Tbi Question

[cowgirl]

Okay, my mind wanders and I been wonderin.

Say one incurred a concussion, knocked out and recovers enough to be released next day, recorded in medical records, is that considered a TBI? Treatment at 2 different hospitals, but later released after being 'watched' overnight.

Or is a TBI a severe impact that causes a chronic condition, needs followup care, stivitches bandaged, surgery etc?

To have the TBI recognized as such, does the vet need ongoing care? or just wait until something occurs that 'reconnects' the injury to a current condition?

The dumb question is the one not asked,

cg

[cowgirl]

THanks ricky, good advice as usual for this ole cg. ha ha!

cg - TBI is the same as any ratable disability in that it must be a disability. The fact that you banged your head is not ratable. What is ratable is if you are now having residual problems in which the doc will say are due to the head bang you had in service. So without residuals and follow-up medical treatment the claim will not pass muster. But if you are having problems seek medical care and then process the claim.

[allan]

It took the VAMC neurologists well over a decade to make a diagnoses of TBI in my case.

The doctor said his diagnoses was based on the MRI and his 10 min physical examination.

No previous decade of treatment records were viewed.

He determined the TBI was due to trauma or toxins.

The MRI is an important part of determining any impact on the brain. Get a copy of your MRI's, cat scans and spinal tap lab results and study them. They will help you prove your case for old or new veterans with TBI.

[militarynurse]

Electroencephalographic (EEG) test is another way to help confirm a diagnosis of TBI.

[cowgirl]

Thank you. Can a new eeg would capture information from decades old injury? need to learn more myself.

Cg

Electroencephalographic (EEG) test is another way to help confirm a diagnosis of TBI.

[militarynurse]

I suspect that an EEG can only show what was found as of when it was done. What can be inferred from that would be up to the neurologist. Certain abnormal EEG patterns are very suggestive of a TBI. Plus, as a VA neurologist told me: "if an EEG is negative, it only means that for those 20 minutes it didn't catch the problem. A repeat EEG might show it." So there's really no downside to having one or two.

[Rockhound]

Electroencephalographic (EEG) test is another way to help confirm a diagnosis of TBI.

Using an EEG test result to confirm a diagnosis of a TBI is only as good as the VA Rater will allow it to be. I had three EEG tests, while on medication for a psychiartric problem and after being off the medication for a period. Each tests results came up the same as showing a slow wave form activity of the frontal area or lobe of the brain. These findings were attributed to the cerebral concussion I has suffered, which would now be considered a closed brain TBI as a result of trauma from a fall which also resulted in a fracture nasal bone, which was found to be SC. Yet the cerebral concussion was and still is not considered SC.

The EEG test results at the time of those tests were never shown to have either resolved or returned to normal and the VA refused to conduct further testing to clarify this issue each time I tried to reopen my claim to try and SC the cerebral concussion and it's residual effects.

I am hoping with the new standards for TBI, I will be able take current neuropsychiatric tests that show congnitive problems due to trauma, the unresolved issue of the EEG, and medical history that showed ungoing and developing problems that are as like as not to be attributed to the cerebral concussion that was caused by the trauma resulting from the fall and subsequent SC nasal fracture which after 35 yrs. I was finally able to get rated at 10% for the fractured nasal bone and deviated septum due to trauma. Which is the highest rating one can get for this under the current DC it is listed.

I am only wondering if I should open a claim for the TBI as seperate from the SC nasal bone or as secondary or result of the SC nasal bone.

What I should have just said, is that you will have to spoon feed the medical findings, such as the EEG, making sure the VA Rater see's and reads it.

Rockhound Rider :P