Traumatic brain injury

[Walkingdisaster1991]

So my dad was knocked off his motor bike weeks ago and suffered many broken bones which have healed but he also suffered traumatic brain injury which is kinda what I want to talk/ask about. It's been a few months and although he knows who we all are he isn't himself at all. His short term memory just isn't there. He's making up stories and we were told he could have ICU pyschosis they've tried many things to help his memory but he just doesn't remember anything, he went to the toilet and came back and asked where my mum was and I explained she isn't here today it's just me and 2 of my kids and he wouldn't believe me. He thinks everyone's against him and that everyone else on the ward is taking his stuff. It's a lot to get into but it just isn't my dad. After being told the specialist had looked at his CT last week and said his memory will come back we've now just been told they want to do a MRI scan to get a better look and to see if this is just how he is now. Not gonna lie I'm scared that he's just going to be like this forever. Just wondering is anyone's been in this situation and what the outcome was? I already know I'm clutching at straws and everyone is different and the brain takes ages to heal but I guess I'm just looking for any glimmer of hope or whether to just deal with he fact I've lost my dad as the way I've always known him 😔

OP, horrid situation. My dad experienced a TBI in November and I remember feeling so worried about him. He’s ok now and back to normal life, with some forgetfulness and sometimes gets tired. Everyone’s recovery seems to be different but it can take time.

check the Headway charity website. They have fantastic, clear info on there plus a support number if you need.

If he's in a major neurological centre, they may have specialist brain injury/ neurological nurse specialists. See if you can speak to them.

Hi, I spent 8 weeks this year in a coma, when I woke in ICU the psychosis was absolutely unreal and very very scary. As I have first hand experience of it, all I can advise is reassurance on your part. Agree what your dad is saying is "real" as it is very real to us, this should ease his agitation and hopefully this will go away with time. I don't exactly know how long I was having psychosis for as I was in and out of it but probably a few weeks after I woke up. I hope everything improves for your dad and family. Xx

Sorry to hear what you're going through. I'm a Consultant in Rehab Medicine, specialising in brain injury rehab. It is very common to have problems like your Dad following a brain injury. In broad terms, the majority of recovery following a brain injury occurs in the first 6 months but small gains can continue for up to 2 years.

Has he been referred to a brain injury team at all? Provision is different in different areas, but there may be a community brain injury rehab team he could be referred to. It sounds like he would benefit from some input/assessment from a psychologist with experience in brain injury.

Headway is a charity that offers support for people after a brain injury, including relatives. They are a great source of information

www.headway.org.uk/supporting-you/someone-i-know-has-a-brain-injury/

Thank you for all the replies. We've just been told he's going to be assessed by someone who is coming from a care facility that specialises in brain recovery on Monday so fingers crossed they'll take him on and have a room for him (if they can get the funding). His accident was in June so although it feels like ages I guess it hasn't been that long although not seeing improvement in this amount of time is just concerning. He is in a rehabilitation centre at the moment but they seem to just focus on the physical side of things so it's like he's ready for the next step and they would like the free bed space 🤦🏻‍♀️.

Hi OP. I'm very sorry to hear what's happened.

I'm not a medic, but I have extensive experience of helping to care for an elderly (80s) aunt who developed delirium after a bad fall, followed by an operation to try to fix her badly broken shoulder.

She was seeing things that weren't there, confused, anxious and very agitated and scared. Because she was in her 80s hospitals kept assuming that these were symptoms of pre-existing dementia, but they weren't. She'd been a little confused before the fall, but nothing like the way she was afterwards. Because she was seeing so many new staff every day it was virtually impossible for us to get the message through that this was not her normal presentation.

I'd try looking up delirium in the elderly. I know people often say not to Google, but it's necessary sometimes to have some kind of information about what might be going on. There's no guarantee that delirium will completely pass, but sometimes it does, and there are a lot of things that can be done to try to create an environment conducive to settling down and healing.

Very best of luck to you and your dad

Is he on steroids at all? Dad had a tumour rather than TBI, but the steroids they gave him to reduce the swelling made him absolutely batshit. He thought niece and nephew were me and my brother (but recognised mum?), amongst other things. He became more like himself as the dose tapered down (over weeks).