Clinical care – Here for Life

Recognizing Brain Injury

March 23, 2018

Guest Blogger: Kary Briner, Hennepin Healthcare Traumatic Brain Injury Center Coordinator

March… Longer days, warmer weather, a hint of spring in the air, and of course, Brain Injury Awareness Month. We at Hennepin Healthcare’s Traumatic Brain Injury Center invite you to take a moment to think about traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its impact on people. Listed below are ideas on how you can learn more about the injury, how they are treated, prevented and, most importantly, recognize those who are affected.

1) Know the numbers. Traumatic brain injuries affect millions of Americans every year. 2.8 million per year by some counts [i]. In addition, TBI contributes to roughly 30% of all deaths due to injuries[ii]. There are currently over 100,000 Minnesotans living with a disability due to brain injury[iii]. While the cost for care and loss of productivity of these injuries is high; the personal and emotional toll to those who are injured and their families is immeasurable.

2) Prevent. Prevention means a lot more than wearing a helmet or avoiding the football field. It does make a difference and it doesn’t always have to be complicated. There are many minor changes that each of us can take every day to make ourselves, our loved ones, or even a complete stranger safer. Making sure to never drive distracted or under the influence, taking care not to drive at speeds in excess of what is safe for the weather or road conditions. Ensuring yourself and everyone in the car is properly restrained, every time. Taking extra caution and time while walking on icy sidewalks, and helping others do the same. Wearing a helmet when doing any activity that involves moving faster than your two legs can carry you. And overall, taking an extra moment to think about safety in activities that many do every day.

3) Learn. If you work with individuals with brain injuries, take a few minutes this month to increase your knowledge on the subject. Watch a webinar, attend a conference or seminar, read a journal article, or seek out a colleague with knowledge on the topic. Or check out resources online; such as the Brain Trauma Foundation, the CDC, or our own website. Our very own Brain Injury Research Lab also has incredibly exciting, cutting edge research.

4) Get involved. This one might be a bit of a stretch for most, and that’s OK. But some of you might decide to do more. Volunteer your time, donate money or resources, or lend your support. There are other options as well, including our friends at the MN Brain Injury Alliance, who do amazing work every day to support individuals who live with this injury.

5) Honor. Contemplate, just for a moment, what it would be like to live with a brain injury. Think about how you would feel if your life, or that or someone you love, changed in an instant. What if you were unable to do your job? If your relationships with your friends and family were altered, or if you were unable to do the things that you love, even for just a few weeks? Brain injuries, even those classified as mild, can and do change lives in an instant. Ultimately, all of the new exciting developments and our desire to do more while doing better, are driven by our continued effort to honor those affected by this injury affected.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how you could get involved, please reach out. By phone: 612-873-3284; e-mail: Kary.Briner@hcmed.org; or go to our website. Your brain, or someone else’s, will thank you.

Kary Lehman Briner, LICSW
Traumatic Brain Injury Center Coordinator
Hennepin Healthcare

[i] Data from the CDC.

[ii] Data from the CDC.

[iii] Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance

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When I set out on my path to medical school, I knew I would work in an aspect of medicine in which I would have the opportunity to work with patients long term and be able to help focus on various aspects of the whole patient. These goals are what have driven me to be a primary care doctor here at Hennepin Healthcare. As a primary care doctor, my goal is always to treat patients as people first. I also aim to work with patients to be their healthiest selves in all aspects: physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. To me, one of the most fundamental parts of my primary care practice is not just to treat illness, but to work to prevent diseases before they happen. I love discussing vaccines and cancer prevention strategies as these are ways we can work together to help them not get sick in the first place. This is why I am passionate about colon cancer screening. (more…)

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“I spent ten days in intensive care and then two weeks as an inpatient in the Knapp Rehabilitation Center. The staff was amazing and really cared about my recovery. They helped me believe in myself. I had several surgeries, have a rod in my femur, and spent three months in a wheelchair.” But Mathieu is thankful and ready to take on the world. Read his story.

Seasonal affective disorder a.k.a. the winter blues

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Symptoms of the winter blues and SAD –

Feeling sad, grumpy, moody or anxious
Losing interest in usual activities
Gaining weight and craving and eating more carbohydrates such as bread or pasta
Tiredness or low energy
Having difficulty concentrating and sleeping

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Scouring through chemical equations in textbooks, using laboratory instruments to probe the molecular signatures of cancer cells, and preparing for an exam that will encompass over ten subjects from organic chemistry to literary reasoning are all excellent descriptions of my daily life. I’m a fourth-year undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, and I want to become a physician scientist. For students like myself who will be training for many years for highly developed fields, it is important to have a strong foundation in academic coursework and basic research experience before developing expertise in later stages. Yet I also think that during this early phase it is equally critical that we learn how to maintain perspective as to why we’re doing all this in the first place – what motivates us to sacrifice weekends, lose sleep, and constantly push ourselves to learn more. As such, on Friday nights, I let go of all concerns about assignments and immerse myself in the setting I dream of someday helping people in — a setting that is over ten years of training away and yet pervades my every thought and action: I go to Hennepin County Medical Center’s Emergency Stabilization Room.

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