If another driver hit you on a North Carolina roadway, it is important to seek immediate medical attention but also to closely monitor your condition in the days and weeks following the incident. There are certain symptoms that might not be present in the immediate aftermath of a collision, which suggest that you may have suffered a brain injury. It is always best to report such symptoms to your primary care physician or to visit an emergency room.
Recovering from a traumatic brain injury often takes months. If your injury is severe, there could be lasting, even permanent, effects. In addition to needing specialized medical care from the start, you might need daily living assistance as well. A brain injury could impede your ability to work, which could also cause financial distress.
Concussions affect the pituitary and hypothalamus glands
Your body contains two main glands, the pituitary and hypothalamus glands, which regulate hormones. You might be surprised to learn that hormone dysregulation and its host of unpleasant symptoms are common consequences of a severe concussion. You wouldn’t necessarily think that a brain injury could cause you to have digestive problems, but it can.
Other hormonal symptoms associated with brain injuries
If you experience any of the symptoms included in the following list after having recently been in a car accident, it is possible that you have suffered a brain injury:
- Insomnia
- Infertility
- Sudden weight fluctuation
- Chronic muscle spasms or pain
- Anxiety or depression
- Anger issues
It is critical to inform your attending physician that you were involved in a collision so that he or she knows to run certain tests to check for brain injuries.
What does the vagus nerve have to do with a brain injury?
The vagus nerve sends brain messages to the liver, gallbladder and pancreas. Your vagus nerve must be functioning properly to have keep things moving through your gut. If you take a blow to the head in a collision, it can affect your vagus nerve. Any of the symptoms in the following list mean that you might be having vagus nerve problems, possibly induced by a brain injury:
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Heartburn
- Indigestion
Such symptoms could easily be mistaken for other gastrointestinal problems, which is why it is so important to make sure your medical team knows that you were involved in a motor vehicle collision before the onset of your symptoms.
Who is responsible for your medical expenses?
If another driver’s negligence leads to a collision that resulted in your brain injury, that driver may be held financially accountable for medical expenses, lost wages or other economic damage you have suffered in connection with the incident. Quality medical care can help you achieve as full of a recovery as possible.
However, there’s no reason that you should have to endure financial distress because of a collision that was preventable were it not for another person’s negligence.