A serious accident can leave you with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Many people recover from TBI), but some have to live with devastating long-term effects. Below are some of the ways TBI complications can affect your life.
Ongoing Medical Treatment
Some of the effects of TBI will require medical treatment. For example, you might need:
- Pain medication for chronic headaches
- Anti-nausea medication for unexplained nausea and vomiting
- Treatment for convulsions and seizures
- Speech therapy to deal with slurred speech
- Counseling to help you cope with insomnia, mood swings, and irritability
The person responsible for your TBI often will be accountable for the costs of all these treatments.
Pain and Suffering
TBI can cause pain and discomfort in various ways. Below are some examples.
Physical Pain
Some of the effects of TBI trigger physical pain or discomfort. Examples include headaches, light sensitivity, and seizures.
Reduced Quality of Life
You might not suffer all the effects of TBI. The effects that you suffer determine which aspects of your life suffer. For example, you might:
- Have socialization difficulties if you are always irritable
- Feel tired all the time if you have insomnia
- Have to avoid some hobbies, such as archery, if you have a vision impairment
Your pre-injury lifestyle also determines how much the TBI has affected your quality of life.
Loss of Consortium
Loss of consortium encompasses all the things that your family used to enjoy from you, but they can no longer enjoy them due to the injury. For example, your kids might not enjoy playing with you if you are always irritable. Your sex life might suffer if you are always depressed and tired. Your kids might not get help with homework if you have cognitive impairment.
Loss of Income
Many people suffer a loss of income and earning capacity after an accident. Below are some of the effects of TBI that can affect your income.
Vision Impairment
Vision impairment means you can’t handle jobs that require perfect vision. Examples of such jobs include surgery, air traffic control, and photography.
Speech Impairment
Some jobs require near-perfect speech, and speech impairment is one of the effects of TBI. For example, your income might take a hit if you are a news anchor, motivational speaker, or spokesperson.
Seizures
Seizures and convulsions mean you cannot work in dangerous environments. For example, you should not drive, work at construction sites, or work at great heights if you regularly have seizures.
Physical Paralysis
Paralysis can affect your income if it affects a part of your body that you need in your work. For example, you cannot drive, operate a machine, or write or type with a completely paralyzed hand.
Help With Households
Some of the effects of TBI mean you cannot handle normal household chores. A couple of examples might include the following:
- You might not be able to cook if you have paralysis or experience unpredictable seizures.
- You might not be able to mow the lawn if you have constant headaches or if you are tired all the time.
The complications might force you to hand over the household chores to other members of the family or use hired help.
Help With Personal Care
Depending on the severity of your complications, you might also have to worry about personal care and hygiene. Some of the effects of TBI that can affect this aspect of your life include:
- Cognitive impairment
- Paralysis
- Vision impairment
- Constant headaches
Again, either a family member or a personal care assistant has to step in to take care of you.
TBI can affect almost all aspects of your life. As such, you need maximum compensation from the liable party. Gelman Gelman Wiskow & McCarthy LLC can help you pursue this compensation and lessen your suffering. Contact us today so that we can evaluate your case and determine the best way to help you.
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