Concussions

446 words

Okay so all of you athletes out there, and even non-athletes, are aware of how dangerous a concussion can be. Your brain is extremely fragile and can easily be injured. I am currently recovering from one as I'm writing this. It happened five weeks ago tomorrow and I’m still missing school and in the recovery process.

I got my concussion from getting hit in the head with volleyball. I was on one side of the net when a ball from the other side was served and hit me on the right side of my face. To be honest, I was more concerned about if I had broken my nose or not than about a concussion. I told my coach that I was fine to finish the drill but about half way through my head started to throb horribly. Once we stopped, I started to see black ripple across my vision but it only lasted a few seconds. It wasn't until we started running lines that I almost threw up and knew that something was wrong.

Not too long after I sat down, another girl got hit in the head. This time with an elbow of another player. The coach thought that she was more likely to have a concussion than me but when both of us went to see our school's athletic trainer; the other player just needed some ice and a few hours rest. Me? I needed, well, five weeks of recovery.

I am currently in therapy to help recover but it hasn't been easy. I've missed a lot of school and a lot of practice mainly because I’ve been so exhausted. When your doctor tells you to rest for a certain period of time...DO IT! I didn't really follow those directions and I feel like it has lengthened the recovery process. Rest is the best, best, BEST thing for your brain after a concussion.

I'm writing this for two reasons. 1. To tell you that just because one injury may seem more severe than another doesn't necessarily mean it is. Even just a small bump can lead to other problems. Go and see a doctor as soon as you think something's wrong. And 2. To tell you to make sure you follow resting directions. Your brain isn't something to mess with. Don't try and push yourself and see how far you can go. Get eight hours of sleep every night if possible. Also, don't worry about missing class and things like that. All of my teachers have been very good with helping me catch up. I don't think any teacher would want to make your life harder than the concussion is already making it.


Stay safe!!!
~Skooogster(: