Concussions

I’ve seen athletes on TV treated for concussions. I’ve heard about the dangers of them. But until recently, I’ve never been around someone who had a severe head trauma.

It truly is the invisible illness many talk about. There are no outward signs like bleeding or broken bones to be cast. But over 3,800,000 athletes suffer from a concussion ever year.

In the case of my son, he fell while skiing. He got up, felt fine and drove home from the mountain with no sign of any problem. The next day he began having severe headaches, nausea, foggy brain, and dizziness. He took it easy then decided to head in to have himself checked.

The doctor said he might suffer side effect for up to one year. As of now, almost seven month later, he has lingering problems that are common to concussion victims including attention problems and short-term memory loss.

Our son is a recreational athlete. For professional or perpetual athletes who face repeated playing after a concussion, their playing invites exposure to future concussions. That is a scary problem.

Other problems people with concussion face include:

• visual problems
• light or noise sensitivity
• memory dysfunction
• fatigue
• abnormal sleeping habits
• increased emotionality
• irritability or nervousness

I have no solutions to offer, just a warning that concussion are serious and may have long-term affects on people of all ages.