March is brain injury awareness month, implemented to bring attention to how challenging life after a brain injury can be for survivors. These injuries happen in a variety of ways, and most people associate them with some sort of trauma, such as an accident involving blunt force.
However, a brain injury can also happen without any force applied to the head. In some cases, a non-traumatic brain injury could result from a mistake, a misdiagnosis, or a delayed diagnosis or treatment by medical personnel.
What could lead to non-TBI brain injuries?
Some of the more common causes of non-TBI include the following:
- A reduction or lack of oxygen to the brain resulting from cardiac arrest, heart attack or cardiopulmonary arrest
- Stroke
- Intracranial surgeries
- Seizures
- Infections that result in brain swelling, such as meningitis or encephalitis
- Brain aneurysms
- Metabolic injuries, such as insulin shock, kidney disease, diabetic coma or liver disease
- Brain tumors
- Toxic exposures, such as kidney failure, substance abuse or carbon monoxide poisoning
Once damage occurs to the brain, you could end up suffering lifelong side effects, disabilities or complications, such as the following:
- Memory loss, both short-term and/or long-term
- Seizures
- Difficulty sleeping
- Spatial disorientation
- Headaches or migraines
- Speech or language difficulties, such as aphasia or dysarthria
- Trouble with dizziness or balance
- Decreased motor abilities
- Trouble with paying attention or concentration
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sensory impairment or loss
- Difficulty problem solving or organizing
- Personality changes
- Mood swings
- Trouble with cognitive functions
Many people who survive a brain injury also suffer from emotional changes as well. You may suffer from depression, aggression or impulse control. Any of the above could range from mild to severe, depending on the severity of your brain injury.
Did your life change due to medical malpractice?
If you now live with the repercussions of a non-traumatic brain injury, it may be due to an otherwise preventable error. Is it possible that you didn’t receive the standard of care you deserved from your doctor and the other medical personnel whom you trusted with your life? If you believe that to be the case, a medical malpractice claim may be the appropriate course of action.
The problem is that these cases are notoriously challenging. Fortunately, you do not have to travel this road alone. You would greatly benefit from scheduling a consultation with a Texas attorney experienced in this area of law.
