Ouch my Brain!

Hello My Imaginary Friends,

Last Tuesday I was attacked by alien shape-changing creatures. Don’t worry, like Dain Ironfoot, I head-butted them into submission.

Yeah, I’m lying… I wasn’t attacked. I bent over really quickly and hit my head on a table; giving me a concussion. I hit myself hard.

It’s one of the dumbest injuries I’ve ever given myself. It’s right up there with the time I tripped and sprained my ankle, while walking on flat carpet.

Like a dumbass I decided to walk it off. Went to Costco and then the next day I went to work. I had a headache, was dizzy, and had a hard time concentrating. I told my wife and she told me to call Telehealth Ontario. (If you live in Ontario, it’s a great free service where you can chat with a nurse. They’ve given me wonderful advice over the years.)

The nurse made it quite clear that I should go to the hospital. At this point, the nausea set in. I went to the hospital and the Doctor told me that I needed to go home a rest.

She gave me a list of things I shouldn’t do:

• Go to work
• Watch TV
• Use a Computer
• Read
• Listen to loud music
• Strenuous physical activity

When I got home I went to sleep. I slept 5 hours in the afternoon and then rested on the couch for another 3. I didn’t go back to work until Monday and I only turned on my computer to help film Silver Stag.

I’m supposed to follow that list for 7-10 days. I cheated on Thursday by reading. It made me feel better, not worse, and I took breaks whenever I felt bad. At work I’m taking frequent breaks and making sure I’m not over doing it.

My day job, my freelance clients, and Five Rivers; have all be extremely understanding. As have my family, wife, and friends. Thank you!

What does it mean?

For those lucky enough not to have given yourselves brain trauma, a concussion occurs when you get a blow to the head. Unfortunately, Hollywood has lied to you. A blow to the head isn’t a human off switch. It’s a road to brain damage.

In mild cases, like mine, people can experience:

• confusion or feeling dazed
• clumsiness
• slurred speech
• nausea or vomiting
• headache
• balance problems or dizziness
• blurred vision
• sensitivity to light
• sensitivity to noise
• sluggishness
• ringing in ears
• behavior or personality changes
• concentration difficulties
• memory loss

Thank you, Web MD.

As far as I’m aware I’ve only experienced:

• confusion or feeling dazed
• clumsiness
• slurred speech
• nausea
• headache
• balance problems or dizziness
• sensitivity to light
• sluggishness
• concentration difficulties

Yay?

I’m Okay

Seriously, this has scared me, but the only issues that I’m still experiencing are headaches, light sensitivity, and concentration issues. (To be fair, I’ve always been clumsy, unbalanced, and sluggish.)

Hopefully with some rest and taking it easy, the remaining issues will pass.

 

Take care of yourselves and remember your brain is important.

Éric

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