Knowns, Unknowns, and Hopes of TBI

Nothing is more uncertain than the future. Nothing.

See, The Husband has a mild Traumatic Brain Injury that we call his Mushy Brain and there are many things we know about it.

We know that it affects his memory. He can tell you names and birth dates of kiddos but not how old they are. If he doesn't write it down, he will not remember it.

We know it affects his eyes--he's super light sensitive and wears his sunglasses as often as allowed.

We know it affects his hearing--he has constant ringing, known as tinnitus.

We know it affects his sense of balance--he has to hold the rail when he goes up the stairs and sometimes his world spins when no one else's does.

We know it affects his sense of smell and taste, which with my cooking could be a good thing.

We know it affects his concentration and gives him headaches.

We know it has other effects that we just simply haven't linked together yet.

We hope that cognitive therapy continue to help.

We hope that physical therapy continue to help.

We hope that medication will continue to help.

We don't know how much of a difference any of the treatments will make.

We don't know how his brain will react to his TBI in 10 years or in 20 years.

We don't know if his brain will produce a protein that might strangle brain cells, resulting in degenerative brain disorders/diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, CTE, etc.).

We don't know if there will be substantial medical advancements/breakthroughs in diagnosing and treating those diseases before they are given the opportunity to kill him.

We don't know if he will still be moving at 100 mph when he's 80 years old.

We don't know if he'll know who we are in 10 years.

We don't know if his hands will ever stop shaking.

When The Husband met with his VA TBI Case Manager, she asked what his primary goal was and without missing a beat he said "memory--I want to be able to remember stuff again". Today I realized that while that's a great goal for today, what about 10 years from now or 20 years from now? So I spent the day immersed in research from the all sorts of fronts. Research based on a single event traumatic injury. Research based on several injuries. Research based on service members. Research based on contact sport athletes. Research, research, research. And I decided that while he's working on his "now" goals, my goal is simple: to not let TBI get in the way of our 50th wedding anniversary.

And I also realize that God's got His own plan for us and He'll share it with us when He's ready.