Herrrrrrnia and Brain Injuries!

If you've been reading this blog for a while you'll recall my entry called "Turtle Roll". That entry was about a year ago, well during the roll I injured my left ankle and also obtained my second hernia. I had the right inguinal hernia repaired on the 18th of this month and the above pictures are of what I've been doing since! My cat, Mohinder, has been doing a good job of taking care of me, as you can see above. He lays on my legs and then challenges the camera when it is on, "What are you taking pictures of?", haha. Shayna has been a godsend once again, while her old husband has been out of commission for a while, she's been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, I guess I can be kinda needy every now and then, okay, I'm a wuss! Once again I realize how lucky I am to have her, it's been great.

Shayna is still working out a lot and getting ready for the upcoming competition in Culver City, CA in May, she can't wait, and she's going to do great. She's also been out of commission for about a week with a bad muscle pull in her lower right back, but coming along nicely. One thing that has been a pain in another part of the body is dealing with the new GI Bill. They have conveniently forgotten to pay her all that is due to her for the last part of 2009, and dealing with them has been next to impossible, probably what it's going to be like once the government gets it's hands on our health care system, brace for shock people! It's going to be a wild ride, hopefully a good one though.

I'm attaching an article that addresses head injuries that our service members have been experiencing since being in Iraq and Afghanistan, pretty interesting stuff. Get the word out about our warriors and the help that they WILL need in the near future, if not now. Here it is:

Traumatic Brain Injuries in the Military

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is becoming a common wound of modern warfare. It has even been coined as the "signature wound" of the War on Terror. While TBI is becoming more prevalent in wartime activity, many service men and women continue to go undiagnosed. Institutions, US Department of Veterans Affairs, are working to make quick and accurate diagnoses in order to prescribe appropriate and effective treatment.

TBI is causes by forced trauma to the head, either by being shaken or hit. The severity of TBI varies from case to case, but symptoms range from mild concussions to a debilitating state. The majority of TBI's acquired by military personnel are classified as Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries, (MTBI's). Initial symptoms of MTBI consist of loss of consciousness, disorientation, loss of memory, headache and temporary loss of hearing and vision. They are often partnered with anxiety, irritability, difficulties processing information, limited concentration amongst other problems experienced down the road. While MTBI is most common amongst the men and women of the armed forces, more severe cases of TBI are happening much more frequently and often require the victim to attend specialty rehabilitative nursing centers, like CareMeridian.

The most common cause of TBI in the military is due to blasts. There are three degrees of blast injuries where a TBI is common; Primary (due to the blast itself), Secondary (due to objects being propelled by a blast), and Tertiary (due to a collision with a third party object). According to the Veterans Health Initiative, active male members of the military from the ages of 18-24 are hospitalized with a TBI at a rate of 231 per 100,000 and females 150 per 100,000. Based on military force projections this would mean that 4,141 military personnel are hospitalized on average each year with a TBI, and these numbers often rise during war times.

The best prevention for veterans to avert the long-term effects of a brain injury is to recognize the symptoms of a TBI. Once the symptoms are identified an individual should take basic precautionary measures in order to begin the healing and recovery process until a more specific diagnosis can be made.

Service men and women give so much to protect this country and they deserve to come home to a happy and healthy life. Creating awareness about TBI will help ensure their long term health. By helping our veterans, their friends and their families to recognize the early warning signs of a TBI, treatment can be sought as early as possible. Check out the link at www.thementornetwork.com/standard/News_Item.aspx? for more information.

Thank you to Chelsea Travers at ctravers@caremeridian.com for the information and please contact with her with questions of your own. Help our guys and gals out now and when they get home to get the care they deserve!

That's about it for this week, a little longer, but a bunch of great info. Take care and keep on reading!

Dave