What To Do After a Concussion

Never, I repeat, never get hit in the eye. It's not like a regular concussion where you hit your head and end up with a solid lump and a bad headache. The only protection the eye has is an eyelid. An eyelid! And all that does is keep dust out.

I was lucky in that my eyelid closed fast enough so that the prickly bits of the branch didn't gouge my eyeball. It was red, and the surrounding area around my eye was bruised and bloody, but it didn't take the eye out. That was my first concern.

I was driving the golf cart (too fast) when a low hanging branch caught the rim of the roof. I made a turn and as soon as it released it smacked me with full force.

At first, I was dazed. I actually saw stars and felt something ricochet from the back of my head. It felt like a bullet. Greg thinks it was the lubricant surrounding the eye that had been shot back with the force of a hydraulic pump.

Within hours, I started having unrelenting headaches. I was nauseous and unable to concentrate. There was pressure at the back of my head as well as the headache in front. My ears were ringing. For the first three days I couldn't even look at food, but I forced myself to drink water. Perhaps the strangest thing for me was that I slept 15-18 hours a day. I have trouble sleeping for more than 5 hours a night, so this was scary.

Finally, I went to the doctor. She confirmed it was a concussion and that I was to stay off the computer (or any monitor) for at least six weeks. At first I tried to defy the orders, but my brain knew best and would punish me with horrendous headaches if I spent even five minutes online.

The only advice I can give after getting this type of concussion is to rest. Your brain is trying to reset itself. Let it. Turn off your computer, forget about tv, and never mind about tackling anything detailed. Take a walk. It's the only thing that helped me.

After two weeks, I felt better but was still unable to look at a monitor. Sometimes I'd listen to television, covering my eyes completely. Most of the time, I'd tell Greg I was going to lie down and then not get up again until it was time for dinner.

Greg gets a Husband of the Year award. He really did take over and looked after me and all the animals. I'm so glad I didn't have to do this on my own.

The only residual problems I have are more floaters in my eye. It's annoying, but there's not much that can be done for that without possibly making it worse. I also seem to get headaches much easier than before. Noise, light, and too much tv/computer time sets it off.

Drugs helped very little. The best remedy I've found when I got these headaches was to go outside for fresh air. Although I'm over the hump I can tell it did some minor brain damage. Hopefully, time will heal this too.

Do you want to know what really disappointed me? I always read these articles about people who have concussions and they come out of them speaking a different language, becoming an instant musical prodigy, or a math wizard. Me? Nuthin. I could've done with a few minutes of clairvoyance. Long enough to get the winning numbers to the lottery. :D

I do want to thank everyone who emailed, texted, and called me while I was down. I figured after a few weeks everyone would forget about me, so it was nice to hear from my friends. Thanks, guys! It meant a lot.

Well, I have more news about the homestead, but that'll have to wait until next week. For now, I'm back. And with both eyes too!

Does anyone else have concussion stories? Do tell. How long did it take you to recover?