I think I could blog about our lives post neck injury and onset of symptoms every day for two weeks and not cover everything that has happened, everything that we have learned, or the number of ways it has changed our lives. I like how 
People that have never had them or have never been around anyone with them cannot understand how debilitating they can be.
Any injury or illness that affects the brain or the nervous system can be debilitating, and it is an illness you cannot see.
Such symptoms make it difficult to correctly diagnose and find a solution for the problem. As I've said before, we've been incredibly blessed to meet individuals who can either help millennialnow or who can refer him to someone that can help; however, not everyone who experiences similar injuries has the fortune or the support network we've had.
After almost three years of watching and learning, I've discovered many things. The human body is much more resilient and fragile than I can ever fully comprehend. People survive things every day that probably should kill them. Thanks to the body's resiliency and durability they live; yet, an act as simple as closing the rear door on an SUV seconds too soon can cause lasting impact on a person - physically, mentally, and emotionally.
I am quite certain that one does not have to be an athlete to sustain a concussion or other traumatic brain injury. As it turns out, such injuries are quite easy to sustain. I am also completely convinced that there are many people walking around with an undiagnosed brain injury either because they don't know that something might be wrong or because brain injuries are one of the afflictions of the body that still elude modern medicine.
People who suffer from head/neck injuries require a tremendous amount of support - possibly for an extended period of time - but don't always get said support. There are various reasons for this. Chronic pain is still highly debated within the medical community. Many healthcare professionals don't believe that people really suffer from chronic pain; so, finding a doctor to take such suffering seriously can be difficult. It's also incredibly difficult to treat head and neck injuries because they don't always present themselves in tangible, seeable ways. Even the symptoms of a concussion or other traumatic brain injury can be attributed to many other ailments and illnesses. I remember that when we first started considering what might be wrong with millennialnow we were faced with several different possibilities.
Even when support from healthcare professionals abounds, there is a tremendous cost associated with tracking down and fixing or rehabilitating a head/neck injury. We're fortunate in that my job offers exceptional health insurance; however, even with our insurance, there are still a lot of uninsured costs associated with treatments. Individuals who don't have any insurance might not be able to seek treatment at all.
Individuals with head/neck injuries also need emotional support that can only be provided by friends and family. Living with chronic pain is something that really can only be understood by those who live with it. I think it's probably a lot like living in a fish bowl. You can see everybody around you and they can see you but you can't quite reach each other across the glass barrier that is chronic pain. It's tough on the individual living with the pain and other intangible symptoms because they need reassurance and reminders that they're still loved, valued, and useful to their friends and family. It's also tough on friends and family to provide the kind of support that is needed on a consistent basis.
The reality for people who live with injuries like this is that they might never be cured and will live with symptoms like millennialnow currently does for the rest of their lives. Many people will commit suicide either because they can no longer live with the pain or because their brain function has been altered or degenerated to the point that they're quite literally not themselves. Unfortunately, this is common among athletes who have had numerous concussions.
I don't know what the future holds for us, but I do know that all I can do is believe there will be a happy ending and