Teenager with a brain injury

[Moski]

Is anyone out there dealing with a teenager who has had a brain injury? My DS suffered a severe traumatic brain injury when he was hit by a car at age 10. He was in a coma for 8 weeks, but had a remarkable recovery. Now he is driving me insane!

Well, I have a teenager with a disability....and am very willing to listen and support. What's happening?

I don't know if his behavior is related to being a teenager or having a brain injury or both. He is so easily influenced by bad characters, which causes a lot of trouble. I am so terrified that he will blow the "second chance" he's gotten and there is nothing I can do about it. I am in the U.S., by the way, and feel all alone over here.

Do you know which areas of his brain were involved with his injury?

He had what they called a "diffuse" brain injury because his brain bounced around in his skull. But he did have a temporal fracture and some bruising in the frontal brain. His injury was such that he has to be in rehabilitation, etc., for months to relearn how to do everything. Now he can ski and climb, etc., etc., but seems to be 16 going on 13.

Teenagers seem very capable of driving their parents to near-distraction even with brain injury, so I can only think you're having the sort of experience that leaves you completely exhausted?? Have there been tests to see how he compares to the typical 16 yr old, or any help from specialists recently, or did they think that he was completely ok and just left you alone?

Moski, has anyone put you in touch with Headway? My friend's brother has severe brain injury following a RTA and found them a lifeline. Their web address is www.headway.org.uk

He has had neuropsych evaluations several times, but not for two years. I'm sure his brain injury must be compounding the normal exhausting teenage qualities . . . . I will definitely look into Headway!

Cerebra also are a charity looking at children and young people with brain injuries. Based in Wales (Camarthen I think). Really helpful.

I looked into Headway and Cerebra and they seem wonderful. Unfortunately the USA doesn't have much in the way of Brain Injury support and treatment yet The last couple of days since I started this thread have been rough. I think I'm beginning to accept that my kid is going to have problems despite his "remarkable" recovery. He definitely has impulsivity issues and has trouble understanding whether his behavior is appropriate. I feel almost like I am grieving over this . . . . So sad all the time. Maybe I'm overreacting, but it's hard not to when your kid has been through all this and it looks like things aren't going to be "all right."

This is a USA based network for all types of brain injury, They also have a yahoo forum for family & carers called 'feasible' it might be worth a look.

http:www.braininjurynetwork.org/

Thank you so much. I am at the end of my rope . . . .

Keep talking with people here. Plenty who are regularly at the end of our rope too.

And everyone here handles their problems with such grace, too. I haven't heard from anyone with specific "teenager with a brain injury" experience, but the fact that others care makes me feel so much less alone.

One day at a time ...

Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday.

The problem is I seem to be overly optimistic lately in worrying about tomorrow, which keeps getting worse and worse My son is really making some destructive choices.