Showing posts with label concussion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label concussion. Show all posts

5.27.2008

When I skate, my brains shake loose a little

Concussions are so not fun. Even "slight concussions," basically a term for the non-unconscious brain injury, suck major butt. First, there's a headache. Then, dizziness similar to that gained from drinking mojitos all night and not eating (a.k.a., the "spins"); after that, a tightness and dull pain in the head that can cause auras, which migraine sufferers are familiar with. Headaches that don't go away with OTC or prescription meds, are not allergy-related or sinus-pressure variety, and which creep back down the spine (if you land hard enough on your tailbone, it shakes ya right up to your brain-- you don't necessarily have to land on your head to get a concussion).
This is how mine came about. Skating around at practice last week, we were doing weaving drills. One of the other newbies, a really sweet girl and a pretty good skater, lost her balance when it came to me, and fell, pulling me down. Since she was behind me and I wasn't expecting her to grab me, I went down directly on the ole ass, which is not as padded as it used to be, and a little shock went straight back up. Good times. I shook it off, but came home and went straight to bed, as I was unusually tired (I am usually up for an hour, hour and a half after practices with adrenaline still surging through); I woke up in the middle of the night with the aforementioned spins so bad I could not walk to the bathroom without grabbing everything in arm's reach to hold me up. When I got up the next morning, the pain in my head had radiated back down into my neck and shoulders.
I probably should have gone to the doctor, and usually don't have a problem doing so. This just didn't seem like the kind of problem to take to my regular doctor, and getting a CAT scan or MRI just isn't my idea of a good time. Besides, I didn't want to be told that I couldn't practice anymore. But getting warmed up for practice tonight, I just could not get into it. I decided that, for the next few weeks, I'm going to take a break from being Smashly the Hood, and work out on my own. Then, hopefully, when I return to practicing, I will be more comfortable on my skates and won't go down so easily. Smashed the Hood doesn't sound very threatening out there on the track!