soccer,

I am glad I don't live in South Dakota. I had too many close calls before I stopped driving. I drove onto a sidewalk near my home. I have become aware that I am headed toward the ditch or opposite lane or some other place my cart should not be headed. Finally, my wife was following and saw a few of my scary moves and pulled me over. My daughter drove my wife's car and my wife drove my truck. That was May 27, 2001. Shortly thereafter, I confessed my close calls to my wife and ended most of my driving.

Now, I only drive on my best days and only on the slower country roads without traffic congestion. I have an old beat up truck that I drive. I doubt I drive 300 miles a year. When I tried driving into Boise, I could easily get confused by the congestion. I even tried a brain rehab therapist to see if I could get back on the road.

In 2003, an elderly man in Santa Monica drove through a crowd of people and killed 10 people. He may have been 86 years old but his dementia caused driving problems that are very similar to PCS with zone out tendencies.

Here in Idaho we had a head on collision a few weeks ago where it appears the driver had some sort of seizure. She crossed the highway median into oncoming traffic and destroyed a whole family except for an infant. Fortunately, she did not survive to live with the devastation she caused the other family.

I cringe when I think of the speeds that car pass each other. We have 65 mph country roads with just a single dotted line between oncoming traffic.

Hopefully, where you live in South Dakota is not congested.

So.... Please be very careful with your driving. Get some answers to your condition.

With your history of five concussions, your brain is in very weak condition. All of the research shows that even those who claim to not be in denial usually grossly minimize the impact of their symptoms. It is a symptom of the injury.

If you were a soldier who had returned from Iraq, the Army would be assessing you carefully because they know how much denial is a part of PCS. As a young woman, you likely fill your void with the interaction on this forum. That way you can have two worlds. On-line, you have a real brain injury. In your home and school life, you just have some minor issues.

If you are struggling at all now, college will blow you away. The change of study intensity and loss of support structure will position you to fall on your face. I've done it. I've seen others do it. There is a group in California that focuses on getting help so PCS subjects can make it through college.

Be sure to have good health insurance and don't let it lapse. I became uninsureable when I moved to a new state. I had to keep my old health insurance and travel 650 miles for routine health care (Idaho to California). I was very fortunate that my policy was not canceled for living out of California.

Hockey, Dmom, Snowylynn and others like me all know the risks you are subjecting yourself too. We want you to have a better rest of your life that we have.

Just sending you some hugs :hug::hug::hug:

Hi Soccer,

Yes, a TBI can be isolating. Until I met my neuro-psychologist, I never met anyone who understood or who could be made to understand what I was going through. Then I found NT.

I can post stuff here and I know the rest of you are nodding (gently) your heads, going, "Yeah, I've been there." Heck, I'm just thrilled to be some where that people don't jump all over you and discount what you say if you make a spelling or grammar error. NT really makes me feel less alone.

However, NT does more than that: it allows me to benefit from the wisdom of people who've been dealing with this for longer than I have. I've learned all sorts of important things about supplements, alternative treatments, coping strategies, diagnostic tests, etc... I would never know this stuff without Mark, Vini, Mrh4, Lucy, etc... handing it to me, tied in a bow. Frankly, I now lack the attention span, initiative and organizational skills to find that stuff on my own.

I am also inspired by accounts from those who have improved and comforted by the stories of those who have accepted their limitations with grace.

I know it's hard for you to walk away from contact sports. Look at my avitar; I was a hockey playing maniac. I started in a diaper, played varsity and then went into adult league play. I scored two goals in a game the night before my accident. Heck, I can't tell you how much I loved playing hockey.

What I can tell you, is that it is much harder to wave goodbye to your child while the neighbours take her sledding or skiing or to all the other activities I can't share with her anymore. Spare yourself that pain. Think of the wonderful future that's waiting for you. A future, that even without the TBI, probably wouldn't have included basketball.

The vast majority of female players don't participate into middle age. They move on to other interests and responsibilities or their knees are shot. Would you be playing with a torn ACL?

Cheers

i definitely know i wont be playing in my middle age but i dont want to quit because i want to get a scholarship to play either soccer or basktball in college. ive been playing soccer since i was 4 and started basketball in 4 grade and have played on 2 teams a season since. and ive always wanted to play in college. i know i probably wont be good enough but i hope. especially now ive noticed im just not the same player i used to be in basketball. i dont know about soccer yet i havent played in over 6 months but i guess well find out. ive already looked at some colleges i maybe hope to play at.

Soccer,

Will you make a simple promise to us?????

Will you promise to not head the ball in soccer?

You sore brain will not tolerate heading a soccer ball, even when the ball is not going fast. The research shows that soccer players who routinely head the ball have a 10% lower IQ score. It also shows that a header drill with multiple light headers is more damaging that the occasional corner kick header to the goal.

Please, promise to not head the ball.

i will definitely promise that i usually dont anyway. and i play goalie most of the time so i usually dont have to worry about doing headers which is good. :)

hay
 

were all here for you. An injury is never fun but I do feel you, and wish you the best. And I aint gonna lie its downright terrible to be as young as you are and be dealing with this. Im 29 and feel way to young to be cripled by this crap. But there are people in their 80's that feel way to young as well.
We are all in the same boat pain is pain and love is love.

Being a bit older though you deal feel terrible when you see kids hurt. It just aint right. It's like with my kid when he falls and gets hurt I wish it was me.

What mark said about him wanting you to have a better life than weve had takes a man to say that and mean it. Thats mad deep and hocky is telling you that alot of us were atletes and full of zest for life until the wires got tangled.

Take care of your self now and become a teacher and mother and friend to help others in need. In giving we can recieve.

I traveled all around the country skateboarding and living life until I hit my head. 16 years after I started my soul searchin. I dont know if I can ever skate again. And most people only love a few things in life. Family freinds and somthing else. Skating was and is my heart and to hear the doctor say youll never be able to do it anymore is hard.

I get through by lisining to a song by Dan Reeder called youll never surf again i hope the link works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8gXMhOHdWg

If you want to play it's your life you can play. Can you just wait till the symptoms are manageable. When your young its hard more and be careful rushing things. Ultimatley its your life and you gotta make the most of it nobody is telling you you cant do anything their just looking out for you and trying to help. use your age and your time to your advantage so you can enjoy a healthy life. All we have in life is our health. money awards cloths is nothing. Be happy and heal now so you can live now.

yea thats a sad song the one i usually listen to is fix you by coldplay. i just kinda feel like i can sorta relate to a lot of the lyrics. heres the link if you want to see if you like it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI-o25K6B-E&feature=fvst

its a good song that can be sad and somewhat inspirational at some times. all i know is that its gotten me through a lot. actually music in general has. when i first got my concussion all i did for 3 weeks was lay in my bed in the dark and listen to my ipod because everything just made my symptoms worse. i dont know what i would do without music.

Hey, soccer14

I liked both YouTube videos. I certainly liked the shark in the wave. How close we come sometimes. Let's you know God loves you. :)

Being young, I don't know if you've heard this before.

"When one door closes, another door opens." You may want to see what the other door has to offer.

Life is about change. NOTHING stays the same, at least for me. No brakes, no net. Sometimes it is scary. It is a good idea to have a Plan B and C, because there will be many snares, upsets and hurdles you must cross and overcome. Our decisions will mold our future and reflect our past.

R U having fun yet? You have today to live, to love, to laugh, to make the best of, and then the day will be over and that is your past.

I've also learned through experience, that when you're not up to it, for whatever reason, you won't be able to pull it off anyway.

It's good you're beginning to open up and be honest with yourself. you need to work on that. :wink:

what do you mean by having a plan b or c like if im not able to play sports?

Sports to start with.

I remember one of my first posts to you was about, "If you were a loved one of mine, with a head injury, I can't let you make those important decisions because of you being injured in the head." You're a minor too. You shouldn't be handling this by yourself, your way. You could be jeopardizing your chances for a good recovery. Head injury patients need SPECIAL attention, SPECIAL observation, SPECIAL testing by qualified doctors.

If you get treatment for obvious reasons you may be able to participate in the sports field in some capacity, and yes maybe at a later time. Did you ever think about coaching? It could be a career choice. You do love it so.

Hey, did you see the UK football player hit FL quarterback, TBow. He had a bad concussion. He got medical treatment. he's still playing. I still think he's having prblems from that bad lick. I'm not a doc, but I think it hurt him worse than he's letting them know. Nobody wants to see an athlete get hurt. It happens in sports. it happens a loooooot. You're injured. :hug:

Plan B or C could be to enrich your life with music. Maybe an interest in an instrument will give you some enjoyment, for life. It's safe, challenging, a new direction to experience, maybe. You like music, right? I wish I had cultivated my love for the piano. I have good finger dexterity and an ear for music. I even have a beautiful piano my sister gave me. I do pick at it and can play several favorites at times, if I practice. I love to listen to a recital, someone passionately playing, or quiet moments with instrumentals in the background that I've not had in years. all my shortcomings... all within my control. I think I'll get back at that.

There are other ways to pay for college besides sports scholarships. I'm proud of you for being motivated toward college. That's great. Different types of colleges nowadays.

Maybe you need to talk with a guidance counselor at your school. Could be time you started inquiring about the reality of your choices, what's it's like to get through it, to the end. One often changes their mind in midstream too. Think about what you think you can handle. Never to young to inquire. Food of thought. I changed my major from nursing and went to technical, more business type courses. Just happened like that.

Please go talk to your parents. Write it out if you need to. It will be okay. :hug:

yea i helped with coaching at the beginning of the year before i could play yet but i dont think that would really work you know it just made it worse acutally because it just made me want to play that much more. i cant stand sitting on the sidelines even just watching games at home on tv makes me want to go play.

i play piano some too. i used to play more but since high school i dont have lessons anymore because you guessed it sports took up too much time. i still play a little every once in a while fix you that song acutally. i can play some other songs but tend to get bored with it too fast. i think it would be cool to learn how to play guitar but i just cant stay focused on those kind of things long enough to really get anywhere with it. its definitely a challenge but not the kind that keeps my attention like sports do.

before i found out i could play this season i thought about volunteering at the local animal shelter. ive wanted to do it for a few years but you have to be 16. i turned 16 last may but never got around to it. i plan on doing it this summer and am really excited for it. i love animals.

i also thought about just quitting and getting a job instead but i knew if i did i would regret not playing for the rest of the season so i just figured hey im going to work the rest of my life once i get out of school i might as well just wait longer. thats the other thing i wouldnt know where to get one. i dont want to just stand at cash register all day you know? oh well i have a while to decide i guess.

noticed something today at practice. finally realized what i was feeling. i wasnt necassarily in a fog or disoriented i know what those feel like it was more just like my processing speed was slower. it was during a pretty strenuous drill like getting up and down the court scrimmaging type and thats when it was the worst.

why would strenuous work just bring this on all of a sudden because otherwise i seem to be at a pretty normal processing speed? :confused: why this bothers me so much is that because of it i play uncharactiristicly out of control you could say. i make stupid mistakes i normally wouldnt like throwing a pass that i know i wouldnt make unless i was in that state of mind. i dont want to have the coaches think that is my usual play because its not very good. i feel bad because when i make those stupid plays i just hurt my teammates and i can tell the other varsity girls get mad about it. :(

i dont really know what to do because i want to tell them whats happening so they know i dont really mean to be doing that but at the same time i just want to play through it and hope it gets better so its not like im making excuses. why would this come on all of a sudden anyone know?

soccer,

That is the nature of a brain injury. There is no possible way of predicting when one of these times is going to pop up. I call them "brain farts" or when I all of a sudden get confused, it is "spaghetti brains." Often, I will realize the screw up right after I do it. Ohter times, my wife will pull me aside.

My worst problem is getting my right and left hands to stay coordinated. I can use each hand individually with out a problem. If I need to use both hands at the same time, I can be doing fine until all of a sudden, it is like they have become connected to different brains.

I have tasks I do to try to exercise my brain at doing two handed tasks. Typing is one. I can be doing great then all of a sudden, my right hand is typing faster that my left hand. 'And' becomes 'nad' I will capitalize the second letter when the first was supposed to be capitalized.

These are all common symptoms of the brain losing its timing or processing out of sync. Sometimes, it will appear that my environment has sped up and I am stuck on slow motion.

soccer, this is just your brain telling you that it is struggling. There is nothing you can do to change this or prevent it from happening. The best way to handle it is to learn to recognize it and take a break from the action. The sooner you stop and take a break, the sooner you can get back to normal. The longer you fight it, the greater your chance of it getting worse. Then you will need a more serious break or may put yourself or others at risk.

I was building a garage at my cabin in the mountains. My wife would watch me from the window. She commented how she would see me just looking at the project and she would wonder what I was designing. In the past, I would get stuck in deep though designing a fix to something. She thought this was the case. I corrected her misconception. Now, it usually means I am stuck trying to get my brain back on track. I have lost my place in my task and am trying to figure out what I was doing.

I had these struggles in 5th and 6th grade. My teachers thought I was daydreaming. I know it was getting caught in a brain fog.

By helping others understand this, they hopefully learn that I am not ignoring them. A friend commented to my wife asking, " Does Mark sometimes 'go inside himself'?" He was referring to those looks where I was not connecting to my surroundings. She knew how to respond. She told him that this was when my brain was struggling to make sense of what was going on.

I am more prone to this if the environment gets real busy or chaotic. I will easily zone out if too many people are talking or there is too much activity.

I really think this is what is happening in your brain. It is just overloaded and needs to slow down to sort things out.

This can be a dangerous situation if it happens when you are driving. It happened to me when a driving therapist was trying to help me with driving. I was driving through a busy intersection. There were pedestrians, bicycles, and numerous cars. By the time I got across the intersection, it was all I could do to pull to the curb and stop. My brain was spinning.

This is life with a brain injury. There are plenty of skills that can be learned to overcome some of these events or to avoid them. First, one needs to accept that they are real events and not just imagined.

Three years ago, I cut off a finger with a power saw when I got overwhelmed with too much stimuli. Fortunately, it was just my pinky on my left hand. It is not as important as an index finger or thumb.

You need to have a good sit down talk with your coach. She needs to be watching out for you. You can decide on some secret words or signals to communicate without having to reveal everything to your team mates.

Do you have an athletic trainer at school? If so, she would be a good start for this discussion. Does your school use the ImPACT system for concussions? If so, it means your school has at least a basic understanding of the risks of concussion in sports.

Trying to push through it will not solve your struggles. You need to make some changes. These changes are what was referred to as Plan B and Plan C.

I hope you understand what we are saying.

what changes should i be making? i know you will tell me to stop playing sports but im not going to listen to this so any other advice that could just help whtile this is happening? my school doesnt do the impact test but the doctor i got to for these problems makes me take it. i do sometimes talk to my coach about stuff when i dont realize im letting her know about my situation. the trainer is good and she realized when i was having problems last week. i had no idea what i was doing on the court. luckily she recognized this and pulled me out. there are only a few weeks left in the season though and i want to finish so do you have any ideas how i could just get through this? :(

Sorry, Soccer, but I don't think anyone here is going to give you advice on how to ignore your TBI and continue participating in activity that is currently very dangerous for you. Personally, I'd feel like I was driving an alcoholic to a bar or giving a loaded gun to a seriously depressed person.

I know from bitter experience that a TBI isn't something that can be toughed out or ignored. Seeking the medical attention you need isn't weak; it's smart and courageous. Besides, most of us come to discover that we weren't hiding our injury half as well as we thought they were.

Take Care

I agree with hockey and Mark. Nobody is going to tell you how to "get through" this because 1) there is no secret way to mask your symptoms and keep functioning at an acceptable level; and 2) even if there were a way it would be dangerous and irresponsible.

I thought about you this past weekend when I saw TWO basketball players go for balls and hit their heads on the ground. They immediately went into fetal position and clutched their heads. To be very honest with you it made me cringe and I felt like throwing up.

Your basketball season may be almost over, but you know that there will be spring ball, summer open gyms, camps, etc., that you will want to participate in, not to mention city league and other sports you participate in. The sooner you have a real, honest conversation and evaluation with a skilled neurologist and/or a neuro psychologist the sooner you can start building on your future.

We are not doctors. Until you are honest with a skilled professional you truly do not know what, if any, limitations you will have and what treatment options will work for you. What we all know for a fact is that right now you could be putting yourself in very serious danger.

Think of it this way....a little over a year ago my teenage son jumped off a balcony and cracked his heel bone. (You don't even want to hear the explanation he offered for this decision :) ) The other day he told me that even after appropriate medical treatment and a year's time to heal, he can still feel it when he jumps barefoot or stomps his foot. My highly educated advice to him was "stop doing that." If it hurts, quit doing it because you are only making it worse.

Now think about this...if he can still feel a lowly heel injury after a year, what makes any of us think that the most sensitive and complicated organ in our body, our brain, will heal quickly and with no lingering triggers or sensitivities?

Kuddos to the team here, soccer14. We're all in agreement. U NEED 2 B EVALUATED!!!!! :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

You're a minor. What are you telling your parents? You're OK? What?

They should notice things about you, pre-concussion and post-concussion. Maybe your condition IS VERY MILD and needs only slight attention/modification/medication. But without knowing that, you're just risking further disability FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. You think things are bad now... This is not a disability friendly world, by no sssssttttrrrreeeeeeeettttccchhhh of the imagination. It's expensive too.

Are you keeping up with your grades?

I really have been worried about you during your absence from NT. I would check on your Avitar to see if you were posting somewhere else. So I'm following you around because I do care about you and I am very concerned! If you got appropriate medical attention, I wouldn't have this fear/anxiety of the unknown. Knowledge is empowering. If you know what it is, you can deal with it. Come clean with your symptoms and go get checked out. Do it for me... for us... :grouphug: That's what you need 2 do. It will be OK... :grouphug::grouphug:

How bad are your symptoms? :confused:

What other problems are you having? :cool:

Reasoning is one problem you have. :hug: You're not being fair to yourself and your family and team. A qualified doctor could help you. The doctor has treated a lot worse injuries and brought them back to go on with their life. :)

I understand and respect your love to play ball. How good are you? Take as long as you want. We'll read it. I'd love to hear about how you won the game for the team!!!! or whatever...

At your age, your body is going through a lot of changes very fast. Youth is sooooo blissful. Carefree and happy days for most teenagers. I want that for you. :D

One other thing. How long do you plan on playing ball? Till what age? :eek: :)

Many many great replies in this thread.

If you are still having any kind of symptoms then STOP.

watch this video...
ESPN's Outside the Lines, High School Concussions
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3094263

I concur with the others. By continuing to play, your are putting your entire future at risk. It's not worth it.

My daughter desperately wants to get back to riding her horse. I have to be the bad guy and tell her "no". Her long term health is far more important than all the training/horse shows she is missing out on. She may not get it now, but it's my job as a parent to make that decision.

Please as honest with your parents and let them know what is going on, so they can help you make some of these decisions.

my grades are actually good right now. except i got a 70% on my last algebra test...which normally isnt too bad but i noticed on one of the questions i got wrong i hadnt even answered it. i had even gotten the right answer i can remember because i couldnt remember how to work it out and then i realized a really easy way to do it so i had gotten it. but instead of circling the right answer i circled the number of the problem. so i circled 26 rather than a, b, c, or d. i felt like an idiot.

oh my symptoms vary so much i can hardly remember how they usually are. i can just pretty much ignore them if they arent too bad but sometimes they are so painful and overwhelming i just want to curl up in a ball. which obviouly i cant because im in school and if i go home my parents would wonder what was up so i just try to deal with it. they can be pretty bad sometimes though. most of the things ive noticed that make them worse are: not enough sleep is the biggest, if i dont eat enough, when i concentrate really hard. those always make it worse along with a lot of movement and loud noises like the lunch room at school usually a lot of times strenuous work outs dont help much either. so in other words it just really varies.

oh man all the symptoms i have. ill just do the ones i can remember from today. very very nasesous at various times, headaches of course, dizziness, slow processing, some confusion, possibly syncope or seizures i dont know what we dont have a diagnoses or anything, oh i got a new one today my feet and legs were tingling a lot really bad, fatigue, some memory problems, the white outs, everything at the same volume i dont know what thats called, some blurred vision, oh my temper was really short today anything annoyed me pretty much. i think that about all overall though it was a pretty good day. :)

i do ok now i dont think im the player i used to be. i can have good days im just not consistent anymore i dont know i guess its just hard to play and concentrate on practice when im just focusing on not throwing up everywhere or passing out. i dont know. i would like to play either soccer or basketball in college. id ont know which one yet but hopefully i can well see. even if its not for a scholarship or anything or just at a small school i just want to play some. oh well well see i guess. im thinking it wont happen now but i still hope though. im not that good i just had one good game that kinda kept me wanting to keep playing because i want to have o game like that again.

i know ill keep a symptom log for a few days and see how that goes. does that sound ok?

oh yea ive watched that one before. i think if i was going to get second impact syndrome i wouldve gotten it already though. it makes me think though. i kinda want to be a trainer i dont know. and it makes me think about how im not the only one that lies about my symptoms.

My understanding that second impact syndrome could happen any time you receive a 2nd hit when the first concussion hasn't healed. Based off your symptoms, it sounds like you are still at risk. Please be careful.

soccer,

There are two different issues you need to understand. Second Impact Syndrome is related to the catastrophic damage done when a second concussion overlaps a previous concussion causing damage far worse that the sum of the two impacts. These can be deadly.

A good example would be snowboard half-pipe rider Kevin Pearce. He suffered his second concussion three weeks after his previous concussion. He was close to death. He is just now learning how to walk. His life will forever be changed.

There is no way you can predict if a second impact is going to have this level of life threatening damage.

What you have experienced is called Multiple Impact Syndrome. This is when each successive impact causes more damage but none are of a life threatening level of impact force. This usually includes an increasing sensitivity to impacts.

Many of us here suffer from this. We are now at the level of being susceptible to a concussion from moving our heads to fast. For me, I cannot quickly turn my head from side to side as in "No." I also cannot ride in a car on a bumpy road. I have to be careful when I dry my hair after a shower. If I towel it to vigorously, I get concussion symptoms.

So, you have two things to think about:

Will your next head impact result in a Second Impact Syndrome with its life threatening or life changing results?

or Will you next concussion or few minor bumps leave you with a brain that is sensitive to even slight or mild bumps?

I had endured many mild bumps with good recoveries. My last concussion was so mild that unless I had previous learned how to notice the mildest symptoms, I would have said that it was not a concussion. All I did was step off an eight inch sidewalk curb and land on my left foot with my knee locked. If it wasn't for the taste of chewing aluminum foil in my mouth, I would have said it was not even close to a concussion.

Within just a few days, I was struggling to drive a car.

Something you need to understand is that concussions don't manifest symptoms right away in many cases. It can take a few days for symptoms to show up. It takes a few days to weeks for the damaged brain cells to die.

I find that most of my symptoms will peak at about three to six weeks.

By the time I was 18, I had suffered 4 concussions. The first was in third grade. Then a bad one in 4th grade. A minor one between 5th and 6th grade. Another very mild one in 10th grade heading a soccer ball (at least this is what my doctor and I think). This is when my most serious academic problems started.

I had another very mild concussion (5th) the second semester of college with serious academic results. 1974

Since then I have had eight more. Only one was bad enough to cause me to need to take a short break, after I stood up under a low beam. (1996) After this concussion, I became extremely motion sensitive. I get sea sick very easily now. Before this concussion, I could tolerate deep sea fishing waves easily. Not any more.

You will never know what head impact will change your life. There is ample evidence to show that your concussion history will raise your likeliness of Alzheimer's Disease as early as in your 40's by two fold to as much as 18 fold. NFL football player with multiple concussion histories have 18 times greater risk of Alzheimer's Disease. Most of them develop it during their 40's and 50's.

Listen to the mom's on this forum who struggle to care for their families. The Mild Cognitive Impairment that comes from multiple concussions causes many couples and families to break apart. The strain is just too much. Those spouses who stay with their brain injured spouse are true saints.

I have a brain injured friend in Indiana who is struggling to keep his family together. Hopefully, my saint of a wife can help his wife understand how to live with, love and support her husband despite his struggles.

As the saying goes, Past result are not an indicator of future performance.

Mark - excellent posts. I know it's A LOT of work for you to organize and type out your thoughts. I just hope Soccer knows how much effort you're expending trying to help her. (We all like you, Soccer kid.)

Nancy, you're an excellent mom! Your daughter is so blessed to have you looking out for her interests when her injury makes it impossible for her to even recognize them. I know that must be frustrating for you, so on behalf of all us TBI folks, thanks for being there and "getting it."

Cheers

yea im doing a research project on concussions right now and im finding a lot of stories that really make me feel bad for them. so far ive found 2 especially one is a 16 year old girl who was on her way to probably playing basketball on a full ride scholarship to a d-1 school. she got a few concussions playing and since those has gotten many more that because of the multiple impact syndrome she gets them so easily now. i think it said she was up to 11 now. :( she has so many problems now like not being able to even go to school. i dont want to end up like that. it makes me think but i cant make up my mind. :mad:

another one is a pro football player who is retired and estimates he had over probably 100 concussions during his career. he said his routine for 2 years was to maybe so see his kids for 15 minutes then just go lay in the dark. i know how that feels and i cant imagine doing it for 2 years of my life.

why is that he got so many and had these effects and i had these problems too after just my first one?

It was not the 100 concussions that caused his problems. It was more likely caused by the first 10 or 20 concussions. He was probably a lineman. They smack helmets together and get many more moderate grade concussions.

You have an additional problem of being young. Your brain is still trying to mature. This makes it more sensitive. Think of it like trying to work out with a pulled muscle. When your brain tries to continue growing and maturing, it has the same stresses as if it were injured. This makes it more susceptible to injury and dysfunction.

Plus, you are at a time when you demand a lot from your brain. School puts a big demand. Lack of sleep does so too. Poor nutrition can be the biggest. The brain consumes a large percentage of your bodily nutrition. A damaged brain needs even more.

So, it is like you are burning both ends of the candle against the middle.

But that is just my opinion. Your research will be more important.

Soccer - Here is another great video that the CDC put together about concussions. Check it out if you already haven't: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIqZDbk3M40

is it possible to just all of a sudden get better? i knkow its kind of a weird question cause usually recovery takes a long time but ive had a good last couple of days. i know its hard to tell since its been about 2 days but i havent had 2 consecutive days like this since my last realps/concussion whatever. i was going to start keeping a symptom log but really i didnt have much to write down today. and if i did it didnt last very long so i dont know. and i felt better at practice than since i can really remember since i came back in the last few weeks.

do you think i could really be starting to recover. i took a 3 day weekend easy so could that have helped at all? i just hope its not like just a couple days or something what does everyone think? :confused:

You're young. It's possible, but not likely that you're completely better.

Write down your symptoms like the doc asked, even write down you took it easy for those 3 days and what symptoms were lessened. You have to write it down accurately as it's occuring or pretty close to the time in order for it to be used to your best interest.

It needs to be about a month long before you get a better idea. Write as much detail as you can, without adding to or taking away what is really happening. Activities, meds, foods, sleep pattern, and any other noteworthy events.

The 3 days could have helped a lot. Should show you that you need rest to heal. :hug:

what if i just not keep a log and tell them im better when i go back. why would i keep a log why if im not getting almost any symptoms compared to before. what if i just start keeping one if the symptoms get bad again or something. i dont know its just i already lied why not just keep lying.

While I appreciate you telling us that you were lying to your doc, this just goes back to your reasoning problem that you definitely have. Could be brain injury and it could be just you.

Your doctor asked you to keep the log for a reason. Did he look at your eyes with a light? Did he take your blood pressure? Did he speak to your parent(s) alone? When do you have a follow-up appointment? One month? If you go in with nothing, he's going to know your bain is not following medical advice and will wonder why you're not complying. They're not stupid. You're not really fooling anybody but yourself.

There are words like malingering, stoic or incomprehensible that doctors use to describe patients.

"Malingerer" - One who exaggerates or fakes their symptoms for many reasons. Docs do their own testing to determine that, kind like if you say, "Oh, Doc, my back is killing me!" The doctor drops his pen/paper/file and asks you to pick it up for him. If you bend over... quickly -- get the picture. Patient unaware of that testing.

"Stoic" - one who professes an indifference to pain or pleasure. Hides their symptoms for many reasons, and patients do that too, docs can read between the lines here too and have ways to determine that.

"Incomprehensible" - unable to adhere to sound medical advice, impossible to comprehend what the good advice is. They know that too.

Yes, they're busy and you're just another patient, but they usually know by other means rather than take a patient's word for gospel.

Doctors are used to their patients lying to them. Patients lie about a lot of things. You're not the first to try to pull the wool over your doctor's eyes. It's not a new trick to them. They take a lot of abuse from patients and waste a lot of valuable time figuring truths out by other means.

I've always found if you tell the truth, things go a lot better. You may not like it, but it'll be okay. You'll feel better about yourself too. When I make a mistake and I'm tempted to tell untruths about it, it's never as easy as if I just told the truth to begin with. We're all going to make mistakes. It's how you handle it that shows what you're made out of.

If you lie, you're already defeating the good you could receive. Never good thing to lie. Try to refrain from that in all aspects of your life. you'll be the better person when things really matter. It shows your character when it really matters too. Even when tempted to lie, stop and ask yourself, what am I going to accomplish with a lie? Is it worth it?

Just write, OK? At least a couple of times a day about your day, struggles, symptoms, difficulties, or write the improvements you say you have.

Are you afraid to write or you're just not going to do it? It's not that hard of a task to do. That's not asking too much.

I hope you're better, 100 percent. I'm not a doctor. I just don't think you are better from your brain injury. It just don't work that way, soccer14. Stop procrastinating on the log. Not too much to ask of you, either. It's your brain. It's your life. Better be safe than sorry. :hug:

I appreciate you reading and replying to us. :grouphug::grouphug: Nobody wants to see you get worse but you're asking for it by being in denial. :hug:

:Sigh: well hopefully its not another set back but i got elbowed in the head after going for a rebound in the game. i felt sick again really bad and the noise bothered my head more and i noticed more of the ice pick headaches but maybe it wont be too bad.

you knkow i wish i was one of those people you were talking about who fakes injuries but it just keeps happening. :( i know youre more prone to geting head injuries after a few concussions but still. i dont know i think i am just going to wait and see if my symptoms get worse again. i figure if i did have second impact syndrome i wouldve collapsed already so why not keep playing.

Your reasoning skills are definitely not working, child.
God bless ya!!!

When you tell the truth you don't have to remember what you said. :cool:

You're very fortunate to have good medical care. Please don't waste it. There are many of us who would love to have basic health care benefits.

Soccer,

Look up 'dementia puglistica' a.k.a. punch drunk syndrome. This is what happens to you if you get too many head injuries, especially from sports.

The good news is that if you keep playing, you won't have to worry about getting a scholarship to college because you most likely won't even be attending. Do you think you can honestly keep up with college work with a damaged brain from multiple concussions? And don't forget about the best part of college, the socializing. You're going to miss out on all of the clubs and societies and parties you could have gone to. Believe me, those things will be the last things you'll want to do if you have too many head injuries.

I hope you realize that you are insulting everyone on here every time you post that you hit your head again while playing sports. I mean, we go out of our way, and for some this requires a lot of energy, to give you sound advice and you basically throw it in the trash and keep playing. Do you even realize how many people would give their left foot to be in the position you are in? All of us wish we could go back and change what we were doing to prevent our head injuries from happening. And you are in that position. You still have time to stop playing and allow your brain to heal. Believe me, you don't want to be 40 and wishing you would have stopped playing sports when you had the chance.

But, it is your life and your brain. If you want to waste it, that is your prerogative. I guess you would be no different than the junkie on the street at this point. Both of you are choosing to destroy your brains. The junkie is doing it with drugs and you are doing it with concussions.

i know its just i thought about telling but then i dont know if they would let me play soccer. and i havent played since october and want to know what it feels like again i dont want to let my club team down again we couldnt qualify for state because we didnt have a keeper that played regularly. i dont know once basketball is over ill get some time for a break and see how it is then. i can tell already it wasnt bad because im not even having constant headaches like the other ones ive gotten.

i was thinking about that other post you put up why in the hell would someone fake an injury? especially something as serious as a concussion. what is wrong with people. do people really do that?

Well, 99% is for money/gain in some form. disability claim, social security, workers comp, insurance claims, personal addiction to drugs, drugseekers, drug dealers, individuals trying to get out of court proceedings, to gain some type of position, get out of doing things, anxiety sometimes will put a patient in this category by exaggerating symptoms(hence "anxiety"). I'm sure a doctor could add many more reasons.

On the other hand, stoic patients who don't want to whine, lose their job, keep or gain a better position in something, or sports-minded patients will not be forthcoming with their symptoms because they don't want to lose something, even to the extent that it will cause them harm by not revealing symptoms. stoic patients may be tough and able to overcome and hide their symptoms but they're still injured or sick. GET IT!!!!!

Doctors are trained to discern these things by other means, and not rely on the patient to be truthful. Most patients don't realize the impact their descriptions to a doctor makes/sounds to a doctor.

History is important, but it has to match what's going on. A good doctor knows.

Hey Soccer,

Waves is right - your TBI is preventing you from thinking rationally.

Continuing to play is also indiciative of another TBI symptom: getting in a mental rut and/or being too wedded to an idea.

We often try and do what we always did because it's something that seems comfortingly familiar in an internal world that has been turned upside down.

We can also be very rigid in our thinking. Once some of us TBI folks get a thought in our heads (I must play besketball, the garage must be painted orange by moonlight) it's hard for us to shake it. For some, this evolves into full blown Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

You're blessed to have help available to you - us it.

yea i was thinking about the symptom log thing if i dont do it theyll figure it out. but at the same time if i wrote down all my symptoms they would probably freak out really bad and not let me do anything. i dont like school much but if i had to sit at home all day again i would go insane i know it. and the work out equipment in the basement would be too tempting. :/ if i keep one though and dont write down any symptoms theyll wonder again.

i will take a break after basketball gets over but i dont want to sit out another season it would be too hard. we just started a new club team and i want to play well. and if i told them my suspicions of having multiple concussions theyd probably tell me i was done for good. i at least just want to play through high school.