Brain damaged and discouraged
 

I crashed my bike on Monday while commuting to work. I was turning left onto the final road and must have had too much speed; my front wheel hit a twig or bump or something, and the next thing I remember is being at work and sobbing. I don't know how I made it to work, which is about 3/4 a mile from the crash site. I'm pretty sure no one hit me, it was just an unfortunate crash at 20mph.

Six days, several vicodin & ibuprofen later, I'm sitting at home on a beautiful saturday morning having just slept for 18 hours last night. My friends all left on their morning ride without me, and I'm getting sleepy again. My wife won't let me use the computer long, she thinks it's bad for my recovery. Of course she won't let me bicycle either (You're off your bike for months! she tells me). I know I have a moderate concussion (I remember that much from the ER doc) but I don't know much more about my condition or prognosis. I know that I'm really forgetful and constantly fail little memory quizzes my wife is giving me.

The helmet I was wearing has a huge crack up the middle. it probably saved my life. I want to hang it in my bicycle closet.

I don't know why I'm posting this except to ask if any of you have similar experiences and whether you recovered fully. A bit scared that I may have to give up the sport I've come to love.

You need to get details from your doctor and see a specialist. From what you are telling us it does not sound like a "moderate concussion" and you need to know what to do to heal not just have a wife who thinks she knows what is best.

I have a Dr's appt next week with a neurologist.

Yep, get back to a Neurologist pronto - you shouldn't still be confused..................

Don't waste time on this - you might need more serious care...... time is critical.

Get on the phone to that Neurologist today - and relate your problems and concern - do it today...

I got a concussion after a race crash. Mine was probably more mild as my memory was fully functional (apart from the time between the crash and the ambulance ride). The guy manning the corner where I crashed said I got up and was worrying about the bike. I paniced when the lovely paramedic said I had repeated something for the 4th or 5th time...

Once the swelling goes down your memory should get better. There are some things you wouldn't remember even if you didn't have the concussion. The reason they tell you to lay off the bike is not that you can't operate a bike (I was able to the next day) but that if you crash again while your brain is still bruised you can damage it permanently. If the ER doc cleared you (and you must have had a MRI - I got one), then you should be fine after plenty of rest and proper nutrition.

edit* Of course if its been six days and you're still having memory problems, go see someone.

Yes, this is what strong prescription pain killers will do to you.

Possible severe brain injuries are NOTHING TO MESS AROUND WITH!!!!! CAN YOU HEAR ME YELLING AT YOU????

Get to a Neurologist ASAP...... If it turns out to be nothing, it's no big deal - BUT ,,,, IF IT TURNS OUT TO BE MORE SERIOUS - IT COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE......

I have a very good friend, himself a doctor, who failed to heed this warning - especially with "strange" happenings, like confusion.

His daughter died at a very young age!

Get to the Doctor, immediately.

Just so you know it has happened to other people, I've had two crashes and two concussions this year. One in April and one in June. The first was mild. Out on my feet for 10-15 min. before I had continuing memory. Second, quite a bit worse. Four hours totally lost.

I only had the severe problems you're having the first day after my bad crash. Second day I was much better, but still not safe enough to drive or anything risky. After 3-4 days I was pretty good. I'm pretty well recovered after 4 weeks, but I won't be riding for at least several months. I had a severe concussion playing football my senior year in HS (a long time ago...), and did not fully recover for 2-3 months. Successive concussions can be severely damaging.

The depression should ease as you recover, but it may take some time.

I have two LAS Squalos with cracks above the right temple. Second crash helmet is cracked quite a bit more than the first. Talk about depressing, those things were expensive... On a good note, the bike appears to be OK. :thumb:

I agree with Wanderer - call your neurologist today.

Tip of the Day: Get a pad and start writing things down that you need to do.
Second Tip of the Day: Buy two pads, 'cause you'll probably lose the first one. ;)

Best of luck with your recovery!

My friend's Dad crashed (without a helmet) and it took him 6 months to learn to walk again. He eventually made a full recovery.

Best of luck to you.

And I don't think your wife objects to you using the computer per sae. It's all that internet porn that has here a little p-o'd. :)

Go see a doc now. Brain issues are not something you want to take a chance on. If you have to, go to an ER, they should be able to refer you to the specialist on call for the hospital, especially if it is a decent size hospital. If you can't get to a doc this weekend, I would go first thing on monday morning. Get in touch with the neurologist and tell him what's going on ASAP, he will ultimately be able to tell you if it is something urgent. I'm not trying to scare you, but I know enough Marines and sailors who have gotten combat related brain injuries and not recovered the right way because they didn't get the diagnosis/treatment they needed soon enough. I know that's a very different type of traumatic brain injury, but either way, that's one of the few things you really don't want to put off and take a chance on.

I got a mild concussion from a crash a few years back, and the first two days were a little rough, but everything cleared up pretty quickly after that. I wouldn't be too worried about all of the things you described, if you are taking a decent amount of vicodin, that will certainly make you sleepy and a bit "foggy", that's what it did for me after a surgery I had. But like I said, IMO, it's not worth taking a change.

jesus, the OP is logged off now, but hopefully his wife was able to get the pertinent details out of the ER doc. and will recognize the need to relay his symptoms to a specialist ASAP.

OP - good luck and heal up fast!

Speedy recovery to you man! Rest up and you'll be back soon enough.

One of my best friends in high school got hurt playing rugby with a few friends. He just slightly hit his head off another kids head, but he shook it off and just went on with his day.

Later that afternoon, he collapsed during a family dinner and died. He had a brain hemorrhage. He would be alive today if he had just not been stubborn and went to the ER like we had suggested.

Your situation sounds nothing like his, but like others have said: see a doctor ASAP.

My girlfriend got hit by a car while commuting. She wasn't wearing a helmet and had a minor concussion. For a week there was some memory loss and incomplete thoughts, but she got better.

+1 on the immediate visit to a neurologist.

The military is notorious for dragging it's feet on traumatic head injuries. NPR did a segment on it this week.

There are exercises that are proven to aid recovery. Early diagnosis and treatment are important.

Please get to a specialist right away.

Seriously people, helmet at all times. No exceptions!!!

All this talk about seeing/not seeing the doctor reminds me of a passage in a Stephen King short story. To paraphrase:

If a man (as opposed to a woman) finds blood in his crap, his solution will be to crap in the dark for the next month...

Charles

As I read this I am recovering from Tonsillectomy. I have been taking Hydrocodone/acetaminophen(vicoden syrup) every 4 hours for 2 1/2 days. I am very forgetful and cloudy. I work in pharma and this is definitely a side effect of narcotic pain medicine.

I would get to your neurologist as planned and sooner if you are very concerned, but narcotic pain meds will make you very forgetful and listless.

I would like to share my experience of having a category II concussion:

within 30 minutes, I had a CAT scan and a MRI. Both cleared by neurologists.
(GET a CAT scan!! follow up on it!!)

3rd hour after the incident: I still do not have memories about why I'm even there biking, what month and date it is, and where I was BEFORE the incident.

5th hour after incident: memories about why I was biking comes back. Where I was BEFORE the incident comes back.

24th hour after incident: very sleepy. can't function much.

3 days after incident: still sleepy day. Feel very dizzy if my head is tilted in a particular angle.

SLEEP! A LOT! and eat almonds and nuts. It helps.

6 days after incident: sleepy phase gone. Test on reaction time indicates that my reaction time is significantly lower than before. Short term memory difficult to establish.

15 days after incident: reaction time is slowly recovering. Tilting no longer induce dizziness.

25 days after incident: short term memory test is recovering.

35 days after incident: fully recovered.

Doesn't sound like brain damage, and as the Grand Vizier of BF, I'm the expert.

I've had two concussions from bicycle crashes in the last five years. Sounds like post-concussion syndrome, exacerbated by Vicodin. Relax, see a neurologist, and tell your wife she is hardly the authority on how long you should stay off your bike. Your doctor will tell you that. I suspect you can ride within 1-3 weeks.

P.S. Try to stick with Advil if possible. The Vicodin doesn't help.

Don't give it up. I have had several crashes over the past 29yrs.(the first big one was, when I was 14yrs.-old) on top of the fact that hitting my head could be fatal if I hit it hard since I have had a congenital neurological since birth(1967). But I am still cycling and despite my family begging me not to. I cycle harder after each crash. Just recuperate and, get back on the bike.

Don't give it up. I have had several crashes over the 29yrs.(the first big one was, when I was 14yrs.-old) on top of the fact that hitting my head could be fatal if I hit it hard since I have had a brain aneurysm since birth(1967). But I am still cycling and despite my family begging me not to. I cycle harder after each crash. Just recuperate and, get back on the bike.

He could probably engage in a MMA fight in the next 1-3 weeks too, but that probably wouldn't be a great idea either...

A friend of a friend friend just had a fluke crash like that. She was riding along she said with no one around, nothing special, on the flat, then she said she thinks something got in the wheels. I know for a fact that that road's shoulder can be a minefield of twigs, tree branches and other debris.

Fortunately some motorists stopped to help her, and got her emergency help. The ER tests showed she had a concussion and some brain hemorrhage. So glad she was wearing her helmet, but she was, as she does every ride. It saved her from worse, for sure.

Fortunately, I believe she is recovering well, but it will be a while before she is recovered enough to ride again. She is also facing the fear of riding again esp., in our hilly area.

I had a crash in a group ride. Someone at the front braked suddenly on a descent. I woke up after being out for 20 min with a bunch of people standing around me, covered with my blood.

The ER did an MRI and let me go that afternoon. I was able to drive back home but I got a ride to the dentist who kneeled on my chest to pull my smashed-in teeth back out.

The I slept for most of the next two days. I worked from home the next day but was only functional for about half of that, got a bunch of root canals done the next day and slept all afternoon, and went to work the next day.

For the next couple of weeks I wasn't quite myself and I slept a lot. But it got better. Sleep is the best thing for a concussion. A visit to the doctor before your appointment (or just a phone call) might be a good idea.

Your wife is worried about you but she should back off and let you recover.