Fatigue is a common complaint of persons suffering from traumatic brain injury that has gone unnoticed by many Canadian doctors. Ignored and/or downplayed by physicians, a complaint of fatigue as a symptom of traumatic brain injury is many times described as a vague. And, since the symptom of fatigue is not specifically known to be linked to a particular brain mechanism or area of brain damage, this symptom is many times overlooked when a head injury victim complains of it.
Researchers, however, are now considering the symptom of fatigue as a recognized symptom of brain injury thanks to complaints about fatigue that Army physicians are receiving from veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. After noting that during MRI testing, Army veterans with traumatic brain injuries show a high rate brain power usage to perform tasks like spelling and math, researchers are considering that maybe this increased us of of brain power is a contributing factor when brain injury victims complain of fatigue. Uninjured brains burn some 30 percent of energy on a daily basis for body function, so it would stand to reason that if a brain injured person uses more brain energy to perform common tasks, fatigue would set in. In fact, many brain injury patients report debilitating widespread fatigue that occurs on a daily basis.
Common Symptoms of Brain Injury
The classic symptoms of a brain injury range from mild pain at the site of injury to bleeding and unconsciousness, with little if any attention paid to a complaint of fatigue. Traditionally, a list of brain injury symptoms that requires medical attention includes the following.
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizures
- Nausea and vomiting
- Confusion
- Ongoing, continuous headaches that get progressively worse over time
- Blood or clear liquid coming from mouth, nose or ear
- Pupils of different sizes or unusually large pupils
- Drowsiness
- Lack of responsiveness
- Unrelenting crying in infants
Any blow or trauma to the head can result in a brain injury. Should you suffer from any of the above-mentioned symptoms or suffer from excess fatigue after a head trauma, consult with a physician immediately to get an evaluation of your injury. Untreated brain injuries can have devastating long-term consequences to your life and the life of your family. You don’t have to have been involved in a war to be injured from head trauma. Even the smallest of head trauma has the potential to become a life-long problem and incur life-long medical expenses.
Contact an Ottawa Brain Injury Lawyer for Assistance with Your Brain Injury Lawsuit
In Canada, brain injury victims who have been injured as a result of the negligence of another may be entitled to compensation. Accidents that cause brain injury that might entitle you to damage retrieval include such events as car, bicycle or motorcycle accidents, birth-related malpractice accidents, slip and fall accidents, and more. If you have suffered a brain injury due to the actions or negligence of another, contact a brain injury lawyer for a free consultation about your case today.
