Christine Burton

A partner's perspective

One brain injury can affect many lives. Here, Christine Burton explains how an illness suffered by her husband Mike has affected the whole family.

At the start of 2010 our lives were to change forever. Mike had been a manager in a call centre for more than nine years when he was told the company was being sold and he would be made redundant. Naturally, this led to a great deal of stress so when he became ill in January we assumed this was the cause.

Mike went to the doctor complaining of headaches and fatigue and was told he had a virus. He later returned after developing a pain in his stomach, while the whites of his eyes had turned red. The doctor was somewhat dismissive, however, and simply took blood and sent him on his way. But Mike's symptoms got worse, with daylight causing pain to his eyes. We asked to see another doctor who arranged for him to go to hospital immediately.

Mike was put into an infectious diseases ward where various tests were done - all of which returned negative results. He was eventually allowed home for the weekend but on the Sunday he collapsed at home and his heart stopped.

Paramedics eventually got him breathing again but he had been without oxygen for some time. He was put on life support and we were told he had a 50/50 chance of survival. The doctors said his brain would be affected by the lack of oxygen but only time would tell when or indeed if he would come out of the induced coma.

Remarkably Mike survived but my gentle giant of a husband had sustained a brain injury. He could not walk, talk coherently or eat without help and had become very agitated. He was left with very little dignity. It was so sad to see this intelligent man reduced to this. Mike was eventually diagnosed as suffering from vasculitis, a blood vessel disorder. He was put on steroids and various drugs and slowly improved.

Mike spent many weeks in hospital before a place was found at The Charles Bell Brain Injury Unit at Astley Ainslie Hospital in Edinburgh.

Mike spent a short amount of time here but because his short-term memory was so poor, rehabilitation proved difficult. He was allowed home at weekends, which were hard for both of us but he did seem more alert at home.

The day Mike came home for good was brilliant; he had been in various hospitals from February to July of 2010. My daughters and I agreed to cover care as someone had to be at home with him at all times and in December 2010 I gave up my job to look after him full time.

Today, Mike still has very little short-term memory but he has adapted and improved since being back in his own environment. He now attends Edinburgh Headway one day a week, which he really enjoys. The staff and volunteers are fantastic and always make us feel very welcome.

Very little help is available for people who have brain injuries so it falls on immediate family to do the caring. Only other people who are carers realise the immense strain that this situation puts on a family in so many ways. This is why Headway gives families such a boost by having people that provide support and a listening ear.