The months of haze began in an instant when my horse stumbled while I was shifting my seat. I don’t recall falling, but I remember feeling the leather reins slip through my hand as I hit my thigh on the ground. Then, the impact against the indoor arena wall jolted my back so severely it felt like every vertebrae in my spine had popped. After a few moments, I mustered the courage to remount the horse (as everyone always asks), but I haven’t ridden since. On the way home, my thoughts began to slow down, as if a fog was seeping into my brain. Thinking caused ringing in my ears and everything seemed too bright and loud. I slept excessively for the next three days, averaging 17 to 20 hours a day. I woke up only to eat, use the restroom, and then crawled back into bed, completely exhausted.
Almost instantly, I suspected that I had a concussion when the brain fog set in. Just the prior week, I had listened to a podcast that mentioned concussions can occur without a direct blow to the head. The day after the incident, my doctor confirmed my suspicion. The force of my back colliding with the wall had caused whiplash, jerking my neck forward and back. Consequently, my brain had suffered an injury from being jostled within my skull.
Initially, I believed that concussions were more concerning for individuals who experienced repeated trauma to the brain, such as football players, boxers, and war veterans who developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy. A single bump on the head seemed inconsequential, except when it wasn’t.
For months, a brief phone call left me utterly drained, as if I had just swum laps for an hour. I couldn’t drive, and even sitting as a passenger made me nauseous. Simply observing my surroundings felt like a chore; my eyes skipped as if watching a slowed-down film. My real work as a writer had become impossible, and even fun activities were out of the question. Retrieving thoughts felt like rummaging through empty file cabinets. My sense of self, embodied within the wiring of my brain, had vanished. I feared that she might be gone forever.
During this period, I grew frustrated with a system that failed to provide adequate and up-to-date information for individuals suffering from concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries. Research consistently demonstrates that targeted rehabilitation for concussion symptoms can expedite recovery, but the average patient doesn’t receive this advice. Many doctors still advise patients to wait out their concussions, when early treatment could make a significant difference.
Initially, my doctor told me to rest, claiming that most concussion symptoms resolve within a few days. However, three days later, she extended the timeframe to seven to ten days. Eventually, she revised it to a month.
During my waking hours, I devoted the little mental energy I had to researching concussions online and reaching out to specialists via email. I yearned to understand what was happening in my brain and if I could speed up the recovery process. I learned that a helmet wasn’t foolproof in preventing concussions, as the rapid acceleration and deceleration of the head alone could cause enough force to injure the brain.
Then, I took yet another nap.
I discovered that researchers were developing blood tests that could identify concussions by measuring protein fragments from damaged nerve fibers. The first commercial product gained FDA approval in March. Douglas Smith, the director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania, likened these nerve fibers to the electrical grid of a city that is the brain. He explained, “Having a concussion is like having a brownout.” The connections in the brain remained intact, but the signals failed to transmit properly. Long-term symptoms following a single concussion were not uncommon and affected approximately 20 percent of concussion patients, according to Smith.
Once again, I rested.
I delved into books about concussions, reading a few chapters at a time. Most of the stories described people being told that nothing could be done for them because their CT scans appeared normal (since concussions rarely show up on imaging). Others described individuals being discharged from hospitals, feeling as if their brains were shattered, yet unable to articulate their condition. Conor Gormally, executive director of Concussion Alliance, believed that concussions were treatable injuries that were often overlooked by the average medical professional. He stated, “The biggest problem people face are barriers to the care that they need, which is out there.”
In the darkness of my room, I closed my eyes.
Each time I exerted myself for a short period, I experienced a sensation of pressure building behind my ears, making me feel as if my brain was swelling. In the past, I had been able to push through fatigue and continue working, but now, I couldn’t. When I reached my limit, a buzzing sound filled my ears, as if a bug was trapped within my eardrums.
Once again, I returned to rest.
Weeks turned into weeks, and I began searching for concussion treatments in my area. Page after page resulted in listings for chiropractors or specialty centers that didn’t always accept insurance but made grand promises of fixing my brain. I joined Facebook support groups where patients shared what had and hadn’t worked for them. Some posts offered hope as individuals recovered, but many still remained in the groups because years had passed without improvement. What if I never regained my former self?
After five weeks of searching for answers in vain, I found myself sobbing uncontrollably one afternoon. As a journalist who believed in evidence-based medicine, I felt disheartened by the lack of resources available. Desperate, I started considering alternative therapies. At my lowest point, I visited a doctor whose website appeared outdated. Over the phone, he mentioned “clean eating” and similar practices that made me skeptical. However, in my desperation to regain my former self, I chose to ignore my misgivings. He sold me tablets promising to protect against 5G radiation at the front desk. His alternative treatments, including wearing tinted glasses and an electric radiation-blocking blanket, proved fruitless. They did, however, cost me $500.
Defeated, I retreated to my bed.
It is difficult to estimate the number of individuals who sustain mild traumatic brain injuries each year. Elizabeth Sandel, a specialist in brain injury medicine and author of Shaken Brain, explained that emergency room data fail to capture everyone since many people turn to their primary-care physicians for treatment. The statistic of 3.8 million Americans each year is often mentioned, encompassing both mild head injuries from sports and various other types of brain injuries caused by falls, recreational activities, car accidents, and domestic violence.
The challenge in treating concussions stems from the fact that every brain injury is unique. According to Smith, there are over 30 different concussion symptoms, ranging from severe headaches to cognitive difficulties, balance issues, and visual impairments. Treatment approaches may vary based on specific symptoms.
Previously, doctors would advise brain injury patients to “cocoon” or rest in a dark room for the first few days. However, experts now understand that resting may benefit some patients, while others may benefit from engaging in activities that do not exacerbate their symptoms. The latest concussion recovery guidelines, released in October 2022, increasingly emphasize early and improved rehabilitation. If dizziness, neck pain, or headaches persist beyond 10 days, the guidelines recommend “cervicovestibular rehabilitation” – the same therapy that eventually aided in my recovery. This approach combines manual therapy targeting key muscles with rehab for the balance system. Multiple studies have demonstrated its effectiveness, such as a 2014 study that reported a 73 percent recovery rate after eight weeks of treatment, compared to only 7 percent in the control group.
By the time I finally regained…
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
