Hi All,

My 15-year-old daughter was in a bike accident on Sunday. No one saw what happened and she has no memory from immediately before or after, but people reached her quickly and I was there within 5 minutes. She was wearing a helmet but obviously hit face-first not the top or back of her head. She was very confused and nauseous at the time and I took her to the ER. Clean CAT scan and the doctor told her she had suffered a mild to moderate concussion.

She's a dedicated soccer player and has a big game this weekend, the ER doc told her she could play, but I've vetoed it. I've also kept her out of school all week. She's been taking it easy, doing lots of crafts, listening to music, but she still seems a little slow to me. We went for a very short walk today (200m - Day 4) and it seemed to me that her coordination was off and after about 5 minutes she complained that her headache was back. She's been tired all week too.

School is willing to give her the time she needs, but she is getting anxious about how much school she's missing and is very, very sad that I might not let her play out the rest of her season, it really is her passion. I'm trying to remain calm, cheerful, yet firm but gotta say, inside I'm freaking out! My husband is willing to follow my lead on keeping her home, but he's also concerned about how much school she's missing and concerned about denying her the thing that makes her happiest.

We're going to see a concussion doc on Monday and I'm hoping to get some better guidelines. On the one hand, I've been so thankful for the Internet, there's a lot of reputable papers out there that have given me the courage to stay strong about no play this weekend and no school this week. But at the same time, some of the information and stories are terrifying. Reputable studies that say that even one adolescent concussion can cause permanent negative changes to the brain. And what about a second? Even once she's healed, how can I let her go back to soccer or even biking? I just want to duct tape her in bubblewrap!! Can't say any of this to her so I'm saying it here. Thanks for reading.

my son got a concussion may 9 - he was away at a team canada hockey tryout. they never sent him home to rest. he didn't play but still participated in warmups, dinners, watching etc..
his serious symptoms only showed up a week or two later. he hardly rested. four months later and he still has headaches and is no longer playing hockey at all after being drafted.
please take it seriously.
i would keep her off school and all tech and physical activites for a full two weeks. better now then four months from now.
reevaluate if there are any sypmtoms after the full two weeks.
i know two weeks sounds like alot but trust one who has been through it, two weeks is nothing.
i only wish i knew in may what i know now.

GREAT idea vetoing game!! Doctor must be crazy. As far as school it can always be made up and going back too soon will just set back her recovery.

These publications...ignore them. I was tackled onto a ROCK playing football when I was young and I was fine a few months later never to be affected again by it. Those articles are a dangerous thing. I bet a microscopic look at my brain after that injury would find Something somewhere, no matter how small and unimportant and they would print an article about it

I'd be sitting out soccer for a while but there will be other opinions better than mine coming on the board soon enough.

You cant stop her from living once she gets better Soccer, that's one thing, but bike riding, I would let her continue doing that. She cant live in a bubble because of one small concussion

Also she shouldn't be walking until it hurts her head. Now that you know how far she goes when it starts to hurt, do a little less.

Believe me, others are going to come along that will articulate what i'm saying much better. As far as denying her the thing she loves, those are the hard choices parents have to make.

Another concussion in soccer may deny her much more than soccer. I don't know enough about soccer and the concussion rate but others here will. good luck,

Thanks so much for your reply. I'm so sorry your son is going through that. Of course a kid who is doing something he loves and is as excited about as a national team tryout is going to choose to not rest. They're kids! I hope that he recovers completely soon.

How are you feeling about hockey? If his symptoms do subside, would you be OK with him playing again? It's such a hard thing.

I'm not getting how it's such a hard thing to keep your son/daughter from a possible lifetime of potential suffering. See what the doctors say I guess and then decide. There are lots of other things to do in life that don't put your entire future in jeopardy.

It is a hard thing and it's a valid point.

Our children and teens put a lot of effort, time and dedication into certain areas of their lives, whether that be ballet, surfing, bxm, hockey etc..

It's one thing to heed doctor's advice and rest and recouperate, but once recovery is reached then it would be natural for a child or teen to want to continue in their area of expertise.

People can just walk across a road and get hit by a car. Being a parent is hard. It's hard because you don't want to wrap them in cotton wool and you want them to follow their dreams yet you are constantly aware of the dangers out there. It's all a delicate and constant balance.

A parent could go crazy just worrying about the "what ifs" for their child. It's a very very hard job.

we will cross that bridge when it comes. right now he is in grade 11 and has a four year university scholarship signed. pretty hard to give that up. i know if he ever returns to play hockey i will never just relax and enjoy watching the game like i used to.

You're right. I got my first injury months before I had planned on starting a family at 37. I don't understand and unfortunately never will. Good luck to all.

thank you mark. if there was not such an opportunity for my son right now in hockey, you are right. i would not allow him to play again - or at least until he was an adult living on his own making his own decisions. i appreciate your concern over multiple concussions. trust me i am concerned too. one thing i will not allow is for him to go back too soon. he has to be at pre concussion levels for a good while before he steps back on the ice.

Thanks so much for your reply. This board is really helpful. I think you articulated it well and good advice about staying away from the scary articles! Now that I know the general facts, I can just stick with the rest until the doctors say something different.