Grady Lady and Marilee,

I was also first injured from a bike accident. It was 1965 in Goffstown, NH. Fortunately, the others went running/riding home to where my dad was visiting his cousin about 100 yards away. He picked me up like a rag doll and rushed me off to the hospital.

When I came to 30 minutes later, they had to put me out again so they could clean out my wounds. I landed on my forehead and face. I had slipped in the sand while racing down a hill on my 2nd cousin's girls bike. I had road rash all over my face and the backs of my hands and wrists.

I still have scar tissue that shows on my forehead 45 years later. Since then, I have only had very minor concussions or subconcussive impacts (13 that I can remember). The downs then slow recoveries have been my life ever since then.

Grady, I may have a job for you. Does NH have any form of concussion in youth prevention program for the schools? You are close enough to Concord to maybe testify before the legislature to get concussion some attention. Your experience is far better than any Emergency Room doctors' will ever be.

All the other teachers with PCS possibly have the same opportunity to impact school districts and state Ed Departments. The amount of school funding that gets diverted to IEP's as a direct result of concussions can be a big motivating factor. Also, better understanding of PCS for parents who need IEP's for their PCS children can help reign in some of the costs.

Marilee,

You can find all you ever would want to know about how the brain functions and how concussion effects the brain from online resources. As you do google searches for brain injury, mTBI, concussion, etc., you will find that the learning curve can be quite steep. Read up on the symptoms that effect you the worst and over time, you will be able to grasp the rest of the information about the brain.

I have over 500 links bookmarked. Gordon Johnson of www.tbilaw.com has some very good information. Brain injury attorneys tend to have a broader understanding of brain injury than most doctors.

Give back Orlando (www.givebackorlando.org I think) has some very good information too.

If anybody wants, I can post up a long list of my bookmarks.

btw, I just got home from our Brain Injury Support group Christmas dinner. There is a lady in the group who was T-boned as a 16 year old just a week after getting her driver's license. She talks very slowly. As I listened to her, it dawned on me that I was experiencing what my mother went through as she visited me in the hospital after my bad concussion in 1965. I had slow and slurred speech for most of a week. I did not know it until decades later when my mother told me.

Those around us are likely very confused by what they observe.

Well, enough for tonight.

My best to you all.