Confronting 'The Invisible Injury'

SIDNEY -- In 2010, a survey was held in Nebraska on the impact of brain injuries.

The survey shows that at least one person dies every day from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), three people are hospitalized and more than 24 people per day visit an emergency department because of a TBI.

Elevate Community Conversations hosted a public meeting Thursday entitled "The Invisible Injury" at Sidney High School's Performing Arts Center.  According to a fact sheet presented at the event, nearly half of emergency department visits for TBIs are related to falls. 

MenDi McCuiston of the Nebraska Brain Injury Alliance was the guest speaker at Thursday's event. She said her passion about brain injury is personal. Her daughter was diagnosed in 2014 with a brain injury.

"It's anything that causes disruption to how a brain works," she said.

According to the Brain Injury Alliance, the change is the result of a bump, blow or jolt to your head, or when your brain doesn't get enough oxygen such as when someone strangles you or your breathing is constricted. Sometimes the change is temporary, and sometimes it lasts longer.

McCuiston said the impact of trauma may not be recognized for a long period of time after the incident.

"We've all had some kind of incident," she said.

She said the problem is when the brain doesn't heal to how it was before the trauma. 

She said there are similarities between mental health and brain injuries. One of the differences is brain injuries have a starting point, an event when the trauma occurred. She added that sometimes the symptoms of a brain injury do not manifest for an extended period of time, and diagnostic tests do not always provide conclusive proof of a brain injury. 

She also said brain injury impacts the family, not just the patient.

For more information on Traumatic Brain Injuries, contact the Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska at https://biane.org/braininjury/nebraska.html.