My Concussion Story…

Concussions are serious. This I know from personal experience. My concussions changed my view of life. Thumps on the head are like that. My first concussion happened in a cyclocross race. The track had 2 grassy mounds, both about 3-feet high and in close succession. You approached them at speed. Physics dictate that going over mounds on a bike pushes your body forward. (Think front wheelie.) I had done them numerous times in practice. I thought to myself, John, you had better keep your weight back going over these things during the race. The thing about thinking during a bike race is that it is not so easy. So I forgot about keeping my weight back—or at least that is what I was told by my wife Staci, who was watching as I flew through the air and landed on my head at her feet. I say it that way because I cannot recall anything about that race—not the start, not the accident and not how I asked the same stupid questions over and over. My first memory of that day was being in the ambulance. I remember thinking…why am I in an ambulance? Time was gone. The CT scan was negative. I was discharged from the ER. I felt fine the next day. I was told to rest. I rode my bike the next day. I went to work the next day. I did not have headaches, balance problems or any slowing of thinking. I was also told that second concussions were worse. Concussions were not so bad, I thought. I used to be really foolish. My second concussion happened about a year later. It was a Tuesday night prac...
Source: Dr John M - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: blogs