head injury

Concussion Fears

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Hello My Imaginary Friends,

As I lay on the couch trying not to think of all things I should be doing. I kept coming back to scary thoughts of what this concussion could do to me. I wrote about what happened last week.

I was afraid I’d lose parts of myself. What if I didn’t enjoy reading anymore? What if I couldn’t write coherently? What if my personality had changed? What if my inability to find the right word didn’t go away? What if I had forgotten something important?

Between the stress of perceived deadlines and the above questions it’s no wonder I went against the doctor’s orders and started to read. I lost myself in a fun novel and it helped calm me down.

Those pesky questions were still there. I was reminded of a movie from the late nineties called Safe House. I haven’t seen it since 1999. I have no idea if it aged well over the past 17 years.

Safe house 1998

The movie, from what I remember, is about an ageing spy who was dealing with Alzheimer’s. The major tension came from trying to figure out if he was truly in danger or if it was all fueled by the disease. The concept of losing oneself terrifies me more than any horror movie ever could.

I had a few long and scary nights. Honestly I’m still worried about it. I’m writing this in advance to give myself ample convention recovery time. At the moment I’m still fighting with headaches and a little confusion.

I’m worried about what will happen if they never go away. What if this is me now. This is my life?

It absolutely could be worse. I can still read and after this post, and a few others, I’m fairly sure I’m still capable of writing. What really scares me isn’t what I know is wrong but what I don’t know that I’ve lost.

I guess philosophically it shouldn’t matter but is still scares me. I mean, if I don’t know, I can’t miss it… right?

 

Maybe I’ll get lucky and this will activate my X-Gene…

 

Protect your heads!

Éric

Ouch my Brain!

by

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.

Bear

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