6 ms·

Four Months After a Concussion, Your Brain Still Looks Different Than Before

52 points by aronvox 13y ago

Pxtl 13y ago
A bit offtopic for HN, but it really does drive the point home: Football? Boxing? Hockey? These are blood-sport. There may be a technological solution, there may be a rules-revision solution (hockey in particular does not need to be brutally violent to be a good game) but the current approach isn't right.
- Balgair 13y ago
  i agree with you that they are bloody sports and there are inherent major risks in them. I posted above about my experiences with wrestling and rugby, arguably very violent sports. I want to say that I know they are 'blood sports' and I love them even through what happened to me. Though I cannot play rugby these days, there is not one that goes by that I do not wish to be out on the pitch. I am having trouble explaining this, I think. But even though these sports are bloody, and probably because they are, I want to play them. The thrill, the camaraderie, the team and the struggle, the pitting of man against man in an arena, it all is what I want. I can prove myself on a rugby pitch or a wrestling mat in a way I cannot elsewhere in life. Again, words are failing me here. But I want you to know that I know the risks, I knew them before my concussions, I have lived with the results of the decisions, and I still miss it and yearn for it. I love playing these 'blood' sports.
ASpring 13y ago
I've sustained between 2 and 4 concussion in the past 6 years. 2 were clinically diagnosed and I self-diagnosed 2 more after smaller accidents that had similar week-long symptoms. All occurred during soccer practices and games. The prospect that I've done cumulative lasting damage to my brain absolutely terrifies me. Similar to the way a model would be terrified if they sustained burns on their face. My brain is what makes me money, my brain is what makes me proud, my brain provides pleasure through reading, writing and programming. It's horrifying to think that I've somehow caused my brain to be performing at a lower level than it would be otherwise. I don't know why I'm writing this. It's just scary. I still play sports (no longer soccer) and bicycle everywhere but I'm far more careful and reserved than I would be otherwise. Be careful out there, wear a helmet, and take care of your brain.
- rooshdi 13y ago
  It is concerning. I've been concussed by a baseball to the head as a teenager and these emerging long-term effects to the brain kind of freak me out. Probably shouldn't have took a few more headshots after that, but tis life I guess. Funny how our strongest asset is also the most fragile.
  - ASpring 13y ago
    Well said. Finding the balance is a struggle for me. Is increased risk of dementia and other disorders when I'm older worth it for me to continue mountain biking while I'm still young? I don't know. What risks are worth taking?
    - darkmighty 13y ago
      Here's something I don't get about some high-risk sports: is the feeling you get doing that really irreplaceable? Aren't there a ton of other things which given some time would be just as fun?
- consonants 13y ago
  I'd argue the worry you have is more damaging in real terms than the actual damage itself. Have you noticed any mental changes from the incidents?
jph 13y ago
I've helped friends with this. The most important item is for patients to get copies of their MRIs and related records. These are crucial for long term follow up.
mitchty 13y ago
About 5 years ago I suffered a concussion from a motorcycle accident (I had a helmet, only thing that saved me). All my friends said it took me almost 2 years before I was back to "my old self". It was weird experiencing it firsthand as well. My last memories of the accident was planting my left hand on the pavement trying to save the fall. Thankfully my nice Held gloves have tacks on the palm so it wasn't a big deal but the next memory I had was waking up with a cat on my chest staring right at me in my buddies girlfriends house. I think the cat wanted to eat me, those eyes /shudder. Anyway, PSA is always wear a helmet, that and hip armor, wear lots of that, I walked like an old man for a month. But for a few years after that accident I basically felt a fog in my brain. I really don't like the idea of sports like football after that where people pile on concussions. I just don't see how it could be a thing that couldn't be detrimental.
- rcavezza 13y ago
  Similar story. It took me about two years to fully "feel healthy" after a (or possibly many) rugby concussions my senior year of college. The day after my concussion, I felt drunk, wasted actually. When I woke up and went to the bathroom, I had to lean my hand on the wall just to stay upright. I was wobbling around campus for about two weeks after the incident. Always off balance, pretty much worrying the entire time that my CT scan and MRI's missed a brain bleed. I shouldn't have felt this weird, but they continued to say everything was normal. That was the worst part: The feeling that something was terribly wrong, but every single doctor told me that I was fine. Five years later, I feel relatively okay. I barely ever notice any lasting affects of the concussion. Every so often, I have a bad delay in recalling a word I am thinking of. One beer makes me feel really weird, although the feeling seems to go away after having two or three. And ejaculating, for some odd reason, gives me a headache.
  - ASpring 13y ago
    I've experienced similar feelings with the inability to recall words quickly. I wonder whether I should attribute it to graduating University and thus not using more expansive vocabulary normally or to the concussions I sustained my final year there. How did your concussion affect the way you live? Do you still play sports?
Balgair 13y ago
I've had quite a few in high school and early college. The best part is the manic and depressive episodes. After a really bad one during wrestling in high school, I had some pretty amazing highs and really bad lows. Best time of my life was sitting on the back porch and giggling at the sun for 2 hours. I was totally ecstatic about the sun. The worst was all the suicidal thoughts. Think a heart monitor. The highs were soooo good, but most of the time it was bad depression. I agree with the other posters here, it took me about 2 years after each bad hit to get over it and return to normal. I'd say it's a logarithmic curve to a new percentile. IE you never really get all the way to the new normal. I also have lasting short term memory loss, problems discerning things apart at close distances, and hearing issues in loud and chaotic environments like bars and family gatherings. My mind is just not there and will likely never be. Oh well, I guess I'm just stuck in Hard Mode. I don't play rubgy anymore, but damn I want to. I know I can't but I miss the pitch everyday I am here. I loved it all, and I still do. Again, hard mode.
dreamdu5t 13y ago
Is your brain supposed to look the same after four months without a concussion?
moe 13y ago
And if you're very, very lucky, the new look is an improvement: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/22/lachlan-connors-music_n_4324245.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/22/lachlan-connors-mus...

52 points by aronvox 13y ago

Pxtl 13y ago

A bit offtopic for HN, but it really does drive the point home: Football? Boxing? Hockey? These are blood-sport. There may be a technological solution, there may be a rules-revision solution (hockey in particular does not need to be brutally violent to be a good game) but the current approach isn't right.

Balgair 13y ago
i agree with you that they are bloody sports and there are inherent major risks in them. I posted above about my experiences with wrestling and rugby, arguably very violent sports. I want to say that I know they are 'blood sports' and I love them even through what happened to me. Though I cannot play rugby these days, there is not one that goes by that I do not wish to be out on the pitch. I am having trouble explaining this, I think. But even though these sports are bloody, and probably because they are, I want to play them. The thrill, the camaraderie, the team and the struggle, the pitting of man against man in an arena, it all is what I want. I can prove myself on a rugby pitch or a wrestling mat in a way I cannot elsewhere in life. Again, words are failing me here. But I want you to know that I know the risks, I knew them before my concussions, I have lived with the results of the decisions, and I still miss it and yearn for it. I love playing these 'blood' sports.

ASpring 13y ago

I've sustained between 2 and 4 concussion in the past 6 years. 2 were clinically diagnosed and I self-diagnosed 2 more after smaller accidents that had similar week-long symptoms. All occurred during soccer practices and games. The prospect that I've done cumulative lasting damage to my brain absolutely terrifies me. Similar to the way a model would be terrified if they sustained burns on their face. My brain is what makes me money, my brain is what makes me proud, my brain provides pleasure through reading, writing and programming. It's horrifying to think that I've somehow caused my brain to be performing at a lower level than it would be otherwise. I don't know why I'm writing this. It's just scary. I still play sports (no longer soccer) and bicycle everywhere but I'm far more careful and reserved than I would be otherwise. Be careful out there, wear a helmet, and take care of your brain.

rooshdi 13y ago
It is concerning. I've been concussed by a baseball to the head as a teenager and these emerging long-term effects to the brain kind of freak me out. Probably shouldn't have took a few more headshots after that, but tis life I guess. Funny how our strongest asset is also the most fragile.
- ASpring 13y ago
  Well said. Finding the balance is a struggle for me. Is increased risk of dementia and other disorders when I'm older worth it for me to continue mountain biking while I'm still young? I don't know. What risks are worth taking?
  - darkmighty 13y ago
    Here's something I don't get about some high-risk sports: is the feeling you get doing that really irreplaceable? Aren't there a ton of other things which given some time would be just as fun?
consonants 13y ago
I'd argue the worry you have is more damaging in real terms than the actual damage itself. Have you noticed any mental changes from the incidents?

jph 13y ago

I've helped friends with this. The most important item is for patients to get copies of their MRIs and related records. These are crucial for long term follow up.

mitchty 13y ago

About 5 years ago I suffered a concussion from a motorcycle accident (I had a helmet, only thing that saved me). All my friends said it took me almost 2 years before I was back to "my old self". It was weird experiencing it firsthand as well. My last memories of the accident was planting my left hand on the pavement trying to save the fall. Thankfully my nice Held gloves have tacks on the palm so it wasn't a big deal but the next memory I had was waking up with a cat on my chest staring right at me in my buddies girlfriends house. I think the cat wanted to eat me, those eyes /shudder. Anyway, PSA is always wear a helmet, that and hip armor, wear lots of that, I walked like an old man for a month. But for a few years after that accident I basically felt a fog in my brain. I really don't like the idea of sports like football after that where people pile on concussions. I just don't see how it could be a thing that couldn't be detrimental.

rcavezza 13y ago
Similar story. It took me about two years to fully "feel healthy" after a (or possibly many) rugby concussions my senior year of college. The day after my concussion, I felt drunk, wasted actually. When I woke up and went to the bathroom, I had to lean my hand on the wall just to stay upright. I was wobbling around campus for about two weeks after the incident. Always off balance, pretty much worrying the entire time that my CT scan and MRI's missed a brain bleed. I shouldn't have felt this weird, but they continued to say everything was normal. That was the worst part: The feeling that something was terribly wrong, but every single doctor told me that I was fine. Five years later, I feel relatively okay. I barely ever notice any lasting affects of the concussion. Every so often, I have a bad delay in recalling a word I am thinking of. One beer makes me feel really weird, although the feeling seems to go away after having two or three. And ejaculating, for some odd reason, gives me a headache.
- ASpring 13y ago
  I've experienced similar feelings with the inability to recall words quickly. I wonder whether I should attribute it to graduating University and thus not using more expansive vocabulary normally or to the concussions I sustained my final year there. How did your concussion affect the way you live? Do you still play sports?

Balgair 13y ago

I've had quite a few in high school and early college. The best part is the manic and depressive episodes. After a really bad one during wrestling in high school, I had some pretty amazing highs and really bad lows. Best time of my life was sitting on the back porch and giggling at the sun for 2 hours. I was totally ecstatic about the sun. The worst was all the suicidal thoughts. Think a heart monitor. The highs were soooo good, but most of the time it was bad depression. I agree with the other posters here, it took me about 2 years after each bad hit to get over it and return to normal. I'd say it's a logarithmic curve to a new percentile. IE you never really get all the way to the new normal. I also have lasting short term memory loss, problems discerning things apart at close distances, and hearing issues in loud and chaotic environments like bars and family gatherings. My mind is just not there and will likely never be. Oh well, I guess I'm just stuck in Hard Mode. I don't play rubgy anymore, but damn I want to. I know I can't but I miss the pitch everyday I am here. I loved it all, and I still do. Again, hard mode.

dreamdu5t 13y ago

Is your brain supposed to look the same after four months without a concussion?

moe 13y ago

And if you're very, very lucky, the new look is an improvement: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/22/lachlan-connors-music_n_4324245.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/22/lachlan-connors-mus...