Having Fun With the Brain Injured
December 16, 2008
Son: Mom, it is so weird. I can’t really remember anything from that week in Florida. It is all jumbled up like it happened to someone else.
Me: Do you remember the first night there?
Son: I’m not sure…
Me: When you called me crying like a baby because you missed me so much?
Son: What?
Me: Yes, and I had to go to your condo and pick you up and bring you back to the house we had rented. Don’t you remember that?
Son: No. And I don’t think that happened.
Me: …
Son: Did it?
*****
He has an appointment tomorrow afternoon for a CT scan and then later in the week an appointment with a sports medicine doctor who specializes in concussions. My son seems much better today, more “with it” or as he says, “less retarded.” The specialist will do some sort of assessments and let us know how long it will be before he is considered good as new.
And I suppose give me an estimate for when I will be able to safely remove the bubble wrap and styrofoam I have packed him in. I am thinking 22 seems like a good age for that.
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Wow, that is scary. I definitely would leave the bubble wrap on until atleast 23…just to make sure.
Your life is never boring….
December 16th, 2008 at 7:47 pmWhat a coincidence I’m turning 22 tomorrow, I wonder What bubbles I should remove. I hope my parents told me everything!!!
December 16th, 2008 at 7:48 pmHope everything is okay. And for the record, there is nothing wrong with a little bubble wrap from time to time. You gotta do what you gotta do.
December 16th, 2008 at 7:57 pmOh I would totally mess with him too if he were mine. I mean - how often do you get a chance to DO that? Lol!
December 16th, 2008 at 8:13 pmI’m sure he’ll be fine, but always always better safe than sorry.
It would be hard for me to differentiate between post-concussive syndrome and spacey-alienated-teen syndrome around here, too.
December 16th, 2008 at 8:14 pmMaybe you don’t want to tell him about the warm sensation in the groin after they inject the dye for the CT scan
Good luck! - it takes a long time to recover. My daughter was off 4 months. Heading the ball 9 months after her concussion caused immediate headaches so she is not allowed to head the ball anymore. Plus she is never allowed to lay with boys again.
December 16th, 2008 at 8:17 pmSending you some Christms spirit from CA. Sounds like you need it! I hereby give you permission to skip every single optional thing such as cards, cookies for neighbors, etc. I hope your son ends up with a clean bill of health.
December 16th, 2008 at 8:17 pmMake that 25.
I had a car wreck at 22 that could have been worse, but still gave me 28 stitches in my head, and caused my father and I to miss my sister’s high school graduation.
There may or may not have been alcohol involved…this was before the “Just Say No” days.
December 16th, 2008 at 8:18 pmI say it’s ok to take the bubble wrap off as long as you get his custom EPS foam in the mail and taped on him correctly.
BTW: I like that your having a bit of fun with this, if it was my kid I would totally mess with him too! A little bit of paybacks from the sleepless nights not so long ago.
December 16th, 2008 at 9:09 pmOMG! I mean PLAY with boys - not LAY with boys. Well, she’s not allowed to do that either.
Chris says: Hahahaha. I was wondering.
December 16th, 2008 at 9:46 pm22? Have you met any 22 year old ‘men’ recently? No way. 40. Maybe.
December 16th, 2008 at 10:09 pmGood luck with the scan - and everything else. Not a month to inspire Christmas spirit at all!!
December 16th, 2008 at 10:31 pmI don’t think we’re ever ready to REALLY unwrap them. It’s hard to keep them safe huh?
December 16th, 2008 at 11:13 pmA few years ago, I went snowboarding, in the dark, without a helmet. Because I was young and when you are young, you make bad decisions.
I went off a little hill/jump I did not see (see dark above.)
I flipped mid-air and landed on my head. I woke up a few minutes later, stunned.
We flew home the next day, and I spent the next week in a dark room on heavy doses of pain killers and anti-nausea meds as I spent most of the flight and the days after puking my guts out.
I was apparently quite loopy and silly for much of the week’s following the concussion, which my husband enjoyed quite a bit.
Enjoy the time you have, I’m sure he’ll be okay. I’m fine now, I know now to avoid going down icy hills in the dark.
December 17th, 2008 at 12:21 amMy husband got a bad concussion while playing football in HS. After being hit, he got up and walked over to the wrong side of the field and sat with the other team. (and though high maintenance and quirky, at 42 he definitely shows no long term issues as a result of that event)
December 17th, 2008 at 12:38 amGood thoughts being sent to you and your boy. I have some bubble wrap I can send ya–not enough for full coverage, but a good start. Remember this is the year to cut back. So, if it does not HAVE to be done, don’t do it. Everyone will live through a cut back Christmas–look how well your non-traditional Thanksgiving went. But, don’t cut back on blogging–I really do need my daily fix. The important thing really is family and health.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:46 amYour son and I are in the same weird semi-reality boat right now, as I got a concussion a week and a half ago in a car accident. Feeling ‘weird’ is putting it lightly. Like … everything seems both perfectly fine and absolutely off all at the same time.
I hope his CT goes well, and that he (you) doesn’t (don’t) get too frustrated with his not-quite-right-ness. I don’t know how long these awful things last, but here’s hoping for all of us that it isn’t as long as the doctors like to make us think.
December 17th, 2008 at 4:34 amI’ve followed your site for a long time, but I don’t know if I’ve ever commented.. Sorry! I love to read about all of your adventures.
I just wanted to say that concussions can be scary things.. my son received one in a ski accident four years ago (yes, he was wearing a helmet). This caused ‘post traumatic migraines’, 24/7.. for three months. Double vision, amnesia, but it was the constant migraines that totally disabled him. It was rough. He missed the last four months of seventh grade, it seemed like it would never end. The hardest thing about this type of injury is that you can’t see anything wrong with the person.. so people don’t understand. I know all that sounds scary, and it was.. but I remember one of the neurologists holding my hand and saying “I can’t be sure when this will all be over, but I can promise you.. at some point it will all be over”. And it was. He is perfectly fine now, no lasting issues.
I know what you mean about the bubble wrap. I want to do that, too, but I don’t want him to be scared of life.. Skiing is still his favorite thing in the world to do, but each time he leaves I worry…
You’re in my thoughts and prayers. Keep us posted, please!
December 17th, 2008 at 8:17 amMaybe you could also help him “remember” that they won that last game. It might make the whole brain injury thing easier to take.
After reading your posts about football, I was actually thinking of letting my 11-year old play next year. But uh… I’m re-thinking that now. I’m going to really push Chess Club!
December 17th, 2008 at 9:47 amMy 14 year old got a concussion his last football game of the year in October. He did not remember the entire game, and was a little off for a couple of days. I was just happy that it was the last game so we wouldn’t argue about him sitting out the next week. [he didn't tell anyone either, until the coaches noticed his odd behavior with 4 minutes to go]
December 17th, 2008 at 10:55 amOh my gosh! I don’t think I’d EVER remove the bubble wrap. I might pop a couple of the bubbles when I was bored, but that’s it. Concussions scare the crap outta me.
December 17th, 2008 at 12:27 pmPoor son. Poor Chris. Your Christmas present from me this year is a big guilt vacuum- a black hole that you can dump it all in. Wheeee!
Hope he feels better soon.
December 17th, 2008 at 12:50 pmWow! Amazing. I hope everything is well and normal soon and I hope he is able to recapture some of those memories from such an amazing time!
December 17th, 2008 at 2:01 pmWell, guess you will just have to let him “lay with the girls” from now on!
December 17th, 2008 at 2:46 pmWow. So I guess “lying about it on purpose” is off the table now, huh? And I bet you so wanted to nail him for that.
Chris says: Well, he lied about blacking out when it happened, and the dizziness and blurred vision. We had a discussion about why that is not acceptable at all. I guess I never explained to him the difference between pushing through with a hurt finger versus a hurt BRAIN!
December 17th, 2008 at 2:50 pmI got a concussion in ‘93 and I still can’t remember anything about the day. Hope everything comes back to your son so he can remember this trip!
December 17th, 2008 at 7:21 pmWow. Hugs to the mom!!! That is some serious stuff sweetie, so know my prayers are with you and #1 son.
Love you!
December 17th, 2008 at 7:56 pmThat’s funny! Scary, but kinda funny.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:27 pmOh, that’s awful. It sounds just like my son. It was a good two weeks of being goofy on and off. It sounds like you live near where we do more or less so I’d like to recommend the neurology department at Children’s in the big city where the baseball team plays–if that makes sense. They did a great job with a very thorough exam and lots of testing and ultimately told me that it sure was a concussion and, thankfully, that’s it. The goofiness and the subsequent headaches (that included a whopper of a migraine) were terrifying. The bigger he gets the more I hope he’s not talented enough to keep playing football.
December 21st, 2008 at 6:57 pmI totally understand — nursing my 12 yo, 1 week post surgery — and am investing, heavily, in bubble wrap, as well. Good luck, Momma!
December 22nd, 2008 at 12:39 am