Some say that ” the signature wound” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is traumatic brain injury (TBI), and last Wednesday President Barack Obama took action to try to help veterans with that malady.
Obama signed legislation into law that is trying to improve the kind of care military veterans receive for TBI. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100506/A_NEWS/5060332/-1/a_news05
The bipatisan law seeks to develop guidelines for better treatment and rehabilitation of veterans with TBI, in that it establishes a panel that will determine what kind of job the Veterans Administration is doing when it cares for veterans with brain injury.
The panel will also make yearly recommendations for VA improvements and set up a TBI education and training program for VA professionals.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasonton, who has been working on the legislation since he went to Congress three years ago to represent California’s Stockton and San Joanquin County.
War-zone blasts, gunfire and shrapnel in Iraq and Afghanistan are driving up the number of brain injuries that soldiers are sustaining. In 2000, the number of those with TBI was 10,963. But back in December that number had more than doubled, jumping to 27,862, said the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.
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8th May 2010 at 1:51 pm
Annie Aldava says:
You may have not intended to do so, but I think you have managed to express the state of mind that a lot of people are in. The sense of wanting to help, but not knowing how or where, is something a lot of us are going through.
8th May 2010 at 5:48 am
mark westaway says:
Dr. Paul Harch has had miraculous success treating tbi/ptsd with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Several soldiers returned to duty, several completely well. Check out Harch hyperbarics in New Orleans, Advanced hyperbarics in California, or the international hyperbaric medical foundation. Why is TRI-Care and TRI-West not paying for this therapy, it has shown tremendous benefit
8th May 2010 at 6:16 pm
lisa mabanta says:
I find it absolutely amazing that what I fought for my daughter for several years is now for naught. My lovely daughter Tia suffered a traumatic brain injury almost seven years ago, day after PROM. She was 18 years old at the time. Trying to get her medical supplies has become a daily nightmare as everyone is shifting their responsibilities to the “next guy”. Only to find out that the medicaid waiver that was supposedly put in place specifically for patients suffering from traumatic brain injuries has now been switched to a managed care plan. It is such a bunch of CRAP. My daughter is two months behind in getting her much needed medical supplies and they pulled her disability two months ago.. My daughter has had the front and right side of her brain removed and the right side of her skull times three. Taken off initially after the accident due to the brain swelling, then put back on only for me to notice too many indentations in my daughters head, story short —she developed staphlycoccus in the cranial bone and the right side of her skull had to be removed. After over a year a prosthetic skull was put in place. Five days in the hospital and ready to go home, a nurse over tube fed her and filled her lungs with feeding formula, I had to call a code on my own daughter because the nurse would do nothing to help me. On a ventilator for three months after that–deemed vent dependent– I was having none of it. Got her off the vent –trach removed –home with Mom where she belongs. Small strides , but strides none the less- she’s MY DAUGHTER and I really wish that you would medically look after her as if she was yours I will admit that I don’t fully understand what your doing medically as I only get two hours of sleep a night and my daughter requires 24 hr care. Please I do understand about the soldiers, and may God Bless, but there are so many people in the U.S. suffering horrific head injuries daily. No one plans for tragedies like this, and we need better care and more understanding, I thank you for your time Sir, Lisa and Tia.
8th May 2010 at 1:07 am