Concussion
So you may have picked this up or know this about me already, but I’ve had 7 concussions all up. And they say concussions are cumulative, which means the more the more you have, the harder recovery is. Which is the same as any muscle or other part of your body.
My first five were relatively mild I’d say. I felt a bit off or sore for a few days but then felt back to normal within two weeks. My sixth playing Indoor footy was the game changer. And just as I was starting to rehab from that I got knocked on the head again. You can read a little bit more the FAQs below.
A concussion can change your life
They used to think a concussion was bruising of the brain, but they’ve learned so much now. The way I had it explained was, imagine your brain is a jelly on a plate. When you wobble the plate, the jelly expands and contracts. That happens to your brain if you get knocked hard enough. The trillions of synapses in your neural network expand and contract causing stress or damage. Your brain this has to try and find new pathways to cope with life.
Your brain is the computer of your body that constantly communicates with the rest of your body - muscles, nerves, organs etc. So when your brain is damaged, it can affect the rest of your body.
Every person is unique so a concussion can impact people, present differently, and the recovery can vary. The time it takes to recover will depend of the hit, the knock out length, previous concussions and rehabilitation support. Also where you a knocked can make a difference because different parts of your brain control different things.
A bit about my story
In June 2015 I popped out for a game of lunch indoor football when a tackele went bad, and a guy fell ontop of me and the back of my head hit the concrete floor. I was knocked out for 90 seconds and taken to hospital. I was diagnosed with a concussion, written of work for two weeks and sent home to rest. I don’t remember anything of that day after hitting my head, except a time glympse of being in hospital.
I had advanced memory loss, fatigue, light sensitivity, noise sensitivity, dizziness, loss of balance, disconnecting limbs etc - until November/December 2016 but managed them through chiropractor, cranio osteopathy and massage. During the 6 month return to work phase I went to the Concussion clinic where I saw a psychologist, physiotherapist and speech therapist, and Occupational Therapist.
The reality is it took until December 2016 for my brain fog and symptoms to disappear and be able to live an everyday life.
January 2017 - Concussion
During lunch of my first day of work for the year a large sun umbrella fell as a cafe caught the wind and come crashing down on the top of my head.
For the first 6 weeks I woke up everyday wanting to die, and had really really bad headaches on top of all my usual symptoms - exhaustion, anxiety and, dizziness, noise sensitivity, difficulty being around people. I was off work for 1 month completely and then returned to work over a 9 week period but in hindsight this was way to quick.
I went back to a concussion clinic and then self funded a psychologist, massage and chiropractic care. I ended up leaving my job because the people I worked with didn’t get it and the pressure was relentless. I was pretty broken to be honest. That year I decided to move to the Hawke’s Bay to be with my now husband also.
Booming and Busting
Part of the recovery process includes booming and busting. It’s the cycle of doing things to help you feel good again, then doing too much and then crashing. It’s super tricky, to balance. But every bust is an opportunity to assess your abilities and boundaries.
The key to recovery is incremental improvements. Which could be as simple as taking an extra 100 steps one day. Or in some case stand up off the couch, or getting up and having a shower.
FAQs
How did you get all your concussions?
The first was when I was twelve and I ran into a tree (I know, shame) at a school disco. I’ve then have two car accidents, ran into something else, got one for being a goalie in outdoor footy, one from indoor footy and the last was a freak accident in a Wellington cafe and a big commercial sun umbrella caught the wind and smashed the top of my head.
How does it impact your life now?
I still get fairly regular headaches and suffer from fatigue. I’ve had to rebuild my life around my capacity. For example I work in the morning and rest in the afternoon. If I get tired I can get a throbbing in my left air drum, noise and light sensitivity. I’ve done a lot of work to address and learn to live my suicidal ideation, but it’s still a thing.
What is my advice to people with concussions?
Work on the basics - sleep, nutrition, exercise, breathing and drinking plenty of water. Also find a hobbie or passion, something to bring light into your life.
Ask for help. You may feel like not everyone understands, which is likely very true, but don’t stop seeking support from health professionals.
What is my advice to people supporting or living with people with concussions?
Patience and unconditional love. Ask them how you can help. Try not to overload or overwhelm.
Get them to seek professional medical advice and try to find people who specialise in concussion. I’ve wasted so much time and money with people who don’t know much about concussion.
What’s been the hardest thing about having a concussion?
For me there isn’t just one hard thing. Not knowing who I was was difficult, not been able to do everything I used to way difficult, the pain and fatigue is difficult. I’ve spent a lot of time feeling worthless and like a failure or a burden on those I love or work with. Not knowing if I’ll ever recover was difficult, no being able to live my life as much as I want was difficult. People not being about to see a physical injury was difficult. If you have a broken arm people will see that and get a cue that you might not be able to lift something. But when you look the same on the outside it’s hard for people to know how much you’re suffering on the inside.
Helpful resources
Concussion Ted Talk by Jane McGonigal
Meditation apps like Calm, Headspace or Balance