mild brain injury

[colinberry1]

My wife has a severe short-term memory loss she does not remember
anything about what had been spoken a few minutes later, this all
happened after a severe injury she received on 5th April 2003 an
extremely heavy object hitting her after falling from a height of 30ft
fracturing three of her vertebras and hitting her head on a concrete
floor.

I have grave concern that three and a half years have passed and she
seemed to be getting worse rather than better, she has not received any
rehab after her accident there have been long delays in achieving rehab
for her by the doctors involved.

I do believe that she had a mild brain injury but it had been taking a
long while for any real help to come along, the doctors involved had
arranged for her two go to a local rehab clinic but three and a half
years later we are still waiting.

She had an MRI scan of her head, about a year after her accident but
the neurologist said that he could not find anything wrong with the
scan but referred my wife to a local psychiatric center.

The psychiatrist in charge referred her to a psychologist the
psychologist requested that a clinical psychologist make a report of
different test that she took on my wife. The clinical psychologist
referred my wife to the National Hospital for Neurology and
Neurosurgery at Queens Square University College London on the 24 May
2006 where she saw a neuropsychologist that made another report
recommending that she should obtain rehab at a local hospital in
Barnet.

Would there any possible chance of my wife getting over this problem
with her memory loss, or will I have to come to terms that this is how
she will be forever.

My wife not being able to remember anything has put a great strain on
me, I worry what she is going to forget next, she is like a walking
catastrophe everything she touches is somehow missing because she
cannot remember where she has put it, sometimes as we are going out the
door to pay a bill and it would suddenly go missing and we could spend
an hour looking for it.

Does anybody know how to cope with such a situation, I tell her not to
touch anything but before her accident she used to take care of all my
paperwork for my business and make sure all the bills are paid so she
still tries to go through that process but it causes havoc now, but I
am not allowed to say anything because it upsets her a great deal and
it causes a great conflict between the both of us.

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/bionet.neuroscience/browse_frm/thread/aae61260c0be1dbf?hl=en

[craigwalsh]

Hi, Colin ---

First of all, thank you for joining this new forum and sharing your wife's story.

I can only say what I'd do if I were in your shoes --- and since I started a website called "NHS Sucks" you can imagine that I am not a great supporter of the NHS.

I guess the first question I'd ask would be "was anyone else responsible for your wife's injury?" I only ask this because if there's a potential claim for negligence against someone else, the culpible party's insurance company might be a great help to you (begrudgingly, I'd suspect) in your current circumstances. There are many reputable solicitors who frequently handle cases on a contingency fee basis, so you'd not have to pay any legal bills. But, before they do so, they need to convince themselves that you have a case with a reasonable liklihood of success if it were to go to Court.

If nobody was culpible, then the question I'd have would be whether you were willing to pay for your wife to be seen privately. The cost of a preliminary examination with a neurologist in London is circa £250, and I promise you that you will get a fair and unbiased analysis of the situation.

I recently saw Dr. Ben Turner, a consultant neurologist, at the Cromwell Hospital in London. He was willing to see me on the same day I called. He carefully took down my medical history, looked at my medical records, gave me a complete neurological examination, and prescribed exactly the medication I needed. It took about 45 minutes, but he would have spent longer with me had that been necessary. I was very impressed. (When not seeing patients privately, he's at Barts and The London NHS Trust.)

There's nothing wrong with getting a second opinion --- and even if it confirms the original assessment, that will bring you some peace of mind. The neurologist should be able to answer the rest of your questions --- to the extent that they can be answered.

What's happening with the rehab? How long does it take the NHS to get your wife the help that they think she needs? I would (of course, that's me) nag them. Of course, as I have discovered, their reaction is to become polemic and to kick me out of the door, so perhaps you shouldn't follow my lead. :)

Perhaps others on this forum can offer more meaningful suggestons or help. I feel for you, Colin, and wish you and your wife all the best. Please let us know how things work out in the future.

[gp2]

after 3 years it is unlikely that she will improve, although negative scans do not rule this out completely. rehab treatment is not a government target so funds are likely to have been cut. consider reading books about Alzheimer's for advice on coping with short-term memory loss.

[Whtetopaz]

Just a long shot -but maybe not so long - has your wife had a full Thyroid Function Test? I had terrible problems with short term memory until I got adequate thyroid hormone replacement. It's common in women....

Claire

[matab]

Dear Colin,

We have had a similar experience. My husband was hit by a car doing around 50mph. He was not hit on his head and his symptoms may be less severe than your wifes but he is suffering from terrible memory problems. I think he may have a whiplash injury but as he is suffering from such pain from his broken back and 'sciatica' like problems and taking major pain meds, they are blaming everything on that. However, in the first few weeks his pain meds were minimal and all he did was sleep and he could barely remember anything. I put it down to the trauma. The thing is, it has become worse over time not better. I probably notice it more now because in the early days he was hardly awake to talk at all and when he was awake he couldn't move. Now, he potters around the house moving 'everything'. I spend hours searching for things he 'definatley hasn't touched'. People also leave him messages and then presume I have got them. His doctor says he has told him vital medical info but he has no memory. Vital forms that he says he has posted turn up a year later. He insists he remembers posting it. We have the same conversation three days in a row. He has no memory of it. If I remind him about appointments before I go to work, he can have forgotten within 5 minutes of me leaving.
The doctors will not investigate. However, it was extremely hard to get them to even recognise he had a broken back so something they can not see will not even get a look in. Have you seen a specialist? After a lot of complaints and refusal to go away my husband was referred to one for his broken back and is now attending a rehab programme.

[matab]

Hi again Colin,

After reading your posting again properly I see she was referred to a specialist. Are they believing the extent of the problems or do they seem to think you are imagining it? I believe a PET CT scan (I think it is called that) can diagnose functional problems (ones that do not show up as physical damage but alter the working of the mind). They are expensive though and I do not think there are many referrals for them from the NHS.

[Margorie]

dear Colin
I'm sorry to hear about you and your wife's problems. From what I understand, the brain scan was normal but the clinical psychologist found some problems (with memory I assume) that he/she thought could be addressed by rehab. Are you going ahead with this? I hope you do, and I hope that it helps. I don't think the PET scan would add anything - it sounds as if the clinical psychologist has confirmed some cognitive dysfunction.
I agree that you could and perhaps should ask for a second opinion. It is your right. Since your wife was seen at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, you could probably ask to be seen there, and as a member of staff there and a relative of 2 people who attend as patients, I recommend it. Only problem is the waiting list.
Glad to hear that Ben Turner was so good to the other contributor: he is a friend of my cousin!
Best wishes to you and your wife
M