People who have experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI) may experience serious symptoms like dizziness, nausea and slurred speech. However, these serious injuries can also have subtler symptoms, and identifying these symptoms can help people get the treatment they need. What symptoms might injured people see after a head injury?
Difficulty focusing
The aftermath of an accident requires injured people to address various details, but traumatic brain injuries can make this difficult. Injured people may feel foggy, groggy or even feel as though they are slowed down. They may find it difficult to concentrate on tasks or think clearly.
Emotional changes
While most people may experience stress or emotional challenges after an accident, some emotional changes are signs of serious injury. People who have experienced a TBI may experience mood swings, anxiety, irritability, or depression due to the injury’s impact on their brain.
Sensory changes
Just as an injury to the brain can impact a person’s emotional experience of the world, it can also change the way they perceive the world through their senses. They may find themselves particularly sensitive to certain sounds or light. Their vision may blur or develop blind spots. They may suffer a dampening or loss of hearing, taste or smell, with as many as 25 percent of injured people lose their sense of taste or smell. They may also experience sensory hallucinations like ringing in the ears, a bitter taste in their mouth or a bad smell.
If people experience these subtle symptoms alongside dizziness, worsening headaches or other worrying signs of a brain injury, they should seek medical help immediately.
