(2/16) If you sustain a brain stem injury, then maybe it's not very severe. However, even if you damage this part of the body very slightly, that can impact you quite a bit. The brain stem has several important functions, so even minor damage can impact many of your body's abilities.
Finding legal representation following a brain stem injury often becomes crucial. You may have a lawsuit on your hands if you can point to someone's action or inaction as the injury's cause.
Let's talk about how to put your life back together after a brain stem injury. It's never easy, but you must do all you can to get back to normal, or what passes for it.
What Does the Term "Brain Stem Injury" Mean?
The brain stem sits at the skull's base. A brain stem injury means any damage this part of the body sustains.
If you injure your brain stem, you might notice you feel dizzy. You may lose some or all of your motor functions. You might have heart rate irregularities.
You may feel confusion or lose consciousness. You might feel partial or total paralysis. You may also lapse into a coma.
What Typically Causes Brain Stem Injuries?
All kinds of things can cause brain stem injuries. If you suffer one, though, that probably means you sustained a pretty serious impact.
That might happen if you play a sport, particularly a full-contact sport like American football. You might also sustain a brain stem injury in a devastating car wreck. Something like a T-bone or head-to-head collision could do it.
If you have a heart attack, that can sometimes cause one. You might damage your brain stem if you have a stroke. If you fall from a high place, that can do it as well.
See a Qualified Medical Expert
If you sustain a brain stem injury, or you suspect that's what happened, then you will need to go see a doctor without delay. You can't even begin to figure out your path forward till you do that.
If you go to a hospital, the staff there can run you through some tests. They can determine whether you did indeed suffer a brain stem injury. If you did, they can talk to you about your options.
Treatment and Prognosis
You can treat a brain stem injury in different ways. For instance, you may have to regain the ability to swallow foods. You might need speech therapy as well.
Every brain stem injury requires batteries of tests to determine what the injured person still can and can't do. Some functionality might come back in time, but not necessarily.
Many brain stem injury victims never regain total functionality. You may have significant damage following a brain stem injury that impacts whether you can work or even live independently.
Talk to Your Loved Ones About Your Condition
If tests did indeed determine that you have a serious brain stem injury, then you will need to have talks with everyone in your family with whom you live. You may need them to help you a lot more going forward, even with relatively simple daily tasks.
While you might recover somewhat in time, you often can't feel 100% sure of that. It's important that you try to keep a positive outlook during your recovery, but you must also recognize the realities that often come with this type of an injury.
Since your life may look pretty different after a brain stem injury, you might have to seek therapy because of it. You may have a hard time dealing with how your new life looks when you see the various restrictions with which you must live. You might battle depression in addition to learning what you can no longer physically do.
You Might Sue the Responsible Party
If you sustain a brain stem injury because you slipped and fell while going for a walk, then you probably can't bring legal action against anyone. However, if you sustained the injury because of what a person or business entity did or didn't do, then you might consider suing them.
Brain stem injuries often bring about personal injury lawsuits. If you decide that you can blame someone for your injury, then contacting a skilled lawyer and retaining their services makes sense.
Maybe getting some money for your injury won't completely balance the scales, but hopefully it will make you feel at least a little better.
