March is Brain Injury Awareness Month!

Hi my name is Suzi.  I have been a nurse for 20 years.  Most of my career has been working in Neurosurgery in some capacity.  I started out working in the Neurosurgical ICU.  I have worked Radiology, and Cath Lab as well along with research of various types.

I am starting this blog, because I want to help people who might have questions about brain or spinal cord injury. I don't know where this will lead, but I feel I have something to say and to give back.

My goal is to try and post several times a week and answer any questions that I come up.  I am not a doctor or a nurse practitioner, so if you have a medical emergency call 911.

My topic this week is obviously Brain Injury.  March is Brain Injury Awareness Month.  Brain injury is a silent epidemic.  It affects not only the person who is being affected, but their family, children, significant others.


Among children ages 0 to 14 years, TBI results
in an estimated:
- 2,685 deaths;
- 37,000 hospitalizations; and
- 435,000 emergency department visits.


Of the 1.4 million who sustain a TBI each
year in the United States:
- 50,000 die;
- 235,000 are hospitalized; and
- 1.1 million are treated and released
from an emergency department.


The signs and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can be subtle.
Symptoms of a TBI may not appear
until days or weeks following the injury or may even be missed as people
may look fine even though they may
act or feel differently.

Justin Morneau is a great example of this. He had his injury months back.  He looks good. He even went for batting practice, but he is not quite ready.  He will be though.  Obviously, I am a Twins fan.  GO TWINS!

For years after someone sustained a bonk on the head while in sports, they got up and kept going. Coaches would send them back into the game. You might fall, hit your head and get up.  Brain Injury is cumulative.  Which means the more times you get hit the worse the damage can become over time.

It is important to teach that it is not ok to go back into the game.  If you don't rest, You don't heal.  First rule of brain injury.

That's all for my start.  Ask questions, talk to me.  I will try and get back to you as soon as I can.

SuziEcho12