Hidden Casualties
One of the things that won't be included in the reports of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker to Congress is the number and nature of injuries being sustained by our troops in Iraq. There will be no mention of what doctors are describing as a different kind of head injury, "traumatic brain injury" caused by the concussive effects of explosions. Often invisible at first, this injury has long lasting effects on at least a fifth of those who suffer even a mild version of it, according to an AP report.
The war in Iraq is not over, but one legacy is already here in this city and others across America: an epidemic of brain-damaged soldiers.
Thousands of troops have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, or TBI. These blast-caused head injuries are so different from the ones doctors are used to seeing from falls and car crashes that treating them is as much faith as it is science.
"I've been in the field for 20-plus years dealing with TBI. I have a very experienced staff. And they're saying to me, 'We're seeing things we've never seen before,'" said Sandy Schneider, director of Vanderbilt University's brain injury rehabilitation program. ...
Most TBIs are mild, and most of these patients recover within a year. But one-fifth of the troops with these mild injuries will have prolonged or lifelong symptoms and need continuing care, the military estimates. Nearly all of the moderate and severe ones will, too.
Though the full number of those suffering from TBI is still unknown, the problem is straining the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Until now, "they were dealing with a cohort of aging veterans with diabetes, heart disease, lung disease," said Dr. Jeffrey Drazen, editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and a VA adviser.
Now, these young, brain-injured troops need highly specialized care, and how much it will help long-term is unknown, he said. ...
One of the main problems with this new form of injury is that is difficult to diagnose. Another is that it is so new, that there is no already-developed treatment protocol.
Diagnosing it is imprecise - damage rarely shows up on CAT scans or other tests.
Treating it is even more difficult. Lacking a cure, doctors focus on symptoms - headaches, anxiety, vision problems, etc. But they lack good treatments for some of these, too, and are considering some experimental approaches being pushed by private companies with little proof they work.
Many troops get no care at all. Some are sent back to fight with their brain injuries undetected, especially if they had no obvious wounds.
No, the general and the ambassador won't be mentioning these injuries, or any others, for that matter. And they will no doubt argue against any kind of meaningful drawdown of troops because "progress is being made." Well, along with that "progress" will come more such hidden injuries and more soldiers and their families will have to suffer for a long time.
Heckuva job, George.
The war in Iraq is not over, but one legacy is already here in this city and others across America: an epidemic of brain-damaged soldiers.
Thousands of troops have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, or TBI. These blast-caused head injuries are so different from the ones doctors are used to seeing from falls and car crashes that treating them is as much faith as it is science.
"I've been in the field for 20-plus years dealing with TBI. I have a very experienced staff. And they're saying to me, 'We're seeing things we've never seen before,'" said Sandy Schneider, director of Vanderbilt University's brain injury rehabilitation program. ...
Most TBIs are mild, and most of these patients recover within a year. But one-fifth of the troops with these mild injuries will have prolonged or lifelong symptoms and need continuing care, the military estimates. Nearly all of the moderate and severe ones will, too.
Though the full number of those suffering from TBI is still unknown, the problem is straining the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Until now, "they were dealing with a cohort of aging veterans with diabetes, heart disease, lung disease," said Dr. Jeffrey Drazen, editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and a VA adviser.
Now, these young, brain-injured troops need highly specialized care, and how much it will help long-term is unknown, he said. ...
One of the main problems with this new form of injury is that is difficult to diagnose. Another is that it is so new, that there is no already-developed treatment protocol.
Diagnosing it is imprecise - damage rarely shows up on CAT scans or other tests.
Treating it is even more difficult. Lacking a cure, doctors focus on symptoms - headaches, anxiety, vision problems, etc. But they lack good treatments for some of these, too, and are considering some experimental approaches being pushed by private companies with little proof they work.
Many troops get no care at all. Some are sent back to fight with their brain injuries undetected, especially if they had no obvious wounds.
No, the general and the ambassador won't be mentioning these injuries, or any others, for that matter. And they will no doubt argue against any kind of meaningful drawdown of troops because "progress is being made." Well, along with that "progress" will come more such hidden injuries and more soldiers and their families will have to suffer for a long time.
Heckuva job, George.
Labels: Iraq War
posted by Diane at 3:45 AM
3 Comments:
Do you know if these TBI's can occur even if soldiers are in the new, better protected (and very expensive) new transport coming into use?
Supposedly, the charge can blow the truck up to the telephone wires, but not penetrate into the truck to cause shrapnel injuries. Seems there might be broken bones and conussive injuries, still, however....
jawbone
No, jawbone, I don't know. However, one of the things I drew from the article is that this kind of injury can happen even without a direct "blow" to the head or shrapnel. Just the "concussion" from the explosion itself can cause the injury.
If that is the case, unless the new armoring prevents any change in pressure inside the vehicle, the inhabitants are just as susceptible to the TBI as if they were outside the vehicle.
Hello my name is Shelley, I am a traumatic brain injury survivor. I was in a motorcycle accident 3 years ago. I still have medical issues. But I feel everyday for these boys in Iraq. I have 3 boys of my own, ages 17, 18 and 21. I know it sounds selfish, but I'm so glad they are musicians and didn't want to become solders. I don't know how these parents are dealing with this fear at this stage in my life, I could not.
When the guys do come back, brain injury is an invisible disability. No one knows how you feel and it is hard to explain. I don't even remember anything until I woke up in the hospital 6 weeks later. It all really sucks let me tell you.
I have a new blog, Arizona Sunshine TBI Blog | HOW ARIZONA HAS BECOME THERAPY FOR MY TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
http://arizonasunshinetbiblog.blogspot.com/
And a forum called, The Arizona Room, that you can go to from there.
I'd like to invite you and/or please pass this along to those you might know with TBI and they can share stories and resources in a relaxed, kick-back place. I just want to meet and talk to others going through similar things. Maybe even find a happy way for all of us to live this way.
Happy Tuesday - Shelley
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