# Concussions



## Cruisingdad (Jul 21, 2006)

Hello everyone,

I want to write this while I can. It has been a long time since I have been on Sailnet or anything electronic. I have not had a choice, honestly. Doc's orders and this is one of many things which make me sick. Looking at the title above, I suspect you can guess why.

We all talk about the great dangers of falling overboard. Isn't that the biggest danger facing a sailor? Or is it getting caught up in the engine? A hurricane? Lightning strikes? I will tell you that I have been boating, as many of you know, a very, very long time. I believe the greatest danger may in fact be the least talked about: concussions. 

Only recently have concussions come to the forefront in mainstream sports and media. Athletes that mysteriously died or over time began acting very strangely. I am not sure I really took a lot of that seriously. That is to say, I was always cautious of whacking my head, but I had no idea the real and severe repercussions of it. To me, a concussion was getting hit on the head, being knocked out, and assuming your eyes are not bleeding or are not incorrectly dialated, then sniff some salts man and get back out there on the field. I cannot tell you how many people have told me something similar after my injury. Well folks, I am here to tell you that you would be so lucky if that was all that it was. Everything I knew about concussions changed one day. Let me tell you the story and I hope all of you will read it and remember it.

It was a bright, sunny day. Light wind. I was tied to the dock (wall) at Marathon City Marina. I had to take off my dodger to get repaired. Usually on my boat, the dodger keeps you from coming up and smacking the boom. So while I was taking it off, I stood up quickly and cracked the top of my head on the bottom of the boom. I did not pass out. Let me say this again and read carefully: I DID NOT PASS OUT. I think that is one of the most important things you will read in this story. I saw stars and went black a moment, but other than where I hit my head, I was alright. 

I kept taking off the dodger and began walking down the dock to drop it off at the canvas shop. For those that have not been there, the dock at the City Marina is just a wall on land with a concrete walkway. After about 20 steps, I started getting a severe headache. It was everywhere except my face, and somewhat down my neck. I thought for sure I was coming down with the flu. I took a few more steps and suddenly the dock was moving. As I said before, the dock is land. It can't move short of an earthquake. A moment after that I nearly vomited over everyone. I turned around, dragging the dodger behind me (eventually dropping it), scrambled onto the boat, dropped into my berth and promptly fell asleep. There was nothing, NOTHING, that was going to keep me from falling asleep. 

I woke up the next day. Many people don't. In fact, they don't wake up again. I began to suspect something was wrong beyond the flu. I couldn't stand sunlight, and it only took minutes before I got my headache, dizzy, nauseus, and again passed out from sleep (in that order). The same cycle over and over. THose cycles still persist today, over three months later... though generally not as bad. More on that later.

Of course I had a concussion, but I did not know it at the time. I didn't think it was possible. I was not knocked unconscious and I didn't think I hit my head that hard. Aren't you supposed to really get hit? Aren't you supposed to be knocked unconscious? No. No, you are not. I hope that settles in to everyone reading this too.

My point in all of this is education. I pride myself on trying to be the most knowledgeable sailor and safest sailor I can be... and I didn't know. I believe there are a lot of misconceptions on concussions and how dangerous they really are. So let me give you the signs. A person with a concussion may experience all or none of these... but it seems most of the people I talk to have every one of them (including me):

Severe headache. The headache is not centralized. It is your entire head. In fact, you may not feel the injury at all. I didn't after they started.

Incredible aversion to light. Light gives me a severe headache and if I do not mitigate it (quickly), the domino effect below begins.

Dizziness and Nausea. It feels like the last few minutes of being drunk where you are dizzy but ready to throw up any time. I don't know how else to describe it.

Fatigue, extreme need for sleep. This is the BIG danger signal. It means your brain could be hemorrhaging. Don't go to sleep and don't let anyone under your care go to sleep. I will tell you though, I don't think anyone would have been able to stop me even had they tried.

Sleeplessness: The injured person may also not be able to go to sleep. This did not start for me until a couple of weeks afterwards, but still persists in full force today. For example, I finally fell asleep this morning at 730 am. 

Excessive anger and depression. The anger struck me immediately. In fact, as odd as it might seem, I felt that before the headache. I was yelling at Kris or the kids for anything. I couldn't help myself.

Some other comments about the above: the person may or may not seem distant or incoherent. I refused to go to the emergency room. I "had the flu". Nothing more. It is very likely the person with the concussion is not thinking clearly. Looking back, I sure didn't. But as the injured person, I will tell those reading: you don't know that. You dont know you are not thinking straight... and you are not. It is like your mind is breaking down and scrambling reasonable thoughts.


My suggestion for anyone who shows any of these signs is to get to the ER immediately - especially if they are experiencing fatigue spells. It is serious business and deadly. I was very lucky. However, even now, I struggle with a lot of the symptoms. 

I am very light sensitive. I cannot do anything on computers or anything electronic without getting the headaches (which often come anyways). If I do anything mentally taxing, I get a severe headache and generally nauseous and dizzy. I have not had a sleeping fit in quite a while, but I do get tired and have to stay in a dark place with my eyes closed. My anger management has not really improved and I often say and do things I later cannot believe I said or did. 

Your neurologist will help you with things to improve your condition. I will tell you the things that have helped me, as many of these could be on a boat:

Hydrocodone helps the headaches. As you know, I am a big fan of carrying that drug aboard for cruisers. But watch out: that drug is a snake and can bite you. But in many instances, it can at least get you functioning enough to seek medical attention.

There are some drugs for migranes that help. The newest ones (I forget the names now) are VERY expensive. They run about $50/pill and might last half a day. Two a day would not be unreasonable. If you don't have insurance, forget it. And even if you do have insurance, it often only covers about 8 of these pills a month. Another pill that helps me is Fioricet. It is cheap like hydrocodone. But like hydrocodone, it can be a snake (addictive). Being a barbituate, many physicians don't like prescribing it at all (it is a Sch III). But it worked for me and at least made life functional. I also take a drug called Propanolol. I think this has worked some, but it may take weeks for this product to start kicking in and working, and even then, it only reduces the headaches - it does not eliminate them.

A dark room has been a Godsend for me, and I think every other concussion patient. It surely does not cost you anything and is not addictive, but you can't sit in a dark room the rest of your life. I did it for weeks, and I think that leads to other issues such as depression and anger. However, for those that are trying to get the injured person to help, this is a temporary solution (but be prepared for your neuro/psych to make it a long term stay). 

Tylenol, aleve, and ibuprofen are absolutely worthless (or were for me). My Neuro said they are often completely ineffective for this injury and are only good for ulcers. My experience agrees with that.

Absolutely NO brain activity. ANything that makes me think is a killer for me. I could not help my son (who we homeschooled aboard the boat) with basic algebra. Do NOT watch television or do any kind of electronics (like I am doing right now). I could talk to people on the phone for short periods, but that was it. No reading. No games. No NOTHING. Sit there and stare at the walls for days/weeks (now you see why the depression kicks in). However, here is something really weird: I found that playing the guitar (in the dark of course) helped me. I have no idea why and that may be an anomaly due to my specific concussion. Maybe there is something like that which you can do that might also help? I don't know. Experiment and try I guess.

I want to point out here that I am NOT a physician. I am NOT giving anyone medical advice. I am giving you my experience and what works and what has not from the patients point of view. My experience is similar to that of other concussion patients, but it may not be for you or how your neurologist directs care. My only real medical advice here is to seek a neurologist/psychiatrist for your concussion and not rely on an ER doctor or family physician. My neurologist quickly changed some of my ER doctor's scripts and she has been the first one to help me to at least function.

I am sorry for all the many typos and incoherent sentences. I have had about as much of a headache as I can stand right now doing this. I just wanted to get the word out to my friends and sailors about this while I could. THis is one of the things that can happen anywhere and at any time. It doesn't have to be on a sailboat or a motorboat. It could be anywhere. If it does, hopefully you will remember some of this rambling mess and it will help you.

Brian

PS Please understand if I am absent a lot from here and my apologies for not responding to the many PM's and messages. Now you know why.


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## desert rat (Feb 14, 2013)

W


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

Brian
Sorry to hear this and thank you for your very instructive post. One of my biggest worries in cruising is dealing with major health and injury issues and this certainly qualifies.

Hope you are back to normal sooner rather than later.


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## AlaskaMC (Aug 19, 2010)

Dang! Take care of yourself and this place will stumble along just fine until you return good sir. Heck, let Smack be your fill in for a while. This place would be a crack up if the Ban Stick Thread Man actually had the Ban Stick. 

Take care of that head. It's the only one you get!


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## christian.hess (Sep 18, 2013)

man get better soon! glad it turned out ok

thanks for the info too


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Hang in there Brian. Thanks for the write-up. You're in our prayers.


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## mgmhead (Jan 14, 2007)

While my symptoms were less severe than yours, I was knocked out cold and even got an ambulance ride that I do not remember. In short order my symptoms disappeared, with the possible exception of that quick anger/irritability thing.

Be well soon. Hope to see you in December.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

A girlfriend once called to me to chuck her a beer. So I did. The bottle hit her head at about 50 feet.
She was effected for about 6 months!
You last post was nearly 4 months ago!
So wow, man, I know it can take a while.

She was a great girlfriend. But I broke up with her cos she spilled that beer. 





Actually, thats a lie. The concussion turned her into a raving sex maniac.

Thats a lie too...

Get better quick! We will dim the lights here a bit...

Mark


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## hpeer (May 14, 2005)

Yes, thanks for the write up.

I did something similar couple of years ago, wacked my head on the boom. I went down and out, briefly. Got up, shook it off and went on. No biggie.

Three nights later while laying in beed I started to shiver for a few seconds, then again harder, then again harder still, on the last cycle my hands and arms were flailing uncontrollably. Then it stopped. Not a concussion but a seizure.

Thankfully it has not repeated despite cold cocking myself again a month later in our basement on a low arch. Out cold in slow motion. Took me maybe 6 seconds to pass put, I remember thinking "****, I gonna fall into the trash can!" And I did.


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

Our prayers too.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Get well soon, CD. Glad you're seeing a neurologist.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Brian, glad you survived. A lot of concussion patients I worked on did not. For those that do not know, a concussion is essentially the bruising of the brain - which frequently is not instantly fatal, but can be over a period of hours or days. I spent 15 years working in the field of medicine at the largest shock trauma center in the world at the University of Maryland. I saw concussions nearly every day of the week, mostly from motorcycle accidents. 

I had a mild concussion while in Marathon's Boot Key Harbor. I too was berthed at the City Dock, right in front of the office. I had forgotten to slide the hatch back before ascending the ladder, slammed my head into the edge of the hatch, blood was everywhere, and while I never passed out, the pain was excruciating. One of the guys that worked at the marina saw the incident, jumped on the boat, put a pressure dressing on my head, and off I went to the ER. No stitches required, but they did shave a neat bald spot where my head was sliced by the hatch, then butterfly bandaged the would, gave me a shot for the pain, did some X-rays and told me to take it easy for a couple weeks, which I did. I experienced the same problem with bright lights, looking at the stark white PC screen, and eventually, after three weeks, I was able to go back to playing music at Sombrero Resort and the marina tiki hut. 

The following day, after I thought about what I had done, I hung a yellow ribbon from the hatch. If the ribbon touched me, I did NOT go up the ladder. Nice safeguard and very inexpensive. I personally know at least one person that slammed his head into his boat's hatch in the same manner, ended up in the hospital with a fractured skull and severe concussion. He wasn't able to work for a year afterwards.

Keep us posted on your condition, Brian, and I hope to meet up with you next January at the marina.

Gary


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## Stumble (Feb 2, 2012)

Brian,

I am really sorry to hear this, you have been missed. 

If it helps at all I suffered from a concussion a few years ago when I slipped and landed head first on the cockpit sole. I was lucky and wound up at an opthalmologist (my uncle) within the hour. He immediatly put a pair of glasses on me with a rose tint (the color is FL-41) that filters out blue light. Aparently this lense is supposed to help the difficulty in looking at screens. 

He also suggested switching to a green background (computer). And lowering the resolution of TV screens. Both of which are to reduce the processing load on the visual cortex. I did these things for a few days until the symptoms went away. But they really did help. 

Good luck to you.


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## momclarissa (Aug 13, 2009)

Wow! Glad to hear you are doing better! It's true that we hear about concussions, but we sure don't hear about the effects very often. I was telling Unclejim about your incident, and it reminded him of an article he'd read recently about the use of Omega 3 (fish oil) for head injuries. A lot of it anecdotal, but is interesting. Here's a link if anyone's interested: 'He's going to be better than he was before' - CNN.com


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## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

Got my first concussion at the age of 5... was passed out for nearly an hour, was laid up in bed for 2-3 days... took me weeks to get over the bright lights thing, and I was a kid, that seemingly heal quicker.

With all the boating trips I've done, and how many times I've whacked myself with the boom, or walked into it... its a wonder I haven't had more.

I am very sorry for what you are going through, and hope for a speedy recovery. God Bless and keep us posted when you can.


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

Very sorry to hear that happened to you. In my ski patrolling days we worked on many concussion victims. It is easy to ignore this kind of injury and just keep going. It can be a fatal mistake. One case in point was a teenager who knocked himself out skiing and was advised by us to go to the hospital to get checked out. His father, AN Md!, poo-pooed the injury, tough guy. They kept on skiing. The kid did not wake up the next morning. Great that you took the time to write about this and call attention to a real danger about an injury that is very likely to occur on a sailboat. The boom, being thrown about in a rough sea, falling are all dangers of this kind. 

Helmets are not a bad idea. They have become almost standard equipment elsewhere but have yet to enter the sailing scene except for some extreme fringes.


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## weinie (Jun 21, 2008)

smurphny said:


> Very sorry to hear that happened to you. In my ski patrolling days we worked on many concussion victims. It is easy to ignore this kind of injury and just keep going. It can be a fatal mistake. One case in point was a teenager who knocked himself out skiing and was advised by us to go to the hospital to get checked out. His father, AN Md!, poo-pooed the injury, tough guy. They kept on skiing. The kid did not wake up the next morning. Great that you took the time to write about this and call attention to a real danger about an injury that is very likely to occur on a sailboat. The boom, being thrown about in a rough sea, falling are all dangers of this kind.
> 
> Helmets are not a bad idea. They have become almost standard equipment elsewhere but have yet to enter the sailing scene except for some extreme fringes.


Yup.
I was skiing many years ago, and crashed hard after a bad landing while trying to get a bit of air. I didn't feel much, just a little funny and tried to ski it off. But for the next hour or so, I felt like every thing that was happening had already happened.... kinda like a deja vu that doesn't go away!

I try to wipe some fog or snow off my goggles and it's not clearing. So I take them off and low and behold, my goggles are virtually shattered and I can't seem to figure out how it happened. As I put them back on I finally feel the HUGE welt on the side of my head. 
Called it a day...kinda felt I was tripping on acid the rest of the day.


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## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

Get well soon wishes on their way...


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## cthoops (Apr 30, 2012)

CD, I had noticed you hadn't been on the board and was hoping you were cruising. Sorry to hear about this. 

I hope your symptoms completely resolve soon. I know that this sailor will be much more cognizant of the location of the boom at all times from now on.


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## bblument (Oct 22, 2012)

CD, 

I, too, had noticed you hadn't posted in a while and silently wondered what had happened. I'm really sorry to hear of your accident and will send prayers and wishes your way for as speedy and comfortable recovery as possible. Thank you for making the effort to turn your misfortune into something the rest of us can learn from.

Best wishes, 

Barry


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Brian. You report the classic four features of post concussive syndrome ( h.a., depression, vertigo, memory loss). Good news is unless repetitive trauma occurs it is almost always self limited. Majority clear in less than 6 m without sequelae. Rarely can take up to two years. Avoid routine analgesics as can lead to analgesic abuse h.a. Many neurologists find success using particular anti convulsants and anti depressants to give symptomatic relief which addres both the h.a. And mood issues. 
No one dies directly from post concussive syndrome but a screening MRI or ct scan is wise to exclude sub dural or epidural hematoma which can a neurosurgical emergency. There is form of MRI imaging which may show disruption of the white matter tracts but otherwise imaging is typically normal.
It is important that any one with pcs see a skilled neurologist. Not infrequency other injuries are missed such as to the inner ear or neck.
Of interest woodpeckers don't get pcs because they strike the tree directly head on. It's believed the rotation of the brain floating in csf inside your rigid skull results in torsion on the white matter. More violent trauma results in a coup and contra coup injury with direct injury to site of trauma and directly opposite as the brain accelerates and decelerates striking the inside of the skull. Trauma also produces a shock wave that travels through the brain as it has the consistency of two week old jello.
Hang in this too will past.


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## weinie (Jun 21, 2008)

I neglected to add my best wishes for a quick recovery in my above post.


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

Brian,
I'm so sorry to hear what happened to you. I can't imagine being that sensitive to light while living on a boat.

Were able to find a good neurologist locally?

I've been curious about the level of care available from Fisherman's Hospital and Lower Keys Medical in Key West. Have you been able to get the care you need or have you had to look outside the Keys?

I'm curious because we're moving to Marathon and unfortunately have learned how important good doctors can be.

I hope you're back to feeling yourself soon,
Jim


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

WOW!

I wondered where you had been... Thank you for letting us know. 

I remember once when I was working in my (then) fiancee's basement, which had steep steps, and a low hanging floor joist. I needed a tool that I had left upstairs, and quickly ran up the first two steps, and WHAM! hit my head on that low beam... I saw stars, and had a headache for a week, and a bump for couple of weeks, but I think that my head was too hard to allow a bruise of the brain. I always ducked when going up those steps, and never ran upstairs again.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

Best wishes Brian. I'll send you a post card that Christie can read to you. *grin* 

Let me know if I can help. Ask Christie to look up the SSCA Cruising Station in Key West and check in. Karen and Evan may have some suggestions for local support.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Brian-
To do that much damage by simply standing up and smacking your head...wow.

Glad to hear you are at least making slow but positive recovery. Ages ago when we didn't know much about it, I know I must have been concussed. I was skiing, and then I wasn't. No memory of any transition between the two. Anything that turns off the brain that neatly has to involve a concussion but back then no one even thought about it, you just were knocked out.

And then some time ago, when concussion was at least a known word, I popped up the companionway on a J/24 and heard this incredible PONG! like a home run with an aluminum bat. Except, the noise was inside my skull. Somehow, the boom came down enough to clip me. The rest of the afternoon was interrupted by occasional status checks and (eye) pupil comparisons. But since that day, I tend to keep one hand ON the boom at all times if I'm within arm's length of it, because PONG! _inside _the head is a memorable sound.

Two sports where helmets have been hot topics since, although I still wouldn't want them to be _required _for either.

These days I suppose we can thank the NFL (finally, they have a purpose?!) for bringing concussion to the forefront. I think most formal first aid training for the past 10 (?) years has also made a point of it. If you're appraising a victim in any sort of triage, mental state, clarity, confusion, responses, are part of the appraisal and if there's any confusion or problem with wakefulness, that's a red flag for immediate hospital evaluation for head injury. Obviously if you're alone and the victim...you're thinking unclearly and you may not remember to send yourself to the ER. Catch-22, but a good reason for anyone, cruiser or not, to get _formal _first aid training of some kind.

Hydrocodone is usually prescribed as hydrocodone/APAP aka Vicodin, and doubly dangerous because folks don't know there is a high dose of acetominophen (Tylenol) in it. And that stuff is toxic to your liver, does permanent damage to it, in ready doses. If you are getting that stuff, beware of that.

But if you have a concussion, you may have internal bleeding in the skull, and aspirin could be an even worse idea as that encourages the bleeding. Which is why the standard wonder drug is also strongly discouraged in first aid training. Basically, _no _drugs without or before formal medical attention, and definitely no sleep.

Go easy on yourself, and remember, PETB (People for the Ethical Treatment of Booms) is not going to forgive you if you attack another boom for any reason. Meanwhile, we'll ask the forum admins to install some dimmer switches and rubber padding, in anticipation of your return. And to move all the booms to a safer location, where you can't attack them. (G)


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## snippys_dad (Aug 2, 2014)

Hi re your story , isnt iit ironic that concussions and there effects are only coming to light now , if I could recall the amount I have received through my life and never diagnosed , growing up as a small town kiwi fellow would have been frowned apon as being soft . Now I can use this for many a excuse .thanks for bring this to discussion , ned to be even more boom carfull I think .


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## Andrew65 (Dec 21, 2009)

Take it easy Brian. I've enjoyed your postings and look forward to more lot them.

I don't think there is a sailor here who hasn't cracked his or her noggin on a boom. I still do on occasion. Thanks for the right up.

God Bedring! (Get Well) ...as it's said her in Norway .


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery. I've whacked my head plenty of times, but thankfully no side effects like you're experiencing.
Don't rush recovery. Take your time. We'll still be here.


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## drsutton (Aug 6, 2013)

Dear Brian,
Thank you for your post. It reminds me of the old saying that learning begins after you've been exposed to learning. As a retired neuropsychologist specializing in tramatic brain injury I've heard your story hundreds of times. But it often takes one who has experienced a concussion to have any positive impact on others. Your doctors may be very well informed. But in general, and MDs and psychiatrists are not the best source of accurate information. That includes neurologists. TBI will change a person's life and for some there is no true recovery. Only adaptation and relearning. Our culture has long ignored brain injuries and minimized their effects. Good luck, be careful and be well.
Bill Sutton, PhD.


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## capt vimes (Dec 2, 2013)

I cannot tell from personal experience how concussions effect an old man - or woman... But
When i was a kid i raced a tobogan over a jump into a tree and hit my head pretty good... 

Lost probably 12 hrs of memory and it took me 2 weeks of recovery to get back to normal...
40 years later i would say that a thing like that will cost me 10 times the time, and that is a guess on the very optimistic side...
The most awful thing is, that you are a zombie in the meantime...
You react to outside stimuli - like people talking to you - but your brain is running on something like automatic... You cannot remember afterwards what happened, what you have said, or anything you did but to the outside people you are just a little bit "weird" - nothing more...
Same person, reacting to everything in a normal way but still a bit strange but without any consciousness...

It was a very strange experience for me...


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

Brian, I feel your pain. I suffered from migraines from about the time I was 9 to about 70, worse stages at about 25 to 65. I would be down for days, massive vomiting, etc. I took huge amounts of codeine. If I didn't catch it right away, I was down. About 1995, or so, not sure, Imitrex injections became available, they were a miracle for me. In a few years, Imitrex tablets became available, not as fast acting, but got the job done. Luckily I haven't had to take them for a long time, guess I finally fried my brain. IIRC, They were about $10 a tablet, but well worth it. 

Hope you recover soon.

Paul T


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## rbyham (Dec 25, 2012)

That you would risk recurrence of symptoms to educate us all speaks highly of who you are. Thanks and prayers from here as well. In my short sailing life to date I have not encountered the boom but I have hit the unopened hatch when bounding up. Fortunately it was a glancing blow. I am pretty Intentional about wearing a ball cap. I prefer the taller hats thinking this at least gives my an inch in which to slow momentum but having read this thread makes me think a helmet might not be a bad idea.


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Helmets make great sense for folks involved in active aggressive sailing. However I would think most minor closed head trauma occurs in much calmer circumstances. Walking out the companionway when at anchor. Or knocking into a locker door. I have hard dodger. Although frequency is decreasing I still bang my head on it at least every other day. 
I think baseball caps increase frequency of head bumps. Like deer we just don't look up except to see the sails. 
Found neuropsych. comment unusual. Just like plumbers there are good docs and not so much. Personally given reading, training, and experience feel confident in my prior post. I didn't want to get into vestibular or cognitive retraining techniques. Nor the fine points of the recent research. Fortunately. Given the plasticity and redundancy of neural networks time usually does heal all wounds. Yes it is true with trauma effecting keys regions or repetitive trauma more untoward outcome may result.


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

outbound said:


> Helmets make great sense for folks involved in active aggressive sailing. However I would think most minor closed head trauma occurs in much calmer circumstances. Walking out the companionway when at anchor. Or knocking into a locker door. I have hard dodger. Although frequency is decreasing I still bang my head on it at least every other day.
> I think baseball caps increase frequency of head bumps. Like deer we just don't look up except to see the sails.
> Found neuropsych. comment unusual. Just like plumbers there are good docs and not so much. Personally given reading, training, and experience feel confident in my prior post. I didn't want to get into vestibular or cognitive retraining techniques. Nor the fine points of the recent research. Fortunately. Given the plasticity and redundancy of neural networks time usually does heal all wounds. Yes it is true with trauma effecting keys regions or repetitive trauma more untoward outcome may result.


Yes, that's the difficulty in wearing head gear on a sailboat. A couple of years ago, down in the cabin on a rough day, I got thrown across the cabin to the opposite side and missed hitting my head on the side deck protrusion by millimeters. I am convinced, that at the speed I was traveling it would have resulted in serious injury. It convinced me to keep a kayak helmet onboard for when it is rough. Obvious conditions like this are maybe 5% of the time you're on the boat, though they do represent the greatest potentials for serious injury. It can't hurt to put a helmet on when any possibility of an unintentional jibe may be present or in rough conditions.

One of the biggest reasons for bumping into overhead objects IMO is wearing hats with large visors. Baseball caps and similar hats completely block your view of what's coming up overhead. I've been trying to find a hat which I've seen before that has a shaded/clear brim. They used to sell them for commercial fishermen who have to contend with dangerous overhead stuff all the time but I have not seen them recently.


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

Ah, the subject of helmets. I rode & raced off road motorcycles for 30 years & always wearing a helmet allowed me to be alive & know it. I had the helmet shown below on when I went off the trail, down a steep embankment, broke my arm, tore my thigh open to the bone & hit my head on rocks. The gouges in the helmet are almost 1/8th of an inch deep.

When fishing our commercial boat out of San Francisco, I have been slammed 
from one side of the wheel house to the other in a split second. I was surprised how fast a big heavy boat can move. 

I see pictures of competitive sailors wearing helmets. I suppose a light weight bicycle helmet would be better than nothing?

Paul T


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## Sublime (Sep 11, 2010)

Traumatic brain injuries are a specialty all by themselves these days so we instruct all of our head injuries to follow up with one of our concussion centers.


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

+1 on a full face good ( shoi or equivalent ) helmet on a m.c. Nature of trauma is commonly striking chin. Brain buckets are worthless. 
Agree TBI is a speciality unto its self and unlike prior poster within the purview of trained neurologists and neurosurgeons with neuropsychologists serving an ancilliary role if involved at all. When in practice it was unfortunate to see folks with imbalance related to otological injury or memory issues related to ictal confusion (epilepsy). Even saw ictal rage sent to the psychiatrists but " cured" with anticonvulsant. Similarly have seen missed cord contusions or concussions with symptoms ascribed to cerebral injury. Once again good plumbers/ bad plumbers applies. However for Brian please be optimistic. With your description of injury although it is frustrating likelihood is your symptoms will clear with time. Yes it is unfortunate how long it may take. Remember brain neuro networks have plasticity . There is redundancy and healing does occur. Be of good heart.


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

"Brain buckets" work when intersecting with trees, pavement, or bumpers at 40 mph. Saying they are worthless is not quite true. This website would suggest that helmets are quite useful in saving the lives of bicyclists:Bicycle Helmet Statistics

If you have evidence to the contrary, would like to see it.


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## blowinstink (Sep 3, 2007)

Rhapsody-NS27 said:


> Here's hoping for a speedy recovery. I've whacked my head plenty of times, but thankfully no side effects like you're experiencing.
> Don't rush recovery. Take your time. We'll still be here.


Dan - suggest you seek a second opinion 

Brian - Get well soon man! Sounds like you have lots of solid recovery to look forward to! Keep us posted.
-M


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

smurphny said:


> "Brain buckets" work when intersecting with trees, pavement, or bumpers at 40 mph. Saying they are worthless is not quite true. This website would suggest that helmets are quite useful in saving the lives of bicyclists:Bicycle Helmet Statistics
> 
> If you have evidence to the contrary, would like to see it.


I would think anything is better than nothing. From my experience on our sailboat, going forward to tend/drop sails in nasty rough weather, a helmet would have been a good thing. I got wacked by the boom a time or two, when not paying proper attention. Even a light helmet would, no doubt, ease the pain.

My wife & I down hill skied for many years. In the later years many people, both young and older, started wearing helmets. My wife fell backwards on the ice, & hit the back of her head really hard. It took her a few minutes to "get it together" before she could get up & going.

Paul T


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## Stumble (Feb 2, 2012)

I used to carry a bike helmet for going up the mast. Particularly when doing it under sail it was pretty common to take a few body blows from the rigging. These days I don't race like that anymore and stopped carrying one with me everywhere. Still probably not a bad idea to keep one on the boat.


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Was referring to the novelty helmets worn to just barely comply with state law. You may want to read the"Hurt Report" ( really was the first authors name). Also eu standards and justification for helmet standards. All this refers to motorcycles not bicycles. Personally wear an Arai which closely fits my oval ( brachiocephalic) head. My professional colleagues thought I was nuts for riding a motorcycle. My social friends nuts for blowing the money on a new Arai every 5 years or after a good fall. Once while dual sporting had a tank slapper. Went air borne for around 30-40 feet. Had the Arai and full gear on(aerostich) Called the bride to bring the truck and help get the KTM 990 upright on on track. Rode home. Listened to her tell me I was too old to keep breaking ribs and fingers Sold that bike but still ride my wing from time to time. Yes I'm a deep believer in helmets.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Outbound-
" I have hard dodger. Although frequency is decreasing I still bang my head on it at least every other day. " This is one reason that overheads are often padded. A closed-cell camping groundpad (ensolite is off-white) or yoga mat could take the sting out of that.
Or of course, in the US one could sue the dodger maker, for selling such a dangerously unpadded dodger, and use the windfall to buy a real yacht with headroom.(VBG)
I've come to appreciate boats (and other places) that were designed without sharp corners and other invitations to damage. Although I'm told that hard unyielding porcelain toilets are the biggest cause of broken toes, from menfolk stumbling into them in the night. Drunk or sober. Honest!

"My social friends nuts for blowing the money on a new Arai every 5 years or after a good fall." Ah, did you point out to them that it might not be "blowing money" on a new one, since the money you'd wasted on the old one had _already saved _your noggin?


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## misfits (Dec 9, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your situation Brian.
Hope you get/feel better soon!

Bob


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## AKA44 (Nov 11, 2011)

Wow - Brian! 
As usual, you're sharing valuable stuff. I hit my head on so many things this first season on the boat that I began to wonder if I was experiencing symptoms of accumulating trauma. Wearing a baseball cap blocked my upward view leading to bangs more than a couple of times. Beyond the pain, it increased my sensitivity to how quickly cruising and the pleasure of a free and healthy life in general could be cut short by the myriad of simple perils we encounter on and around our boats. As with all our other activities, even extreme caution won't save us - it just buys us more time.
Godspeed on your full recovery. We'll be waiting with you.
Scott


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

outbound said:


> Was referring to the novelty helmets worn to just barely comply with state law. You may want to read the"Hurt Report" ( really was the first authors name). Also eu standards and justification for helmet standards. All this refers to motorcycles not bicycles. Personally wear an Arai which closely fits my oval ( brachiocephalic) head. My professional colleagues thought I was nuts for riding a motorcycle. My social friends nuts for blowing the money on a new Arai every 5 years or after a good fall. Once while dual sporting had a tank slapper. Went air borne for around 30-40 feet. Had the Arai and full gear on(aerostich) Called the bride to bring the truck and help get the KTM 990 upright on on track. Rode home. Listened to her tell me I was too old to keep breaking ribs and fingers Sold that bike but still ride my wing from time to time. Yes I'm a deep believer in helmets.


I Always cringe when I see someone riding on the street or dirt with an open face helmet. Face to ground contact is really bad, especially pavement.

In the early 70's the only full face helmets, IIRC, were the big heavy, ones used for road racing. In the early 70's we used to retrofit football face guards to our open face helmets as shown below. Now they make light full face helmets for off road use that you can actually breath in. 

Paul T


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

outbound said:


> Was referring to the novelty helmets worn to just barely comply with state law. You may want to read the"Hurt Report" ( really was the first authors name). Also eu standards and justification for helmet standards. All this refers to motorcycles not bicycles. Personally wear an Arai which closely fits my oval ( brachiocephalic) head. My professional colleagues thought I was nuts for riding a motorcycle. My social friends nuts for blowing the money on a new Arai every 5 years or after a good fall. Once while dual sporting had a tank slapper. Went air borne for around 30-40 feet. Had the Arai and full gear on(aerostich) Called the bride to bring the truck and help get the KTM 990 upright on on track. Rode home. Listened to her tell me I was too old to keep breaking ribs and fingers Sold that bike but still ride my wing from time to time. Yes I'm a deep believer in helmets.


There surely is a large difference in the strength of helmets. Bike helmets appear to be very flimsy. The helmet I have for road and mt. biking is very light, better than nothing I guess. Ski helmets, maybe because of the insulation factor are pretty rugged but would be too hot for sailing, as would a motorcycle helmet. They also cover ears which are needed on a sailboat. The kayak helmet I decided to take on the boat is made to absorb contact with rocks when you become the unwitting keel It's pretty well made, has good ventilation, and is not too clunky to wear. I hear you. Back when I was married, I used to take a lot of woof woof about owning a motorcycle too. Was very tempted by a mint used Wing a few weeks ago. Someday I'll own another bike.


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## Sublime (Sep 11, 2010)

dabnis said:


> I Always cringe when I see someone riding on the street or dirt with an open face helmet. Face to ground contact is really bad, especially pavement.
> 
> In the early 70's the only full face helmets, IIRC, were the big heavy, ones used for road racing. In the early 70's we used to retrofit football face guards to our open face helmets as shown below. Now they make light full face helmets for off road use that you can actually breath in.
> 
> Paul T


I cringe when I see people riding without full gear. 
Helmets, helmets, blah blah, yeah, yeah. People forget that road rash can be severe, send you to the burn unit, and require skin grafts.

You don't need to speak french to understand the point of this:


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Maybe someone can come up with a good sailing helmet for us cruisers. The kayak idea has value but on a day to day admittedly we get lazy. Sometimes on sunny light air days there's no chance I be able to get the bride to wear one. She just wants a bathing suit and book to sun on the foredeck - no harness or tether but I'm working on her.i walk up there I wake her up and give her her set up to put on. I like that the Tilley hats have foam under the top. At least you get a little padding and you get to keep the dermatologist away from the top of your ears for few more years.


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## RTB (Mar 5, 2009)

Get well soon Brian! We saw you in Boot Key on Easter weekend. You looked as handsome as ever. Must have been before you bumped your head? We are heading back your way next year. Get a new boat and we'll look for you there. Marathon wouldn't be the same without you. Meanwhile, I'll watch my head (which seems to bump into things on the boat time and again). Thanks for the.........HEADS UP on concussions.

Ralph
Enjoying Texas | sailing away with R & B


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

A very long time ago a friend of mine was knocked down in a bicycle "marathon" and skidded headfirst into a curb. A batch of us bought bicycle helmets, back when they were only made by Bell and only came in white, after he got out of the hospital. And since I never landed on mine...yes, that's still the one I will use, no UV damage to be seen on it from the light (no pun) use over the years.

Once it gets cool enough to make a watch cap welcome, I wear a jeep cap instead. They've become easy to find now but ten year ago--they were like hens' teeth. If you don't know what a jeep cap is, Radar in MASH wore one all the time. A watch cap with a narrow visor, just enough so you can look up at the sail and keep the sun out of your eyes. Not much padding--but still better than a bare noggin when you bonk it.

_Two _watch caps, makes a good pad if you're working under the hull and it keeps on bonking you.

I wear a helmet when I bike, but that's it. Fossil mindset?


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

Sheesh, talk about thread drift. 

Brian was taking down his dodger on a bright sunny day while tied to the dock when he hit his head on the boom -- not a high risk situation -- no one in their right mind would have been wearing a helmet!

Honestly I wonder how some of you get out of bed in the morning let alone go sailing?????

Things happen unexpectedly. That's life, and you CANNOT protect yourself against every possible accident. 

We've all gotten the odd bump and bruise while sailing; but sailing and working on the boat on a bright sunny day is a safe and relaxing way to enjoy the day. 


Brian, thank you for posting this. It really is valuable information, especially the need to get someone medical attention right away. I hope this is behind you soon.


.


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## nolatom (Jun 29, 2005)

Brian, best wishes, and it does get better, though it takes time.

Nine years ago, I stood in the wrong spot, head temporarily turned the wrong way, on a 37-footer reefed so the clew was about a foot "below normal". 

Though unusual for me, I never sensed the jibe coming, and woke up on my back about 10 minutes later with crew gathered around me, and I kept asking "did the boom hit me?" over and over, as they answered "yes" each time. 

So I was foggy, but functioning at about 70%(?) and rising, was able to motorsail back in and drive my car, stopping at the ER who did a "negative" CT scan and put four stitches in the corner of my forehead. I had a couple of chipped teeth from when my jaw hit the deck. That evening I actually went to a ballroom dance class with my wife, but did not dance well (well, I don't dance well anyway).

I didn't have the bad headaches, but did have minor memory loss, disorientation, and vertigo if I looked up high. Those above who say it takes about 6 months to clear up are right, at least in my case.

That was in early 2005. Just as my brain got back up to about 99% Katrina came in August, refugee-city, which I think sort of re-scrambled my thought processes. Nowadays I feel good. I've been advised not to do it again.

But, it does get better. It will for you, it takes time, and "time takes time". All the best.


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

I had a major concussion at 13, put me in the hospital for 4 days. My step dad took me to the police station first because he thought I was on drugs (wonderful parent there huh?).

Hang in there Brian, get well.


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## RTB (Mar 5, 2009)

My wife just saw a post from Brian on Facebook-

_Sitting in Washington. My first day without a headache or nausea since I can remember. First time on FB in a long time.

Today, for no reason at all, is a good day._

So happy to see you are on the mend, Brian.

Ralph


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

Brian,

Godspeed for a quick and full recovery. It sounds like you're in good hands. I had the opportunity during my medical training to work directly under Dr. Richard G. Ellenbogen during my neurosurgery rotation and even be present when he and the governor opened the new concussion research center in Seattle named after Zackery Lystedt. It's definitely an evolving area of research and treatment, but most importantly what's been happening lately is awareness among providers, athletic staff, and the public about what concussions are, and how to manage them.

One of the most important aspects of concussion management is the prevention of further injuries as they seem to have a long term additive effect. What is not known is exactly how long you have to recover before you're at risk for those additive effects. It is thought that subsequent concussions while the patient is healing from the original trauma are the worst kind. It may be advisable for Brian to do everything in his power to avoid further head injuries, especially in the near term.



outbound said:


> Maybe someone can come up with a good sailing helmet for us cruisers.


D3O, a soft pliable material that becomes hard when struck, has serious potential I would think for our application. We don't need durability for road rash, but need wearability and impact resistance.

Jim, yes, the helmet discussion is a bit of drift from Brian's circumstance, but not far of a drift. I've whacked my head on a half open hatch before and nobody is going to wear a helmet 24/7 but Brian was making the point _that concussions are a danger of sailing_ and there are times where it is more dangerous than others, and at those times, it might be advisable to wear a helmet. I don't think anyone here is suggesting he could have prevented his concussion by appropriate helmet use.

Here is the D3O stuff. Pretty neat right? I can see wearing this hat on a windy cold day when I might not want to wear a helmet. The soft hat takes up less space and is more likely to end up in my sailing bag too.






MedSailor


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

Sublime said:


> I cringe when I see people riding without full gear.
> Helmets, helmets, blah blah, yeah, yeah. People forget that road rash can be severe, send you to the burn unit, and require skin grafts.
> 
> You don't need to speak french to understand the point of this:


Oh yes, "been there, done that", as described in my post #36. Had I been wearing the new "ballistic" material pants it is likely my thigh would have just been bruised instead of torn open to the bone. When I was racing Karts I had a full suit made out of nylon/Kevlar? that was supposed to be better than leathers. Fortunately, I never had to test it. Way too hot for off road motorcycling, however. I have read ATGATT, "All the gear, all the time", especially on the street.

Paul T


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Provocative post Medsailor and appreciated. Never heard of this D30 stuff. Very intriguing.
To simplify. There is a major difference between what you experience as full recovery and what's going on under the lid.
Some of the recovery is true healing- absorption of micro hemorrhage, remyelineation of injured tracts. re sprouting and regrowth of injured axons, re establishing prior existing synaptic connections.
Some of it is reorganization of neural networks with the brain relearning how compensate both for structures providing bad information or no information.
If repeat injury occurs before complete healing occurs the ability to completely heal may be overwhelmed so the brain should not be re injured during this process. Given the very long time of this healing months may be involved. ~75% of people report resolution by 6m.
Given some sub clinical loss may persist in the absence of clinical symptoms repetitive injury may overwhelm the plasticity of neural systems so that with repetitive injury (even seemingly minor) fixed residua may occur. Same thing occurs with multiple minor strokes with seemingly full recovery until the one that broke the camel's back, or repetitive exposures to toxins etc.
However, god does good work so we are quite resilient. Once again please be of good heart. Realize it is hard if not impossible to find an active adult male who has not experienced at least one concussion. We do nearly always get back to our prior level of life. Perhaps the propensity of males to whack their heads explains much of what our ladies say about us.


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## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

smurphny said:


> Bike helmets appear to be very flimsy. The helmet I have for road and mt. biking is very light, better than nothing I guess.


Apologies for the drift: Bike helmets are designed to be flimsy, they're supposed to collapse on impact so that they absorb the force of the blow rather than your head. Single use only, after one wreck you throw it away and buy another one.

I don't believe helmets are necessary for most casual riders. You are three times as likely to get hit by a car and die from a traumatic brain injury walking to the store than you are biking to the store, yet no one seriously suggests you wear a helmet for your evening stroll.

The Netherlands has a huge number of bicycle commuters and helmet use there is basically nil.

OK, now back to sailing: Do they make kayak helmets with face shields? It seems that if you were in serious enough weather that you'd be wearing a helmet you'd probably also want protection from spray, right?


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

outbound said:


> Given some sub clinical loss may persist in the absence of clinical symptoms *repetitive injury *may overwhelm the plasticity of neural systems so that with repetitive injury (even seemingly minor) fixed residua may occur. Same thing occurs with multiple minor strokes with seemingly full recovery until the one that broke the camel's back,* or repetitive exposures to toxins* etc.


Now wait just one minute there! Don't go slinging mud on my favorite toxins! Haven't you heard of The Buffalo Theory?? I inluded a link to a peer reviewed journal. 

For brian's sake, I hope the theory is true. Repeated concussions (and alcohol consumption) make make him smarter in the end!










MedSailor


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

Wow, sorry to hear about your accident! reading a lot of these posts there appears to be a lot of concussion victims here, wonder what that says about this place? Perhaps it really is the loony bin, and we just don't know it. I know I got one as a kid in the 70's skateboarding. Heck they did not even make helmets back then for skateboarding or biking. 

Get better!


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## AlaskaMC (Aug 19, 2010)

Minnesail said:


> OK, now back to sailing: Do they make kayak helmets with face shields? It seems that if you were in serious enough weather that you'd be wearing a helmet you'd probably also want protection from spray, right?


Yes. They do so you don't tear your face off while underwater. Most don't wear them but they do exist. Some feel that they create more issues with situational awareness (sight and hearing) than they are worth.


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## Andrew65 (Dec 21, 2009)

Please don't bash me. I'm not trying to make light of Brian's accident, but

Isn't laughter sometimes the best medicine.

How's that for a helmet.


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## Cruisingdad (Jul 21, 2006)

I wanted to say thank you to everyone for the great thoughts here. I really appreciate it.

Just as an aside, I thought I would mention that is technically my third concussion. The first happened when I wa a teenager in Boy Scouts. The flag pole fell and smacked me right on the head. Knocked me out cold and woke up in a tent with my old man looking over me. I had no symptoms other than a great big knot. Second concussion was when I came up into the hatch on an offshore race. I actually damaged three discs in my neck on that one, but again I didn't show any PCS (Post Concussion Symptoms). This one I think I hit my head the least hard and am down for the count. 

My theory is this: Your body becomes increasingly more susceptible to concussions, and serious repercussions, after each successive concussion. I have no idea if it is true, but that is my theory. 

ANyways, I have had 7 days with only two bad days as of today. THat is a WHOLE lot better than where I was just a little over a week ago. Fingers crossed this will all come to pass.

Brian


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## paul323 (Mar 13, 2010)

Brian, thanks for sharing your story.

I always tell folks on my boat that the Boom is the only thing on board that scares me, and is to me the most dangerous part of the boat. Your story only reinforces that opinion.

As I understand it, there is a lot of evidence that multiple concussions increase the severity and risk of damage - so be careful!

It is great you are recovering...


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## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

Glad to hear you are getting better. God willing this will all pass in time.


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## joebeach (Aug 16, 2011)

Brian -
Sorry to hear of your injury and consequent loss of time and function, especially with a young family. But glad to hear that you are now turning the corner and on the mend. Thanks for posting your story - it is an exemplar and reminder for us all. Best.


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## northoceanbeach (Mar 23, 2008)

Can't you talk into the computer and it types it for you so you can still be online and not bored and depressed?


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Cruisingdad said:


> technically my third concussion.
> 
> Brian


3 strikes and your knocked out.


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Brian- Please back the truck up and remain optimistic. I've suffered as many ( if not more) concussions in my youth and still managed to fool them enough to be granted teaching appoints at Harvard and Boston University. You need to consider the following:
Your past medical history of relatively minor TBI is not unusual.
You mounted a full recovery after each prior event.
You are not considering the totally of the variables involved.
In the past concussion generally was considered to involve loss of consciousness and severity graded on duration of antegrade and retrograde amnesia. Also considered was evidence of associated bleeding. Be that parenchymal (in the brain), contusion (on the surface) or in the various wrapping (epidural/ subdural hematoma). Also concerned was associated fracture and open v. closed head injury.
More recently concussion includes events without loss of consciousness. Although the above factors are clearly important in prognosis with major head injury with simple uncomplicated concussion more subtle issues are involved. With evidence of gross injury obviously the severity and nature of the injury takes precedence.
I previously referred to the exact biomechanics of the injury. Force involved, relationships of the head and neck to point of impact. As is common when loss or alteration of consciousness occurs you cannot provide this information. Nor did you provide it for the prior events
Similarly you did not ( and most people can only in the broadest terms) provide information about prior minor events ( heading soccer balls, minor fights as a kid, falling off swings and dusting your self off). It seems multiple minor events if repetitive and especially if ongoing may be most germane. Nor do we have any information about the premorbid function of your brain and if co morbid issues apply.
However, given the limited information we have one would note.
You mounted full recovery from prior injuries. 
You were not actively recovering from a prior injury when this insult occurred.
You are currently mounting a significant improvement in symptoms.
Therefore although I cannot offer a definitive prognosis having not cared for you it would seem to likely you remain in the group where continued resolution of symptoms should occur. As stated before seek the attention of a skilled neurologist. I would also offer
Rest don't stress
Don't make major life decisions you can put off until you heal. If you must have a trusted friend or loved one review before you act.
If your level of function limits your capabilities be open about it and explain why. Most people are kind and will cut you some slack.
Be aware your emotional life as well as your cognition lives between your ears. Make sure both you and your loved ones are aware the impact your concussion can have on this brain function.
Also know there are a variety of rehab services ( vestibular, cognitive etc.) I would expect and hope you will not need these services given you report your improvement but should you feel you are not improving appropriately discuss this and if needed emotional support with your neurologist.


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## Silvio (Nov 10, 2010)

Best wishes Brian, hope you continue to improve and get back out there soon. Maybe we will see you in St Pete one of these days, just missed you last year (or the year before, they are all running together anymore


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

paul323 said:


> Brian, thanks for sharing your story.
> 
> I always tell folks on my boat that the Boom is the only thing on board that scares me, and is to me the most dangerous part of the boat. Your story only reinforces that opinion.
> 
> ...


I agree. I've been whacked in the head a few times by my boom on my boats and I've wondered about lasting concussion damage myself. I always tell guests it's called the boom because that the sound it makes when it hits you in the head so watch out for it.

I slipped and fell out coming of my bathroom shower, and tried to put my head through the side of a wooden dresser, the Friday before Katrina hit us. When I got to work, people said I wasn't making any sense and took me to the ER. After several hours, MRI's etc., I was diagnosed with a concussion. The following, Monday, everything we owned was destroyed. One of the reasons was that when I evacuated on Sunday (my wife went earlier with the kids), I took stupid stuff with me, and left really important stuff. Mind you this wasn't my first hurricane, I knew what to do. And, looking back now, at the incredibly bad decisions I made then and weeks later, makes me realize I was probably operating at an impaired mental level, due to the concussion, and the huge amount of stress that was dumped on me immediately afterwards.

I look back now and see it clearly, but at the time, it never occurred to me to associate any of it with that severe head injury right before every went nuts.

When you think about how susceptible to injury our heads and eyes are, it makes you wonder why we don't consider going through life with helmets and protective eye wear on all of the time.

Hope things keep improving for you, Brian.


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