I'm not in this forum all the time. Just recently started with it to help my husband. I joined neuro talk because of my Myasthenia Gravis + something else they're trying to get diagnosed. Sorry you didn't get any responses yet, but be patient. Many with this condition tire easily, so I'm sure they'll be around.

I know exactly how you feel, wanting to help your friend. My husband suffered a TBI with 2 skull fractures, brain bleed and pretty much all over the brain concussion. His doctor said people die from that same severity of injury all the time, so I'm happy just to have him still.

One thing you can tell your friend is that the process of healing the brain is slow. We are at almost the one year mark, and my husband just started working again a few months ago. He lost hearing, smell and taste, having recovered some of his hearing which we have boosted with hearing aids.

Three months isn't very long, and while a brain bleed is a more serious situation, I've read that even little bumps to the head can cause big problems. It's very important that your friend protect his head at all times! We were told that even a screw falling on his head would cause further injury, so he had to wear a bike helmet for the first couple of months.

Rest is so important. The brain needs it's shut down time, and lots of it, to heal itself. You may try making a journal of his progress to keep his hope up. It's interesting to look back to how bad things were and then note little mile stones. It will also help with an assessment at the doctors.

My husband was getting so depressed, frustrated and worried because the progress was slow, and frankly he didn't remember everything early on. Seeing this, I started pointing out every little thing that was better than just after the accident. I still have to do this. He is living through this day by day, so doesn't have the perspective I do.

Still, one year later he gets headaches on occassion (never really had them before), he tires much faster than he used to, and occassionally he still gets the wrong word. He's still a bit self concious about his reduced hearing, and gets bummed that he can't taste anything but sweet or salt.

Actually, because of my current health issues (I'm out of work due to a bout with my disease, and I'm the major wage earner - he owns a garage door company and we have really felt the economy slow down), the stress is getting pretty heavy. He has shown some depression symptoms that he denies, so we are going to the doc tomorrow to talk about some things. I'm not sure he realizes it, but I am seeing some backward motion in his recovery. I'm sure it's due to the stress and depression. I'm hoping his doctor can recommend something so he can keep moving forward.

I don't know if anything I've told you helps. The biggest is the patience. It takes a long time, especially if your friend is back to work and wearing himself out. Has he seen a neurologist specializing in head injury? I think that would be a good move if he doesn't have one yet. What happens early on can set the stage for how well he can recover.

You are a wonderful friend and he's lucky to have you to help encourage him and cheer him on! I wish you both the best of luck and a speedy recovery for him. It's very hard being the one watching all of this too, so you be sure to take care of yourself as well. 's to you both!