4 ms·

Diary of a Concussion

19 points by pmcpinto 9y ago

dang 9y ago
Url changed from https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/oct/05/this-is-what-a-brain-injury-feels-like https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/oct/05/this-is-what-a-..., which points to this.
mobilefriendly 9y ago
So impact isn't necessary for a concussion...I wonder if aggressive roller-coaster style rides could be causing brain damage?
- maxerickson 9y ago
  External impact. The concussion when there is no external impact comes from the brain bouncing on the skull. I guess most roller coasters aren't causing the brain to bounce around.
skierscott 9y ago
> Was this was the anxiety that had been mentioned in the medical literature? I don’t know. I’ve had a difference expierence with brain injury and anxiety. My recovery resulted in classic anxiety; I experienced social anxiety and depression.
XR0CSWV3h3kZWg 9y ago
I've had a fairly mild concussion, neither myself nor other people close to me recognized a change in my personality or mental capacity. Perhaps I wasn't looking close enough, but here's hoping I was largely unaffected. I wasn't engaging in dangerous activity, but know I have to extra careful moving forward. I think the most dangerous activity I do is the occasional ~5m bike ride without a helmet, weekly driving in a car and rock climbing.
jacquesm 9y ago
This makes me wonder if there is a constant G at which the regular situation would be indistinguishable from a concussion or if it is the relative change to normal that causes this.
AnimalMuppet 9y ago
Hmm. I roller-skated into a carpeted wall at very close to full throttle. I woke up on the floor maybe 30 seconds later. My concussion left me with a brain that worked just fine, except for one thing: Numbers didn't correlate to the real world any more. I looked at my watch. It said 6:18. I could read the numbers just fine... but what time is that? Is it early? Late? When is that? I drove myself home (mistake - do not drive when you're brain's messed up, but I got away with it). I stopped for gas. It was 86.9 (yeah, this was a long time ago). Again, I could read the number just fine, but... how much money is that? Is it a good price? A bad one? Two days later, numbers made sense again. I have no side effects that I have observed. One thing I have in common with the writer: I don't remember the impact, either. My memory ends with my head still about a foot away from the wall. Note well: This is completely and totally not saying "this is what you should expect". It's not saying you're a wimp if you had more damage than me. It's my experience; nothing more. (It's also not a demand that everyone carpet the sides of the sound booths at roller staking rinks, though that isn't a bad idea...)

19 points by pmcpinto 9y ago

dang 9y ago

Url changed from https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/oct/05/this-is-what-a-brain-injury-feels-like https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/oct/05/this-is-what-a-..., which points to this.

mobilefriendly 9y ago

So impact isn't necessary for a concussion...I wonder if aggressive roller-coaster style rides could be causing brain damage?

maxerickson 9y ago
External impact. The concussion when there is no external impact comes from the brain bouncing on the skull. I guess most roller coasters aren't causing the brain to bounce around.

skierscott 9y ago

> Was this was the anxiety that had been mentioned in the medical literature? I don’t know. I’ve had a difference expierence with brain injury and anxiety. My recovery resulted in classic anxiety; I experienced social anxiety and depression.

XR0CSWV3h3kZWg 9y ago

I've had a fairly mild concussion, neither myself nor other people close to me recognized a change in my personality or mental capacity. Perhaps I wasn't looking close enough, but here's hoping I was largely unaffected. I wasn't engaging in dangerous activity, but know I have to extra careful moving forward. I think the most dangerous activity I do is the occasional ~5m bike ride without a helmet, weekly driving in a car and rock climbing.

jacquesm 9y ago

This makes me wonder if there is a constant G at which the regular situation would be indistinguishable from a concussion or if it is the relative change to normal that causes this.

AnimalMuppet 9y ago

Hmm. I roller-skated into a carpeted wall at very close to full throttle. I woke up on the floor maybe 30 seconds later. My concussion left me with a brain that worked just fine, except for one thing: Numbers didn't correlate to the real world any more. I looked at my watch. It said 6:18. I could read the numbers just fine... but what time is that? Is it early? Late? When is that? I drove myself home (mistake - do not drive when you're brain's messed up, but I got away with it). I stopped for gas. It was 86.9 (yeah, this was a long time ago). Again, I could read the number just fine, but... how much money is that? Is it a good price? A bad one? Two days later, numbers made sense again. I have no side effects that I have observed. One thing I have in common with the writer: I don't remember the impact, either. My memory ends with my head still about a foot away from the wall. Note well: This is completely and totally not saying "this is what you should expect". It's not saying you're a wimp if you had more damage than me. It's my experience; nothing more. (It's also not a demand that everyone carpet the sides of the sound booths at roller staking rinks, though that isn't a bad idea...)