You suffer a traumatic brain injury in an accident. Someone pulls out in front of you as you drive through Columbus. You do everything in your power to avoid the crash, but you can’t. You lose consciousness and wake up in the hospital.
The doctors tell you that you have a TBI and the full impact on your physical, mental and emotional health has yet to be seen. They don’t know exactly what changes you’ll experience. They warn you that every TBI is different.
That’s true, but there is one thing that is fairly consistent: Experts note that the TBI will likely “impact every relationship” that you have.
Work relationships
For instance, one of the most common thoughts that people have after a TBI is that their employer wants to fire them. This may or may not be true, but they worry about it all of the time. They assume that their boss is just looking for an excuse. This can change relationships with co-workers, supervisors and everyone else in the office.
Relationships with friends
Another common concern is that people just cannot relate to you after you suffer from a TBI. You feel like they don’t understand what you’re going through. It’s harder to talk to them. They may treat you differently. You feel cut off from these people who used to be such a big part of your life.
Family relationships
Naturally, the biggest impact may be to relationships with your family members. After all, a TBI can change the way that you feel and act. You could become very irritable and angry, whereas you used to be happy and relaxed. This is something that impacts your family members every single day. They may think that you have:
- New fears
- New limitations
- New challenges
- New personality traits
The tough part is that this isn’t a perception issue on their part. You may honestly act like a different person. You may have limitations and challenges to overcome. That’s just your new reality.
However, in some cases, it makes people say that they feel like their spouse is a stranger. It takes a lot of work for couples to get through something like this, and not all of them can do it. If they have children, things get even more complicated, because those are not relationships that can end.
Moving forward
Overall, you need to be aware of the different ways that a TBI can change your lifeand some of the challenges you may face. You also need to know if you have a right in Ohio to compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other costs.