All-Star Concussions...

[MomOf2ThatsMe]

This is a public service announcement:

Two days ago my CP was at a friend's house on the trampoline, and got kicked in the temple. She didn't tell anyone she was dizzy and nauseous. She spent the night there, and they went to tumbling practice yesterday. CP still didn't tell her coach she was dizzy, and when she was tumbling she really rattled her brain. In the span of two hours she went from walking and talking normal to not being able to tell me how many fingers I was holding up, being so dizzy she couldn't walk, and her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped over. We ended up going by ambulance to the ER. She is fine now, she has a concussion that got aggrevated at tumbling, but that isn't the point. If she had gotten accidentally kicked again at tumbling, , or really busted her tumbling, she could have been in far worse shape than she was last night. A second blow to a brain that has already sustained a concussion can be lethal.

Long story short: if you get a head injury and have any symptoms of a concussion, please tell an adult or other responsible person. Don't assume your symptoms will go away. Don't get up and keep going.

Concussion Symptoms:
Concussion: Symptoms - MayoClinic.com

 

[JessicaL]

This is a public service announcement:

Two days ago my CP was at a friend's house on the trampoline, and got kicked in the temple. She didn't tell anyone she was dizzy and nauseous. She spent the night there, and they went to tumbling practice yesterday. CP still didn't tell her coach she was dizzy, and when she was tumbling she really rattled her brain. In the span of two hours she went from walking and talking normal to not being able to tell me how many fingers I was holding up, being so dizzy she couldn't walk, and her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped over. We ended up going by ambulance to the ER. She is fine now, she has a concussion that got aggrevated at tumbling, but that isn't the point. If she had gotten accidentally kicked again at tumbling, , or really busted her tumbling, she could have been in far worse shape than she was last night. A second blow to a brain that has already sustained a concussion can be lethal.

Long story short: if you get a head injury and have any symptoms of a concussion, please tell an adult or other responsible person. Don't assume your symptoms will go away. Don't get up and keep going.

Concussion Symptoms:
Concussion: Symptoms - MayoClinic.com

Thanks for sharing and hope your CP is feeling at least a little better by now. Concussions are nothing to mess around with but I think so many of our athletes now are of the mindset that you can just "shake it off" with so many injuries they consider minor. I hate this happened to your daughter but am glad you shared the story. Hopefully it will help someone else down the road. Wishes for a speedy, headache free, recovery for her!

 

[NoOneSpecial]

Last month my son had a concussion from hockey. The rules for his school and his travel team is 7 consecutive days symptom free and then 5 days light practice before he can participate in a game.

This year they instituted a base line concussion test prior to the season starting.

 

[munchkinmom]

[A modified repost]
We learned way more than I would've cared to know previously about concussions last year when CP ended up with a concussion after being hit in the head not very hard on the playground. She ended up having a seizure, momentarily blacking out & vomiting, not initially, but over the course of the rest of the day. Please (everyone) do not think of it as "only a concussion", many people equate concussion to the same level as getting the wind knocked out of you. The medical community is now referring to the condition as a Traumatic Brain Injury (ranging from mild to severe), which more accurately describes it. The recovery for even a mild TBI is much longer than what you would think, and is a gradual return to activity. Educate yourself, especially if the symptoms linger. Somewhere to start would be www.cdc.gov/concussion/feel_better.html and googling "Second Impact Syndrome". Don't worry about them sitting out from practice if the Dr. says they need to limit activity. A coach wouldn't ask a child with a broken leg to do almost anything at practice, this is not unsimilar except a broken leg getting reinjured does not cause permanent brain damage. My CP turns 10 this summer. I fully intend on having an ImPACT baseline done on her after that (the test is considered valid for ages 10-59) before the season starts up again this fall.

 

[dawgshow]

Concussions scare me. Thanks for the reminder. It's something to mention to all athletes of all ages. I'm going to have that convo with my little CP tonight.
I hope she heals quickly and easily!

 

[NJ Coach]

My sister got a concussion once, and had full on amnesia for a couple hours. Pretty scary and nothing to fool around with

 

[AZCheerMom]

This is a public service announcement:

Two days ago my CP was at a friend's house on the trampoline, and got kicked in the temple. She didn't tell anyone she was dizzy and nauseous. She spent the night there, and they went to tumbling practice yesterday. CP still didn't tell her coach she was dizzy, and when she was tumbling she really rattled her brain. In the span of two hours she went from walking and talking normal to not being able to tell me how many fingers I was holding up, being so dizzy she couldn't walk, and her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped over. We ended up going by ambulance to the ER. She is fine now, she has a concussion that got aggrevated at tumbling, but that isn't the point. If she had gotten accidentally kicked again at tumbling, , or really busted her tumbling, she could have been in far worse shape than she was last night. A second blow to a brain that has already sustained a concussion can be lethal.

Long story short: if you get a head injury and have any symptoms of a concussion, please tell an adult or other responsible person. Don't assume your symptoms will go away. Don't get up and keep going.

Concussion Symptoms:
Concussion: Symptoms - MayoClinic.com

Thank you for sharing. What a scary situation. Sometimes we forget to mention to our CP's things like this. Remind them that with everything they do and put their bodies through they need to let us mom's and dad's know if something is wrong..
Glad to hear she is feeling better!

 

[kristenthegreat]

We emphasize so much the 'just shake it off' and praise cheerleaders who keep competing through injury..while never emphasizing that a permanent injury as a result of negligence is, well permanent!! This self-sacrifice thing 'For the Greater Good' needs a serious update. Glad your CP is ok! One of my volleyball girls got a concussion that got aggravated, put her out for the entire second half of her senior season :(

 

[CoachMandiCF]

Thank you for sharing!! I hope your CP is feeling better. Hopefully stories like this will be a wake up call for athletes.

 

[fullpass]

Concussions are no joke. I think that sometimes kids don't mention the symptoms because they don't know I or don't want to miss a week of practice. I have seen this backfire twice and know two cheerleaders who say out this season because they aggravated a relatively mild concussion that could have resolved in one week.
Honestly, they're lucky that they didn't suffer worse damage!

 

[iceQueenCat]

Two years ago I fell off the tumble track and hit my head. I ended up damaging my brain in a way that I couldn't smell or taste. It took about 6 months for it to get mostly back to normal. Concussions are no joke!!

 

[Ashay]

This is very important, we sometimes have kids that will never tell us that something is wrong and they end up hurting themselves worse. I have had over 6 concussions and was told by the Dr. if I have anymore its not going to be good. I now suffer from vertigo that I get one or two times a month and Its the worst thing I have ever experienced in my life. So to all you athletes out there, if something is bothering you TELL someone!

 

[cheergirl09]

My sister got a concussion this past year at practice backspotting a kick double. She blacked out from it for a good 45 seconds so we took her to the ER and she was out for two weeks and then had to get rechecked to be released and failed that test because she was still having symptoms from it. Concussions are nothing to mess around with and are very scary. I wish more people would take them seriously.

I hope your CP is feeling better!

 

[ellen495]

So glad your cp is okay. Very scary and thank you for the reminder. Take care!

 

[marissa.d]

I had a concussion with amnesia once and not only is it terrifying, i had Post Concussion Syndrome for a year after and this initiated my anxiety disorder i have! Please be careful everyone and tell your coaches and get checked out!