What do people really know about concussions?
I shared with you in my first blog that I didn't know much about concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries with my 10 years nursing experience. This is because nurses and doctors focus on major injuries when learning about traumatic brain injuries in school. I have worked in the emergency room before and if you're not bleeding, have limbs falling off, or unconscious, your injuries are not serious to the medical staff. Yes, I'm just putting it out there. We have a process that we follow in how we prioritize those needing care.
Concussions are the trickiest of injuries because it can take days and sometimes weeks for serious symptoms to form. This is due to the ongoing neuronal injury or shearing of important cell pathways in the brain. What cannot be seen on cat scans and MRIs shouldn't dictate to the treating provider if you have sustained a brain injury. However, in my case, my symptoms were a dead give away that something was terribly wrong with my neurological system. This is what I initially reported to ER staff:
1. Horrible headaches
2. Dizziness
3. Sensitivity to lights and sounds
4. Nausea
5. Chest pain
6. Restlessness
Over the course of a week, I had visited the ER at least 3 times and I was told I had cervical radiculopathy and a concussion. I told them I had a concussion because my friend Google helped me diagnose myself, LOL!!!! Nurses are great at diagnosing themselves.
The ER team did not explain to me what I should be expecting with a concussion nor did they seem to be concerned that I kept coming back to them with worsening symptoms.
When I was finally sick enough to be taken seriously, I couldn't walk on my own without falling. My speech was so slurred and it felt like somebody was sitting on the base of my tongue. My neck hurt like somebody had twisted my head all the way around its axis.
In my quest to find information about concussions, I came across this video from Dr. Tator in Canada. The questions posed in this video are excellent and portray what the general public knows about concussions and the need for more awareness.
Concussions are the trickiest of injuries because it can take days and sometimes weeks for serious symptoms to form. This is due to the ongoing neuronal injury or shearing of important cell pathways in the brain. What cannot be seen on cat scans and MRIs shouldn't dictate to the treating provider if you have sustained a brain injury. However, in my case, my symptoms were a dead give away that something was terribly wrong with my neurological system. This is what I initially reported to ER staff:
1. Horrible headaches
2. Dizziness
3. Sensitivity to lights and sounds
4. Nausea
5. Chest pain
6. Restlessness
Over the course of a week, I had visited the ER at least 3 times and I was told I had cervical radiculopathy and a concussion. I told them I had a concussion because my friend Google helped me diagnose myself, LOL!!!! Nurses are great at diagnosing themselves.
The ER team did not explain to me what I should be expecting with a concussion nor did they seem to be concerned that I kept coming back to them with worsening symptoms.
When I was finally sick enough to be taken seriously, I couldn't walk on my own without falling. My speech was so slurred and it felt like somebody was sitting on the base of my tongue. My neck hurt like somebody had twisted my head all the way around its axis.
In my quest to find information about concussions, I came across this video from Dr. Tator in Canada. The questions posed in this video are excellent and portray what the general public knows about concussions and the need for more awareness.
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