HUP Doctors and Traumatic Brain Injury Patients Compare Notes on Treatment and Recovery
By Mike Dougherty
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Doctors and patients came together today at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for a conference on traumatic brain injury.
One of the main concerns patients have is the gap between "rehabilitation," when they are functioning but not at 100 percent, and full recovery.
Dr. Douglas Smith says the best way for medical professionals to help is to start with a proper diagnosis.
"Our goals are to help people like that to try to set them on the path to the best recovery they can have," he says.
Candace Gantt (top photo), who suffered a traumatic injury when she was hit by a truck in 2005, thought she was back to normal after undergoing rehab.
"I dropped my daughter off (at a play date) -- at that time she was five years old. And when I went back to pick her up, I couldn't remember where I had dropped her off. That was my wakeup call that I hadn't recovered," she said today.
And Gantt says her recovery is still a work in progress, noting that doctors can help only to a point, after which it's up to the patient to take initiative and work hard on his or her own recovery.
