>> DR.
SALOMONE: Hello, I’m Dr. Jeffery Salomone, Co-Director of Trauma at Grady Memorial Hospital.
The injury of a loved one or friend is a difficult thing to face and we recognize this is a very
challenging time for you.
The goal of this video is to give you a better understanding of brain injury and the rehabilitation
process ahead.
Because a serious brain injury affects not just the individual but the entire family
unit as well, this video also focuses on the important role of family members during the
next several weeks and months.
The more you can equip yourself with knowledge, the better your loved one’s outcome may
be.
We hope this video will help answer many of the questions you might have about brain injury.
Thank you for watching and thank you for entrusting the care of your loved one to this hospital.
>> JUDY FORTIN: Hello, I’m Judy Fortin in Atlanta, Georgia.
I’ll be hosting this video to help you and your family better understand brain injury
and disease.
For much of my career I was a reporter covering healthcare at CNN.
It’s important to me to help the public deal with medical and health crisis issues
by bringing them timely, accurate information.
That’s the purpose of this video – to give you and your family helpful information
right now so you can prepare yourselves for the challenges ahead.
People with brain injury and their families need to know about and have access to the
right resources and support to make their recovery as good as it can possibly be.
Major injuries like the one you are dealing with have complex consequences that may involve
part or all of the central nervous system.
Since the brain and the spinal cord can both be affected in major injuries, it may be important
that you learn about brain and spinal cord injury.
Watch our companion video detailing spinal cord injury for more information.
Throughout both these videos, you’ll hear from some of the nation’s top neuroscientists,
physicians and patient advocates who will help me share timely information with you.
The sponsors of this video hope to give you a resource that you can return to as often
as you like.
We’ve organized the information so you can select the chapters that address the specific
needs you may have as the patient yourself or as a concerned friend or family member.
[DVD version continues: The chapters and sub-chapters within them work just like the items on a
movie DVD] – [both versions continue: You can select the chapters you want to watch
and then use the easy onscreen navigation to skip forward or go back to another section
at any time.
The chapters on this program are: Chapter I – Introduction & About this Video
Chapter II – Brain Injury Basics & Anatomy of the Brain
Chapter III – Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury: Its Causes, Effects, Classifications
Chapter IV – Understanding Non-Traumatic Brain Injury: Its Causes, Effects, Classifications
Chapter V – Practical Advice for Coping With Brain Injury
>> JUDY FORTIN: At this time, I want to introduce you to a special guest who understands what
you’re going through because she’s had first-hand experience.
Lee Woodruff is a best-selling author and leading advocate for people with brain injuries.
She joins us now.
>> LEE WOODRUFF: In January of 2006, my husband Bob was seriously injured in a bomb blast
in Iraq while covering the war for ABC News.
In an instant, the shock of that news turned our family upside down.
Bob suffered a traumatic brain injury, and doctors removed 16 centimeters of his skull
to save his life.
He also had major damage to his face and jaw.
Right now, you probably feel very uncertain about what the future holds.
In the minutes and hours after getting the news about Bob, I was in the very same place.
Would he live?
Would he have permanent brain damage?
From the start I clung to the fact that my husband was alive, and to hope - hope that
he would be okay.
My family and friends and Bob’s colleagues soon became my rock, as I quickly realized
that I was not alone in my grief, or my fear.
Later, I learned that there are more than five million people living with the after-effects
of brain injury in our country.
You are not alone either.
Lean on people who’ve gone through this - call in your friends, relatives, your church,
community and your support groups.
And then you have to pull yourself together to help your loved one get better and either
become or find an anchor for your family.
There’s plenty of information about brain injury on the Internet, some of it good and
some of it not so good.
I encourage you to use credible resources, like this video and web sites from recognized
brain injury organizations.
Don’t try to learn everything at once.
I didn’t.
Rely on the medical professionals caring for your loved one to help you know what to focus
on next.
Do your best to take things a step at a time, one day at a time, and recognize that even
the smallest progress is positive.
You have good days and bad days on the long road ahead, and that’s okay.
Today, my husband is a working journalist and an active father.
We were so lucky to have a talented team of U.S. military brain surgeons and trauma care
doctors and nurses take care of Bob after his injury and throughout his rehabilitation.
If your loved one has sustained a serious brain injury, whether it’s traumatic or
caused by an illness or chronic condition, it’s important that they get specialized
treatment as soon as possible.
Statistically, it makes a huge difference in their long-term recovery.
First, you want to get the most you can out of your trauma care stay.
>> JUDY FORTIN: It’s important to realize that being at the trauma care center is an
interim step in your loved one’s long-term recovery.
There can be a wide range of possible outcomes down the road.
As Lee said, try to focus first on what’s happening right now.
Your loved one was probably stabilized by paramedics at the site where the accident
occurred.
If the injury was from a trauma, the head and neck may be immobilized to prevent further
damage to the nervous system, spine and the brain.
>> DAVID W. WRIGHT, MD: In the United States, we are fortunate to have dependable standards
for emergency and trauma care, which establish milestones for that care.
At the trauma center, the first step is to medically stabilize the patient’s condition.
Next, they may be given numerous tests and x-rays, and assessed by various medical specialists.
And finally, they may be moved to the operating room or a hospital room, depending on their
condition.
This is bound to be a very hectic time, so try to stay positive and be confident that
you are in good hands at the trauma care facility.
>> LEON HALEY, MD: It’s natural to wonder what you might do right now to help your loved
one and the care team.
Initially you may be greeted by a nurse or social worker.
Let them help you think of questions you might ask the doctors you’ll see later.
Soon the treatment team will update you on your loved one’s condition.
Ask his or her trauma caregivers to explain the basic tasks they are performing.
And, keep these important tips in mind during the trauma care or hospital stay:
If possible, have one point person gather all of your family’s questions.
Limit visits and the number of visitors at any given time.
Allow yourself or your loved one time to rest between visits.
Have everyone who visits maintain a soft and calm tone of voice.
Assume that your loved one can hear you and be careful of everything that is said within
earshot.
Your role right now is to support their recovery in an encouraging and positive way.
If your loved one is able, encourage him or her to move around as much as their condition
and their medical team will allow.
Movement might include coughing to stimulate breathing muscles, deep breathing, sitting
up, or moving around the room.
>> JUDY FORTIN: Chapter two is next.
We’ll share some basics about the anatomy of the brain and how it works.