Hi everyone!

Here's a little of my history:

Concussion #1: Ran into garage door with my head. Didn't ever feel 100% and then...

Concussion#2: Punched myself under my jaw after my hand slipped from my strap! Yes, that happened. Can you believe it??

I actually went to UPMC's program and had an amazing experience that got me back on track.

I still have these moments of worrying whether a bump caused another concussion, but for the most part can blow it off.

So, here's my current situation:

I was changing the baby's diaper on the floor and when I got up with the baby in my arms, the movement caused the baby's head to hit my jaw. I blew it off because I didn't feel anything right away. I also thought it was a minor hit, so no need to worry.

The next day, my neck was extremely sore and my eyes were really bothering me - couldn't do computer work or read. I've also had some sound sensitivity. Now, the eyes and the sounds sensitivity could have been caused by the previous week - too much reading and computer work. (I still have some lingering vision issues).

So I keep trying to blow it off, but the worse I feel the more anxious I get about it. :/ Would a five-pound hit from about six to eight inches away re-injure me?

Also, my neck was stiff as I was moving to get up from the floor, so I really don't think my head could have moved much at all upon impact. A concussion happens when the brain hits the skull, right?

Thanks so much in advance for your thoughts. Believe it or not, my anxiety about my PCS is MUCH, much better than it was. But I don't want to slide back into it, you know? It's miserable!

BlueEggs,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

You did not suffer a concussion from the baby's head hitting your jaw. A baby's head/skull is soft. It would absorb the force. Your jaw would leave a dent in the baby's head and still not be a concussion.

This sounds like pure anxiety. You are checking for symptoms. The power of suggestion with an anxious mind means you will notice symptoms. I call these memorized symptoms. They happened in the past from a real concussion so when you have a bump, it triggers checking for these symptoms. They manifest as sort of flashback symptoms. The brain replays the symptoms from the previous concussion. It can be a form of PTSD.

If you did not pay attention to the bump, you would not check for the symptom and everything would be fine.

Did UPMC offer therapy for dealing with the 'I bumped my head" anxiety ?

Thank you so much for your reply, Mark!

I was assured by UPMC that even if a tennis ball hit my head, I wouldn't get another concussion. They said I wouldn't be more susceptible to another concussion once I heal completely. I'm usually much better at fighting off the anxiety and blowing these things off, but I just came back from my first big road trip (6 hours each way) and it REALLY messed me up. My vision and neck issues are back and it's pretty disheartening. And then, to have the baby's head hit mine concurrent to all this makes it difficult to separate the trip issues from the hit!

I didn't even think about the baby's skull being soft. I would imagine that would lessen the impact even more. Thank you for mentioning this.

I'm choosing to look at it like this: I just pushed myself harder than I have since the concussion with the trip, so of course it will reveal lingering issues.

Wow, I can't seem to quite let this go. My anxiety has ramped up about this over the past day. So a five-pound weight wouldn't have enough force to cause a concussion??

For the soft skull of a baby's head to inflict any damage to you, that baby would have suffered life threatening damage. Most parents in this case would be concerned for the baby. Pediatricians see this all the time as babies jerk in reaction to being held.

If you have ongoing neck issues, symptoms can be caused by upper neck inflammation or neck muscle tension. Neither are a concussion.

Thank you again, Mark. Obviously, my anxiety is one last holdout from my concussions. I am working on it, but it rears its ugly head every once in awhile.

Do you know what? I wasn't worried for the baby at all because I could tell he was just fine (thankfully!)! He didn't even flinch - was happy as could be. Didn't leave a mark on him, either. Boy, that makes me realize how stupid this is. You know what this stems from? Hearing that one concussion leaves you more susceptible to another. It makes you feel like the littlest thing will reinjure you. But the more time that passes, and the more little bumps I go through without any problems arising from them, the less anxious I am about it all. It was a VERY hard road to get back from where I was, and the thought of going back there can be paralyzing.

The road trip I went on was too much for me, obviously. I think with my vision issues, it was too visually challenging and ramped up the symptoms.

I do appreciate your candor and patience with those who are still learning to work through PCS anxiety.

you'd know if it was. Concussions are nasty and crippling