sees a familiar face and the brain trudges painstakingly slow in finding a name to go with it, and, in many cases, never produces the desired answer quickly enough.

There are other demands being made inside the foggy brain. All five senses are gathering information and sending it for processing. The name retrieval is dismissed as someone asks a question. A car passes by with music blaring. The scent of barbecue permeates the air.

Inside the fog the brain slows as more and more information lines up for processing. Stress builds. Heart rate and breathing quicken. The injured brain is being asked to do too much. Mental fatigue sets in as the Cycle of Response begins.

The Cycle is a natural one and is recognizable. Mental fatigue leads to confusion which leads to frustration which leads to guilt and, eventually depression. Inside the fog this happens several times each day. It is important to recognize the Cycle, recognize where you are on the Cycle, and begin taking steps to back away from guilt and depression.

Brain Injury Books at Amazon

Soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder experience the same Cycle. The March 2009 shooting at Camp Liberty in Baghdad is an example. President Barack Obama’s statement shed light on what probably happened. “There were a total of five service members killed yesterday. Two were 55th Medical Company staff officers at the Liberty Combat Stress Control Centre.” The other three killed were being treated for stress.

Days before the incident, the Army had taken away the shooter’s weapon and recommended he get counseling at the centre. Depression, the last step on the Cycle of Response, indicates separation. A depressed person separates himself from society by withdrawing into his own world. A depressed person separates himself from family through divorce. A depressed person separates himself from life through suicide or a suicidal act.

It is clearly evident the shooter at Liberty Combat Stress Centre performed an act of separation. The immediate arrest outside the clinic was one side of the coin. The other side would have the shooter killed by military police, another type of suicide. In custody and charged with five counts of murder, the shooter is now separated from society, family and his former life.

The military, itself, is not without blame. A stigma has been attached to “mental health” issues, according to Major Gen. Daniel Bolger, the commander of Multi-National Division-Baghdad. The shooter’s father said of his son, “His life was over as far as he was concerned. He lived for the military.”

Think about the chain of events. The shooter had been in the military since 1988. His weapon had been taken from him and he was sent for mental health counseling. His father stated that his son was confused by the tests and their significance. “He lived for the military,” are certainly telling words. Guilt permeated his every thought. “His life was over as far as he was concerned.” Depression could not be stated more clearly or forcefully.

I have not used the shooter’s name in this article because he is not the primary focus, neither are his actions. He felt stigmatized by a system that could not treat him adequately.

Read more about PTSD:

War Veterans and Traumatic Brain Injury

VetVoice:: VoteVets.org and CREW Urge PTSD Investigation – Not only myself, but all clinicians up here are being pressured not to diagnose PTSD and diagnose anxiety disorder NOS instead.” Dr. McNinch continued, “yours has not been the only case . . . I and other [doctors] are under a lot of …

Balancing the Image of PTSD: The Synonmous Relationship of Combat … – The perception of PTSD as nothing more than “battle fatigue” is a thing of the past in American society. Or is it?

Witness: Ex-soldier had PTSD, was unfit for combat – KHQ Right Now … – Witness: Ex-soldier had PTSD, was unfit for combat. Associated Press – May 12, 2009 10:23 PM ET. PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) – A psychiatrist has testified that a former soldier convicted of rape and murder in Iraq did not receive a proper level …

Veterans Blog: Help for PTSD Sufferers! – There are many stories circulating about the shortfalls in adequately diagnosing and treating post traumatic stress disorder, commonly referred to as PTSD. Just recently, I spoke with a women working at a business here in Nashville …

Additional References:

Brain Injury Guide

Brain Injury Online

Beth’s Brain Injury Blog

Brain injury blogs provide a great deal of current information about the number one cause of death and disabilty in the world. Most of these bloggers are living with brain injury as a major part of their lives.

Brain injury causes memory problems, cognitive problems and behavioral problems which cause mental fatigue, confusion, frustration, guilt and depression.

Everyone needs to know more about brain injury. It’s always unexpected. It’s always unwanted. And, for the most part, it lasts a lifetime.

Brain Injury Books at Amazon

Official Blog of TrainingPeaks» Blog Archives » Traumatic brain … – In 2005, David McGuire suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of blunt force trauma to his head. His brain started to swell so much that a large section of his skull had to be removed for 28 days. Now, although he can no longer …

Mother's Day Is Always Christmas « Kara Swanson's Brain Injury Blog – Kara Swanson’s Brain Injury Blog …. Blogroll. Kara’s Cafe Press Storefront · Kara’s Online Store With Cool Mouse Pads, Tote Bags and Unique Casual Wear For The Whole Family · Blog at WordPress.com.

For Iraq veterans headaches continue following traumatic brain … – Thirty-seven percent of the soldiers stated that their headaches began within one week of the traumatic brain injury (TBI); of these 60 percent had migraine-like headaches and 40 percent had headaches which interfered with their ability …

Traumatic Brain Injury in young children associated with later … – A few weeks ago I reviewed a study on the long-term effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in children. I mentioned in that review that previous research led to the likely incorrect assumption that the effects of mild TBI …. Child- Psych.org is a research-based informational blog on child disorders, parenting, and child development. If you have any questions please contact us at info@child-psych.org. Read more About Us. Readour Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. …

Brain injury is the number one cause of death and disability in the world. It is also one of the most difficult medical problems to deal with since everyone’s brain is different prior to such an injury. Brain injury affects different people in different ways.

The three most common issues are memory problems, cognitive problems and behavioral problems. These lead, as you might expect, to other problems such as mental fatigue, confusion, frustration, guilt and depression.

Think about this. Who would know how much of a memory problem you have? Who would know how a memory problem has affected you? Imagine yourself sitting in a doctors office and saying, "I am having problems with my memory." The doctor asks, "What sort of problems?" Your immediate response would probably be, "I don’t know; I can’t remember." People who have sustained a brain injury face this type of situation every moment of every day.

Family members and others who are living successfully with brain injury are, perhaps, the best ones to help. Professional brain injury rehabilitation normally lasts only a few months even though the brain injury lasts a lifetime. It is very probable that a person who was intelligent before sustaining a brain injury is equally intelligent after such an injury. Cognitive problems, though, cause the person to think more slowly because the brain in processing information more slowly. Thus, when taking a timed IQ test, such a person will inevitably score lower.

Many brain injury survivors see themselves on a new mission in life: to help others who are living with brain injury. There are many, many blogs and social sites dedicated to brain injury victims and their families. Below you will find the beginning of an ever-growing list of these sites.

Brain Injury Books at Amazon

Beth’s Brain Injury Blog is maintained weekly by Beth Jameson who sustained an anoxic brain injury in August 1990. After she woke up from her medically-induced coma, Beth did not remember being married or that she had two children. She did not remember how to apply makeup nor did she know how to cook.

Beth and her husband spent months learning about brain injury, memory strategies, cognitive strategies and how to deal with her behavioral changes. She began a life of debilitating migraine headaches that hit every six days just like clockwork and forced her into bed for 48 hours each time. Returning to her job seemed like an impossible dream, and brain injury specialists told her that she might never be able to return. Strategy after strategy was developed about how to perform her job duties. She did return and, eventually, earned a promotion to Strategic Sourcing Analyst at a Fortune 500 company. Her blog receives many visitors every day.

We Are TBI is a social media site for brain injury victims and their family members. The site is similar to Facebook with different communities (groups) and the ability to add friends with whom you can interact. There are Walls to write on and many discussions where people ask questions or simply share information about brain injury legislation, research or daily living strategies.

One person said, "I have met a good bit of folks since I’ve discovered the T.B.I. sites. Everyone I’ve met has different stories; but, one thing definitely in common and that is their amazing strength to overcome adversity and come up on the other side fighting with vengence to get control again. And no matter what obstacle is thrown in their paths they just hike up their skirts or trousers and keep on truckin’!! That is darn inspiring to me."

The Brain Tree is a fairly new social media site for brain injury victims and those who support them. Pam created this site in honor of Dorothy Kay, a brain injury survivor from Kansas who now lives in New York City.

Dorothy was in her first semester of college she was walking home one evening when a drunk driver hit her with his pick-up truck. With a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) she was given a 7% chance of moderate recovery, but that did not stop her.
Since then she has graduated, worked abroad, organized international festivals, and much more. She beat the odds, but she doesn’t just want to beat them; she wants to change them.

Many more brain injury blogs, social networks and websites will be added.