Tag: #concussedmom

Chronic Pain

Holding on vs letting go…

concussedmom

Happy Brain Injury Awareness Day, 2021. Because of the pandemic, the briefing on Capitol Hill was conducted virtually, which allowed me to participate for the first time. This briefing was held by the Congressional Brain Injury Taskforce and the focus this year was, no shock, the effect of Covid 19 on the TBI population. There was a lot of scientific talk thrown around, but the most remarkable contribution, to me, came from former football player, Eric Washington, whose life was dramatically altered by concussions. Mr. Washington expressed a thought that I have had many, many times throughout this pandemic. He pointed out that now everyone in our country has experienced something similar to what those with brain injuries do- everything in life changing on a dime. Each “normal,” daily activity has had to be altered and reimagined through this pandemic; much as the lives of TBI patients have had to be. We all have been left with a year, (or a lifetime), unlike what we may have imagined. What we do with it is up to us.

Chronic Pain

The Role of Sex in Concussion Treatment

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Today is International Women’s Day- perfect timing for the latest release of Challenge Magazine from the Brain Injury Association of America.

https://www.biausa.org/public-affairs/public-awareness/news/the-challenge-women-in-brain-injury-issue-available-online

More and more research suggests that while men suffer more brain injuries per year, women’s brains are more susceptible to concussions.

There is also research supporting that women’s brains are more complex (but we won’t tell the men that 😉)

It’s becoming increasingly clear that women and men need individual treatment plans regarding their injuries- or the discrepancies will continue to grow.

PINK CONCUSSIONS is an organization formed to do just that. From their website:

PINK Concussions is the FIRST EVER non-profit organization with a highly personal and urgent mission to improve the pre-injury education and post-injury medical care for women and girls challenged by brain injury including concussion incurred from sport, violence, accidents or military service. 

Today, on International Women’s Day, I, for one, am thankful for the research and development about women’s concussions, and I hope it continues. I also pray that one day, they will find a cure for long-term PCS sufferers like me. Until then, I will continue to fight and try to remain hopeful.

Chronic Pain

In a flash..

concussedmom

IT all happened without me even realizing it was happening.  I had just dropped my girls off at daycare, and I was sitting at a cross intersestion, waiting to make a left turn my school. I was watching the traffic pattern- trying to anticipate when it would be my turn to edge ahead.  There was a pick up truck directly in front of me.  He had his turn signal on- as I did- we were both turning left.

And then, the flash happened.  I didn’t see it coming, nor did a I realize, at first, how significant that moment would be in my life.  In a flash, my and my familiy’s life changed.

A distracted driver ran right jnto the back of my minivan- causing my full travel mug  to be tossed across my front seat.  Likewise, it caused my head and neck to be tossed forward and back, two times over.  My brain bounced within my skull and my neck was strained beyond its capacity, and with these injuries, my life was forever changed.

It can happen to anyone- and it can happen in a flash- so embrace each moment for all that it is worth- you never know if it could be the end of the old, and the start of your new life.

Be aware, and don’t believe The Myth of Mild Concussion.

 

Chronic Pain

Vestibular Concussions

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Balance is everything

As I have posted about before, there are several different classifications of concussions. One such possible concussive area of impairment is the vestibular system. http://rethinkconcussions.upmc.com/2016/10/concussion-clinical-trajectories/

Unfortunately, this is one of the deficiencies I have had experience with since my concussion. Your vestibular system is the balance center of the brain — affect one’s ability to interpret motion, coordinate head and eye movements, or stabilize vision upon head movement.

In my own laymen’s experience- my vestibular system allows my body to figure out where it is positioned, at any given time, and also interpret movement around me. When the vestibular system is taxed, the brain automatically begins to rely more on input from your eyes, thereby exhausting that system further. Even to this day- if I am asked to close my eyes and balance on one leg, I VERY quickly lose my footing. When my accident occurred, I had two toddlers. This proved to be very challenging. Just imagine how many times we, as mothers, crouch down to tie shoes, fasten clothes, or give hugs. Now imagine again that each of the incidents were extra-taxing for the brain. It was a chore not to lose my balance each time I crouched down, which was quite often, and exhausted my brain even more.

During my time in Vestibular therapy, I worked with Dr. Anne Mucha, the preeminent therapist in the UPMC Sports Medicine program. Anne took care of me when I would wake up with spontaneous vertigo. She also worked with me when I had space and motion disorder. She put me through the paces in therapy for 9 months- and boy, it was thoroughly exhausting. I wasn’t able to drive myself to these appointments, and sometimes, my brain would be so taxed that I would fall asleep on the twenty minute ride home. In fact, I would often be so fatigued that I would have to sleep for hours after our appointments. While I wasn’t able to fully recover from my vestibular issues, I know that I had the very best working with me to help me heal, and for that, I am thankful.