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Junior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Houston area
Posts: 21
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Houston area
Posts: 21
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Thanks, Sarah and Mark. I've always made a distinction between my "whiplash" headache and my "concussion" headache. The whiplash/neck area feels better with heat - ice seems to make it stiffer and more painful, but it might be worth trying. I'm also wondering if any of the meds I've been on have contributed to the headache, although I took the lowest possible dose and have gotten off the narcotics after only a couple of nights. I also had to go off some of my supplements and just started back. Mark, I think you're right, there are too many variables! It's ironic that I was worried about pain from the surgery, and it hasn't been a problem at all.
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What happened: I was on my Triathlon bike doing an easy ride through my neighborhood just a few weeks after completing Ironman Texas (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). A driver on a side street pulled up to a stop sign but didn't see me and pulled out in front of me. I tried to make a sharp turn alongside her but fishtailed and went into the side of her car with the left side of my body at about 17 mph.
I walked away with a headache and a whiplash, a sore shoulder, and some bruises but was counting my blessings. I did several months of PT for my shoulder and neck, and I still had problems with headaches, neck pain, and dizziness. My PT insisted I be evaluated, and I was diagnosed with a concussion. I was still in denial, but then I transferred to a vestibular/neuro rehab specialist and learned that my eyes weren't focusing properly (nystagmus, convergence disorder). I was discharged from that PT on June 10, 2014 - exactly one year after my accident - because I was no longer making "significant progress." I did more PT for my neck/shoulder, and on Dec 16, 2014, I had shoulder surgery. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I might never do another Ironman, but I'm not giving up on returning at some level.
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