Traumatic brain injuries are like Baskin-Robbins, 31 different flavors. Each brain injury is different and unique to the individual. There are some common symptoms however. Below are listed the symptoms John has, followed by those that he does not have but that others may. The lists are not inclusive. If I have missed a symptom, please let me know.
I pulled my symptoms from my own experience with John but also with the help of the Brain Injury Alliance which offers a good list of symptoms.
John’s diagnosis is mild TBI with post concussive syndrome, with multiple losses of consciousness.
John’s Symptoms
In no particular order:
- headaches
- sees dark shapes in peripheral vision (he says they look like rats running against the floor boards)
- double vision at distances
- vertigo/balance (feels like he’s on a moving boat)
- sleeping trouble
- word recall issues
- executive functioning problems – executive functioning is “the ability to organize and maintain behavior and change self-direction” (https://www.biausa.org/)
- dysphagia – difficulty swallowing
- dysphasia – “a condition that affects your ability to produce and understand spoken language. Dysphasia can also cause reading, writing, and gesturing impairments.” (https://www.healthline.com/health/dysphasia)
- impulsive
- difficultly reading and writing now (It takes 30 minutes of extreme concentration for John to type a few sentences of an email.)
- frustration and anger at the loss of self and remembered abilities. (John’s background includes work in special ops; graduating summa cum laude with an MA in history and only having taken a page of notes due to a photographic memory; and graduating as a drug recognition expert as the youngest officer to do so with the shortest amount of time on the job. He remembers his ease of functioning through life before the accident.)
- difficulty maintaining relationships
- tremors
- short term memory loss
Other Symptoms
- seizures
- personality changes
- difficulty with reality
- taste and smell changes
- monotone speech
Those with TBIs have an increased likelihood of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s, as well as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopath (CTE). CTE has been especially common for professional athletes such as boxers and football players.
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments on this post, please leave a comment.
TBI Spouse (and Others) 
I had a phrase I used to use often in reports. Something along the lines of “basing expectations of performance on pre-injury capabilities, rather than current capabilities.” I think most of my clients did this, especially when estimating how much they could accomplish in a day. Now that I’m older, I realize I’m doing the same thing to myself. I make long lists and maybe get half the stuff done. Thirty years ago, I could do it all! But it’s a bitter pill to swallow for someone who is still young.