Three Lessons from a Concussion…
In December 2009 I suffered a concussion when I lost consciousness due to a sudden drop in my blood sugar. When I passed out, I fell to the floor in a Super Walmart and had a grand mal seizure. Many people were horrified to hear about the seizure and seemed to blow off the concussion. For me the seizure was not a problem. It happened and then ended. I had suffered grand mal seizures as a child, teenager and young adult but had not had one in more than 15 years. For me, the trauma was the concussion.
A concussion is a bruise on the brain. The medical community calls this type of injury a “mild traumatic brain injury.” The term “mild traumatic” seems oxymoronic to me. We see football players suffer these injuries and return to the game within a few weeks. After my incident, I don’t know how they do it. I was off work for 3.5 weeks and am still (7 months later) suffering from headaches and dizzy spells – this is called Post Concussion Syndrome (PCS). If I concentrate, I can still feel the bruise on my brain and still have a tender spot on the back of my head. My research says it takes 6-12 months to recover from a concussion.
I want to share some of the lessons I have learned from this experience. These are lessons not only for those who suffer a concussion, but also for those who know someone that has suffered a concussion. What I’m about to write is NOT an indictment of anyone in my life. This experience was new for everyone I know and EVERYONE was supportive and sympathetic and I appreciate everything that was done to help me get through this.
Lesson #1: Take everything slowly and get LOTS of rest
When a person suffers a concussion, chances are it’s going to HURT for weeks. PCS comes with tension-type headaches that DO NOT STOP for days. I begged by neurologist for medication to make the pain stop. At first I was given migraine meds and advised to take a herbal supplement called Butterbur. I was taking the migraine medication daily and it helped…some. However, I was going through a “16 day supply” in four days and my insurance would not pay for refills so quickly. My neurologist was also worried when I complained to him because, apparently, taking too much headache medication can CAUSE HEADACHES. (Huh?)
I was given a “headache preventative” medication that was also used to lower high blood pressure. This was a concern as well because my blood pressure tends to run on the low end of normal already. [sigh] The medication I was given was a gift however. Within a week my headaches eased and I was able to function for days at a time without pain.
The lesson here is to take things slowly. Don’t expect to jump back into your life at the same activity level you had prior to the injury. Trying will only prolong your recovery. Take time off. Sleep a lot. Communicate with your physicians. Do your research on PCS. Contact me through this site or on Twitter. I’m not a medical expert, but I will offer any support I can during your recovery.
Lesson #2: Ask for help with common chores
I work full-time, go to school full-time, and have a husband and two dogs. My big household chores include yard work and taking care of the dogs. After my concussion, doing regular chores like mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, or walking the dogs were exertions that caused headaches that would last for days.
Unfortunately, these are also chores that my husband is not able to do for me. Rather than ask for help, I just let them slide. The dogs understood (I think). My husband understood. I’d get to the yard work and back to walking the dogs when I felt better. However, we had a LOT of rain in the spring (i.e. LOTS of grass and weed growth). That was followed by some very hot summer days which dried out the tall grass and weeds. Next thing I knew, we were taking our yellow lab to the vet to have a foxtail removed from her nose. [sigh] I buckled down and did battle with the backyard. It’s not the lovely park-like setting I have envisioned, but it’s safer for the dogs now.
Three weeks later I am still doing battle with the headaches that resulted from my battle with the backyard. It’s like the effort drained reserves I was only just beginning to rebuild. I don’t like feeling this way. I can’t wait for this recovery year to be over and done with!!!
Lesson #3: After a concussion, thinking can cause headaches!
Most of what I do for both work and school is cerebral. In hindsight I think I went back to work too quickly. I could have easily taken another month or two off of work too recover and probably would have been better off for it. Keeping up with school was hard enough but because I go to school online, it was manageable. When I threw work on top of it, it was too much and I had to take 1-2 sick days a week because of headaches. My weekends were spent sleeping off headaches too. That’s no way to live.
Conclusion
Don’t be in a rush to get back to work. Give your brain time to heal. Work will continue on without you. I know that may be a bit demoralizing if you’re anxious to get back to work, but they need you back in “fighting form,” not only physically, but mentally too! If you don’t feel that you can give your best most of the time because of headaches or dizzy spells, then you are better off (for you and for your colleagues at work) staying at home and concentrating on healing up.
I know each of these lessons seems related to the others, but they really are different. The brain is the least understood organ in the human body and, as such, there is no quick cure to make it work better faster than Nature will allow.
I’ve been battling my own brain my whole life – I had Epilepsy as a child – and have only managed to fight it to a draw. It lets me live my life (most of the time) but once in awhile it rears up and reminds me who is boss. When that happens I can only take it easy and recover. That’s the best advice I can give to you. Well…that and contact me if you want someone to commiserate with.
Have you or someone you know suffered a concussion? If yes, what advice would you give to a new concussion sufferer? What worked for you and what set you back? Please share below…
Image Credit: This image was found on Life, Liberty, and the Persuit using Google Images.
Had bike accident 4/27/2010. Post-Concussion Syndrome. Seizures, nosebleeds. On and off medications. Loss of work. Family does not know if I am faking or not. I AM NOT!
thanks for sharing this information. i just suffered my first concussion a week ago and im having a lot of PCS symptoms. I feel like people just think im being a baby or something. But i know now that head injuries are no joke. Im just praying that i heal quickly i cant afford to take too much time off of work.
But thanks again for your perspective it helped me to read it.
Cheers
~matthew
Suffering from my second minor concussion this year. I’m a high school junior and it’s been torture going back to my (admittedly already high-stress) life. I was already a chronic migraine sufferer, and this is only intensifying my problems. I don’t know what to do. I need help. I’m not myself anymore and doctors are acting like I’m just being dumb. Do you have any further advice?
Hi Kate! I’m not a physician, but I went to a neurologist and asked for help. He gave me a headache preventative medication that (once the dosage was adjusted appropriately) helped me to cope. You will also need to slow down for awhile. Post-concussion syndrome can last for six – twelve months. Give yourself time to heal. The brain is a sensitive organ & you need to give it the time it needs to heal. There is no quick fix for that. It will get better if you just give it time. I wish I could do or say more that would help. Good Luck!