Thread: Spouse of TBI patient
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Old 08-02-2012, 11:00 AM
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Location: Phoenix AZ
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Lightrail11 Lightrail11 is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Phoenix AZ
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Hi Emily and welcome.

While all brain injuries are different, the personality changes you describe are not uncommon in TBI survivors, especially when the frontal lobes are involved (Google Phineas Gage sometime).

Your husband is relatively early in his recovery. I went through lots of personality swings and changes over the months as my brain learned to rewire itself. I’m now 20 months post injury, and while I know I’ll probably never be exactly like I was before, my wife assures me I’m now pretty close to my “old self”.

You may also want to read the book “Where is the Mango Princes” by Cathy Crimmins; it a memoir from the perspective of the spouse of a TBI survivor.

Best to both of you on this recovery journey.

__________________
What Happened: On November 29, 2010, I was walking across the street and was hit by a light rail commuter train. Result was a severe traumatic brain injury and multiple fractures (skull, pelvis, ribs). Total hospital stay was two months, one in ICU followed by an additional month in neuro-rehab. Upon hospital discharge, neurological testing revealed deficits in short term memory, executive functioning, and spatial recognition.

Today: Neuropsychological examination five months post-accident indicated a return to normal cognitive functioning, and I returned to work approximately 6 months after the accident. I am grateful to be alive and am looking forward to enjoying the rest of my life.
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