Hi Mark-

Lets see how much I can I answer of your questions, LOL. No I had actually never heard of the multiple impact syndrome before I found this page, I have looked it up and sounds right. All of his issues have come to light since a surgery about a year and half ago, well come in majorly. There has always been loss(we have only been together for 7 years), but nothing like what has sprialed since the surgery, I initally thought it was just post anesthia syndrome which I asked the surgeon, who just blew me off(and yes I did ask if there was any hypoxia during surgery and have since gotten the surgical report and nothing out of the ordinary), however symptoms have hung out WAY to long for it to be that anymore ;o(.

Trying to figure out what is going on with him actually has stemed from him having a extremely low testosterone level. The Dr. I work for after speaking with her about symptoms etc went woah there is more to this then just the testosterone and we have been running ever since. He has been to a neuro, who I feel blew him off and my husband also used some of the "tools" he was learning in speech pt(for memory and cognitive loss).

So it was not an accurate "test" I feel. Also since he has stopped the speech pt a lot of the "tools/tricks" he had learned have gone away. He stopped the pt due to yet ANOTHER surgery(knee problems), and after that surgery he has back slid even more. I also just recieved the report from the neuro at work and feel that some of the things that he told ther neuro were not completely accurate(better then he is kinda thing). I unfortunately was unable to go with to that appt due to scheduling(let's just say he is not allowed to schedule his appt's anymore and I hate that).

As far as calling them CHI's instead of concusion's is due to that is what my doc has called them(I am a M.A. in a PCP's office-yes he is a pt, I know I know HIPPA LOL he is ok with it ;o)) I believe the reasoning is we don't have great documentation on them, other then reports from family etc
. Since I haven't been around that long some is very hazy, other then there have been a hell of a lot of them for someone his age-hell for any age. He will only be 40 in May. The reasoning for a lot of them was a daredevil when young and no one tried to control it even after several concusion's/CHI's with LOC.

Also he drove a racecar for a number of years-I always joke and say you obviously weren't very good at it if you got knocked out every race(gotta find humor somewhere in all of this). Also he was a combat medic in the first Gulf war-on the ground with a Marine Battalion.

He has not undergone nueropsych testing as of yet, the neuro he saw wanted us to finish the work-up on his failing pituatary gland before anything else. Which the endocrinologist he is seeing is basically saying it is failing due to the number of head trauma's he has had and prolly not "fixable".

We have been discussing the SSDI, but need someone to be able to say this is permanent and disabiling,, still working on that. See the endocrine for a follow-up next week, hopefully we can get it there. I am no longer comfortable with him going back to work.

His greatest struggles right now is remembering things(questions, conversations,peoples names, or significance of people's names), one track thinking or obsessing on one thought process and not being able to move to antoher and the loss of words.

I was told by the pt to give the words up instead of trying to "make" him remember them, that it would just frustrate him and me. At least we are at the point where he no longer gets angry when I tell him a word or finish a sentence/question when he can not place it or remember it.

I will look into the Carondelet support groups we are very familiar with carondelet in general and any help at this point would be great!!! I have no support system here in Tucson. My family is in So Cal and his family is not really a help at all, they even now sicne it has been explained just think he is being stupid, or a pain. They have no idea and no want to have an idea of what we both deal with daily ;(

So I think I answered most of your questions, as soon as I can I will PM with an email, would love to chat with your wife!!!!!! Anyone that has dealt with any of the things we are would be great!!!

Thank you
Lisa and Brian