#post-concussion syndrome

[lifblogs]

I’m impatient about getting in with a concussion specialist, and can’t find what I’m looking for with a google search, so…

Anyone with PCS or who has had PCS (post-concussion syndrome) know if writing fiction is bad for you, or when you can do it again? I’m overrun by writing ideas here and the frustration of not writing them is really getting to me.

[cripplecharacters]

Hi, I have a question.

Can somebody identify as disabled even if their medical condition can fully heal in time? For context: a character from my book suffers from Post-Concussion Syndrome after a head injury he got during a fight. He gets terrible migraines multiple times per week and has trouble with balance and remembering things. He also gets even more sensitive to sensory input. This prevents him from doing his job and hobbies and will be something he struggles with for multiple books. The thing is that Post-Concussion syndrome can last from three months to a year or even longer, and he was already prone to migraines before, so I suppose he might never fully heal, but it could happen as the syndrome is treatable. Can he identify as disabled?

Hi, thanks for your question!

Short answer: Yes, people can identify as disabled even if the disabling condition is temporary.

Long answer: Virtually everyone, at some point in their life, will experience some kind of temporary disability. That doesn't make those experiences not disabling just because they're ostensibly more common/frequent than permanent or congenital disabilities. Even if they become able-bodied again, people incapacitated by injury or illness, for example, are still functionally disabled for as long as those conditions last.

While temporarily disabled people are not legally considered disabled in many places and thereby not typically entitled to disability benefits, this is a policy failure that is not indicative of disabled people's own perspectives on disability. Temporarily disabled people are absolutely welcome in the disabled community and encouraged to identify themselves as disabled if they so choose.

In the case of your specific character, I would note that while Post-Concussion Syndrome is definitely a temporary disability in and of itself, a character who is prone to migraines is already disabled before sustaining additional injuries. Migraines are a chronic neurological condition and are considered a dynamic disability, which refers to a condition whose severity fluctuates over time and/or day to day. So while your character could certainly identify as disabled, it's not just because of the Post-Concussion Syndrome!

As always, disabled folks are welcome to add their thoughts.

Best of luck writing!

-Mod Faelan

[watercolourcritters]

[ID: Art with the text “still good, despite it all” written over the shape of a brain painted with cloudy blue paint. End ID.]

June is Brain Injury Awareness Month in Canada! This painting was a reminder for myself, and for any other folks with brain injuries that need to hear it, that our brains are still good, despite everything involved with having a brain injury. Happy BIAM, lovelies <3

(This piece was painted during a workshop with the Keep Your Head Up Foundation, a Canadian organization that aims to support recovery from traumatic brain injury.)

[possibility221]

Angstober 2023, Oct. 2 prompt: Anxiety

Elementary episode: 5x24

[thetragicallynerdy]

When I’m editing my writing, it’s really interesting to notice the places that I drop words in sentences. Like I know what I intended to write, and what I had thought I’d written, but some crucial word in the middle of the sentence will be missing. I don’t think it’s something I used to do pre-concussion, and it’s been kind of an interesting thing to notice. I do it when I’m reading too, I’ll sometimes just... skip words, and have to double back. It’s not a huge problem, just interesting to think about how my brain does language a bit differently since I got injured.

[athomerehab]

Brain injuries come in various forms and can have significant impacts on an individual’s life. Understanding the different types of brain injuries and the recovery process associated with each is crucial for both patients and their loved ones.

[ananiujitha]

Does anyone know of accessible online resources for post-concussion syndrome?

There used to be a subreddit, but they stopped accepting new posts to protest the congoing enshittification.

There is a discord, but it's a discord.

[yaybadluck]

My life is going to be effectively over if I don't regain the ability to focus on anything for longer than 10-15 minutes without getting exhausted. 2 weeks and counting

[cbphysiotherapy]

Concussion has received a lot of attention in recent years. A concussion is a rehabilitative brain injury that can affect your life, and cause various cognitive, physical, and behavioral symptoms. It has been linked to contact sports participation workplace accidents and falls causing long-lasting brain changes.

[trashcapableofsentience]

'can't' is not a bad word.

i think a lot of the pushback to believing disabled people about our own bodies and ability stems from the fact that we inherently don't possess a 'can-do' attitude. because we cannot do things. because that's the fucking definition of being disabled.

we're 'negative nancies' that need to go through some character growth or training like the movies do so we can emerge positive with a growth mindset because we can accomplish anything! yasss! and of course you are our lovely wise guiding mentor that just gave us the kick we needed to realise The Truth About Life, which is that You Can Do Anything, As Long As You Put Your Mind To It.

but the actual truth, one that you can see if you look past your nose, is that a '''growth mindset'' can't going to fix this. a "can-do attitude' can't un-traumatic injury my brain.

'can't' is not a bad word.

[lifblogs]

Wrote out my PCS symptoms with Archer, and wow.

It's a wonder I even post on social media, and have started a new fic.

Severe headaches

Difficulty spelling

Difficulty explaining thoughts, and finding the right words to say

Difficulty understanding speech

Short term memory loss

Long term memory loss

Much more easily distracted (already has ADHD)

Often hit with random bouts of depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms that were previously handled in therapy

Insomnia

Nausea

Dizziness

Poor balance

Increased seizure activity (diagnosed with PNES)

Sensitivity to certain sounds (for instance, can’t make phone calls without getting migraines and seizures)

Increased migraines (migraine activity had previously gone down thanks to treatment with aimovig)

Poor fine motor coordination

Some difficulty chewing

Words mesh together with speech and writing

Increased sensitivity to light

Difficulty understanding complicated topics

Difficulty with knowing which day it is/the date (time blindness)

Forgets important personal information like birthday and phone number

Stiff neck

Had nose bleeds for a month after hitting head

Sleepiness and fatigue

[watercolourcritters]

thirty-four

bday comics: thirty-three

AN: I have an acquired brain injury, and always have a lot of feels about it on my birthday! so, disability bday comics are now a thing :)

[ID: a ten panel comic drawn in simple black ink with messily drawn borders.

One - I sit cross-legged on a sofa with an open laptop in front of me. Text reads: "And what do you do for work?" "I'm on disability." "Oh. And is it permanent?" "I mean. It's been over four years since my mTBI."

Two - Frame zooms in showing just my torso and chin. Text: "So yeah, probably."

Three - I sit forward on the couch with elbows on knees and chin resting on folded hands and sigh. It shows my whole body. I am a white non-binary person with a curly mullet, glasses, and wearing a t-shirt and ripped jeans. Text: The doctor calls me "dear" as she ends the call. It's been a long year."

Four - I stand and walk away. The image shows just my legs and the couch behind me. Text: When I first got injured, permanency was the scariest possibility. The idea of a lifetime of pain and fatigue made survival feel impossible.

Five - I stand holding a cupboard open, my back to the viewer. The open cupboard shows that it's very full of mugs and tea supplies. Text: It's not so scary, anymore. And it no longer feels just like surviving.

Six - A close up shot of a kettle steaming. Text: There's still grief, trapped under my ribcage. But I think there always will be. I've had to put away so many dreams, said goodbye to who I once was.

Seven - Close up shot showing hot water being poured from the kettle into a handmade mug. Text reads: But in the space left empty, new things have grown. New hopes. New dreams. New understandings of myself.

Eight - Close up shot of my hands holding a steaming mug of tea. Text: This injury might be permanent - but it might not be. No one really knows for sure. I love my life. I love my body, and my brain, all the messy disabled parts of it.

Nine - A full shot showing me sitting on my sofa again, and holding a large blanket out in front of me, as if getting ready to wrap it over my legs. Text: If this is the rest of my life, then what a gift to live it. I'm not done growing, hoping, grieving, healing. Still trying, and trying, and trying.

Ten - I sit on my sofa with the blanket wrapped over my legs, leaning against a cushion. I am sketching in a ringed book held on my lap, and my tea mug rests on the blanket beside the book. I am smiling slightly and look content. On the wall behind me is a quilted progress pride flag. Text: It's messy, complicated, and beautiful. But isn't that what life is?

The comic is signed h. graves '23. End ID.]

[possibility221]

Angstober 2023, Oct. 31 prompt: Won't Forget

Elementary episode: 5x24

[lightning-system]

Intersectional

When Kingston was 14 years old he took a basketball to the head and was in the hospital for a month. It’s what happened after that stuck with him.

Post Concussion Syndrome can last days, months. For Kingston, it's been over thirty years and he still feels it. There’s only been one more consistent thing in Kingston’s life: being Black.

-

Or: Years after his concussion, Kingston has a bad day.

[littleshadowprince]

Long post:

TLDR: my daddy made me a punch card to help me with my head injury recovery and age regression

MUCH more detailed post under the cut:

So because I have trouble with my thinking especially lately my Daddy and I have a Thing based off the game portal 2 where if I'm struggling with a task he tells me to "think with portals" and helps me to figure out what steps need to be done and in what order so I don't get frustrated just sitting there panicking, or getting overstimulated and having a meltdown (or worst case scenario throwing/kicking things everywhere because of it and ending up in a mess and crying)

so my Daddy asked me secretly for a list of my favorite things, mostly characters especially agere related, and made me a cute punch card with my two care bears on it that says "thinking with portals, you got this, 10 punches equals [reward] (mcdonalds night)"

He says he wants to make more woth different characters, each mascot having a different reward and I can pick which one I want everytime I get a new card!

Everytime I start thinking logically and take my time to think things through I get it punched and when I get to ten I get a reward. It's so sweet and made me so happy seeing him do something that means so much to me and makes me feel so proud if myself for doing something correctly instead of feeling guilty for struggling with it

I never had this kinda positive renfircement as an actual kid so having it from my daddy during a time of basically partial perma-regression helped heal me a lot. I feel like I can be so small and taken care of with these things being used for me. And he says he wants to do more things like this during my recovery too!

[hellyeahsickaf]

I can't stand that there are so many people in the field of medicine that shouldn't be

The concussion I experienced in childhood was the first case of medical neglect (debatably malpractice) that I remember experiencing. I was playing outside on a scooter, fell off, and landed face first onto the handlebar- hitting my eye. If it were maybe half an inch further it would've gone through the socket and well, you can imagine what would've happened then. I think I lost consciousness, but I felt the pain when I was conscious for sure. I was both dissociated from it and screaming because I mean my face hit the edge of a metal bar lol. Somehow my guardians didn't hear me screaming but lucky for me we had a beagle, and those guys are loud as fuck so he was howling and eventually got their attention.

I don't know how no one realized I had a TBI. It just feels so obvious to me now and I would immediately identify it as one. I was dizzy and uncoordinated, in and out of consciousness, vomiting, struggling severely to stay awake, had a wicked headache, sensitivity to light and sound, I felt like I was in a different dimension or high. They at least eventually realized it was serious enough that I should be taken to the hospital so I was.

They checked my vitals, said I was fine, and sent me to the waiting room with a bucket knowing I had injured my head so you'd think they'd put 2 and 2 together especially with my eye being swollen. I struggled to stay awake, fell asleep multiple times to blurry images of The Simpsons on their wall mounted TV. That was probably two hours. Woke up sick again and they took me home so they could try calling an ambulance and see if they'd admit me sooner. They did not. It was another 5+ hours (I think that's what I was told) in the crowded ass waiting room

When I saw the doctor they were rude as hell. Only checked my eye and vision for optical issues really. No imaging or neuro evaluations. I was scolded for not wearing a helmet which wouldn't have prevented the injury at all. They said I was irresponsible and should have known better (I was 8). I was told by others that saw me that I looked awful but I guess the doctor didn't think so. I couldn't eat much for days, was lethargic and confused. I passed out a couple days later and EMTs came in. They told me to drink Pedialyte

Fast forward over a decade later, I was maybe 19. I have intense migraines of an unknown cause so I have to get an MRI. They find what they believe to be a congenital defect if I had no history of head trauma to that part of my face. Fat had herniated into the injury but more importantly they noted that if not a defect it was clearly a fracture. So I broke my skull and was talked down to and told to wear a helmet next time. Even my guardians commented on me being a bit "dramatic" before it was bad bad. And it was the back of the orbital bone behind my eye meaning it was closer to going through it than I initially thought, which explains why it was swollen but not majorly like you'd see in an MMA fight or something. It just should've been clear. If not to my guardians then at least to the doctors and nurses who I'm sure see head injuries every damn day.