When you first suffer a brain injury, you may only have mild symptoms. For example, you could be suffering from headaches. You may simply think that you have a concussion and that it will get better over time, perhaps over the next week or two.
This may be true, but it’s important to note that some brain injuries can actually get worse with time. In fact, what appears to be a mild injury can grow to be very serious. That’s why it’s important to get medical attention and never assume that you haven’t suffered significant injuries. Let’s take a look at one way that this can happen.
Bleeding around the brain
One issue could be bleeding in the brain itself or in the tissue surrounding it. For instance, there is a membrane between your brain and your skull that is known as dura matter. When bleeding happens below this membrane, it’s called a subdural hematoma.
The problem with a subdural hematoma is that the bleeding and the resulting blood clot can put excessive pressure on the brain tissue itself. If this is treated, doctors can often relieve that pressure and prevent the injury from getting worse with time.
But if this goes untreated, because you’re waiting for your symptoms to clear up on their own, the pressure can lead to serious issues like the death of neural cells. Your brain typically cannot regenerate these cells. As a result, significant symptoms may not be curable at a certain point. A subdural hematoma can also be fatal. Prompt medical treatment is important to ensure that you do not reach this point.
Do you need compensation?
Of course, getting advanced treatment for a severe brain injury can be incredibly expensive in the United States. If you were injured due to someone else’s negligence, such as in a car accident that they caused, you may be able to seek financial compensation for those bills and other costs.