Mild Traumatic Brain Injury - Concussion

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Today’s Blog Post
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury - Concussion

The words of the article jumped out at me…
Quote…
“Despite the perception that concussions are benign, they are actually an injury to the brain that can leave patients with a severe headache, amnesia and sometimes a loss of consciousness. While most patients recover, concussions can have lasting effects. Some patients develop "post-concussion syndrome," a poorly understood complication that causes symptoms to last for weeks and sometimes months.


There also is evidence that people who've had multiple concussions, such as boxers and football players, can experience cumulative neurological damage. Some have even suggested that repeated concussion increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.” End quote.

There is a problem here. Kids that get hurt are going back to their normal life far too fast. An injury that is serious is potentially not treated that way. Families are busy and kids want to remain active – so they look alright – let’s get going.

I have some grandsons that are very active… one in particular is Clifford. Broken bones and strained body parts are not new to this very active, potentially “Athlete of a Year to Come”. The drive this guy has is scary.

But Clifford will have to be careful. He is related to me and injury tends to plague my genetic make up.

I caught the words in the above paragraph, “boxers and football players”. I have done both. And I have had a few concussions over the early years.

The words in the paragraph before mentions, “injury to the brain that can leave patients with a severe headache, amnesia and sometimes a loss of consciousness” – comes close to home for me.

I have had all that happen as well.

Then I look at the words that state, “Some have even suggested that repeated concussion increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.”

Now I am not a hypochondriac… I don’t think... but yesterday I had some fatal, “blue screen” reactions in my head. Everything kind of shut down and I couldn’t remember! So help me – the names of people were gone! Some of my friends have been diagnosed with Dementias of different sorts… and it is getting close to home. Yikes!

But on the other hand someone came up with the quip, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.” Comforting eh?

I know what brain injury is all about. I have a few hard knocks on my head. The other day I was thinking about it. I kind of shudder when the thought came drifting through. It is funny – all those old memories are so vibrant!

I remember a time when I teased my sister to the point of insanity. I think we were about Grade 4 and 5. She picked up the nearest stone that was around the size of Soft Ball and swung it towards my head. The point of contact was my left eye and nose. Blood squirted everywhere and it hurt like nothing you can ever imagine. This hit was followed by many other bone crunching smacks to my nose and face over the next few years.

Today my nose is very crooked and my sister is a ‘Nurse Practioner’ in the Yukon. I like to think I contributed something to her life with our early interaction with the large rock.

At 19 I was unemployed just before Christmas 1963. I was driving my Volkswagon Beetle back from Calgary to Regina. I do not remember why it happened… only bits and pieces of what happened to me are anywhere near the memory banks. I do remember the car going toward the ditch, first on the shoulder of the Trans-Canada Highway, then down into the ditch between Herbert and Morse, Saskatchewan. Instead of pulling it hard to the left and back to the roadway I drove it to the ditch. I didn’t want to roll over.

That is when the memory kind of stops. The little car skipped over the huge boulders that were bigger than the VW. It banged and bounced over 200 feet of the boulders until the front end of the car caught the culvert hollow, then it launched into the air doing a complete cartwheel landing on the rear end first and then falling down to land on its four wheels.

There was no seat belt laws back then… in fact there was no seat belts in any car.

The cut(s) around my head started at the front in my hair line above my nose and then proceed to the right side above my right ear, to the back of my head and then ending just above my left ear. I was nearly scalped. There was no stitches needed in that it was only a series of small cuts made my by the windows that my head punched out as I rolled and rocked around inside the egg shell known as a VW.

When I woke up it was deathly cold at the Minus 20 Degrees C outside. The wind was blowing. I remember reaching up to turn the car off and putting the keys in my pocket… then nothing. The next thing that happened I was standing in the middle of the highway and a man was trying to pull me off the roadway. The large towel that was kept in my car under the seat for washing the vehicle was soaked in my blog and I was being asked some questions. “Was there anyone with you in the car?” And, “You have had a bad accident – we need to get you to a hospital now.”

I wasn’t cold or hot… just numb and sleepy. It was around 12:30 AM and the last time I had looked at my watch I remember it was 11:15 PM.

For months after that my head ached from time to time. Then quite suddenly as I was walking down the street a searing pain would rocket through my skull from the top left to the back right side. I would double in pain and then it was gone.

As I look back now… I shudder… and think of what I put my parents through. I had noticed that they were very spiritual people all these years. I think I helped their spirituality as I kept them praying so much for my safety and my life.

I say all that seriously – first. If you child gets a bump on the head – stop the life you are living and deal with it. It is simply too dangerous.

I say this next part honestly – if I forget your birthday, Valentines Day, or any other major event – I have an excuse. If I don’t show up for coffee after you call, well it isn’t my fault… it is a brain thing.

I have an excuse. What is yours?

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

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Source
http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100118/concussion_100118/20100118/?hub=TorontoNewHome