ABSTRACT
No single case of neurotrauma is identical to another, as every situation and every individual are different to begin with. Symptoms resulting from injuries are therefore expectedly variable, though similarities are bound to appear. Among the most common comorbid side effects of brain and spinal injury are seizures, pain, and memory loss. Seizures affected several of the cases discussed here, including Phineas Gage, Henry Molaison, and James Brady. Pain manifests in many different ways depending on a person’s situation, but can appear in the form of severe headaches and migraines, stabbing nerve pain as seen in spinal cord injuries, or even tingling and altered sensations that may eventually progress into pain. Memory being as delicate as it is by nature, amnesia is likely the most common and arguably most frustrating side effect of TBIs, ranging in severity based on that of the injury itself. One such case is for that of ‘Mike’, a former truck driver and business owner whose sudden, whiplash-style injury left him with all of the above issues, as well as one not previously described: vertigo. His story, like all of those before him, contributed greatly to the knowledge base of neuroscience, medicine, and therapy. Without these cases, we would only have a small fraction of information compared to the countless stories we now have access to. To those who have shared their stories, we thank you. To those who are still living their stories, keep going, recovery is always possible! To those who are yet to experience their stories, we will be there alongside you to help. By working together with one another, brain and spinal injuries will never be a permanent barrier to living life at its best.
