Logo taken from NBA.com in honor of
All Tough Boys can learn a little something from Boston Celtics' Brian Scalabrine's Story:
1) Post-concussion syndrome isn't very understood - but it isn't very fun either.
2) When people are injured, often physical signs are easy to see. With concussions - be honest with yourself and others on how your feeling.
3) You will get better. It can get worse. But it slowly and gradually gets better.
4) Recovery happens. You often can't push it.
5) Your temperament might change. Scalabrine's wife tracks his moods!!
6) Think positive. Even optimists benefit from support!!
7) Go Celtics :)
8) Go Bruins :) [and please be gentle... despite playoffs...]
9) Go Sox :)
------------------------------------------------------------------
I saw this article about Brian Scalabrine of the Boston Celtics from Boston Herald.com a few days ago and was EXCITED!! I have been curious about Scalabrine's concussion since it happened in February - announcing him BENCHED FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON?!?!!
Don't get me wrong, I haven't had a lot of juice 'upstairs' in my own head for a while to really pay attention to every detail in the sports world... so I didn't go digging for information. I'm still waiting to hear if Lugo, from the Red Sox, might have had some more serious complications from a concussion last season that has led him to being MIA most of this season (in conjunction with other injuries, etc). Of course, I'm still wondering!
With Boston sports playoffs just off the hook in my back yard - and I want SO badly to pay attention to all of it - this article just made me thrilled to hear about Scalabrine finally!!
And well - the verdict - he has PCS. And the prognosis - well, uhhh - wait and see? Time and rest? Here are some quotes I liked from the article:
Can a touch of pain lead to a spiral away from normal living?:
When the symptoms were at their worst, and Scalabrine suffered from repeated headaches and dizziness that interfered with basic comforts like sleeping or reading a book
Coach Doc Rivers said:
“I just wanted him to make sure that he’s being honest with himself. It’s different from other injuries, where you can look at someone like Kevin(Garnett) and tell from his gait how he’s doing. We literally can’t get inside Scal’s head with this.”
“But I feel that one day I’ll consistently get better and better and I won’t have any more of these setbacks. Even coming now and watching the games there’s a couple of symptoms.”
This tough boy has a lot of brain to him. I'm glad he had the sense to even ask his doctors about what 'kind' of concussion he might be dealing with. But more importantly, in the following quote, I can just see what I was like a year ago - scared out of my mind that I lost my brain! Wanting answers and not getting any. Wanting SOMEONE to tell me I was going to be OK... that I was going to get it back... that the pain would get better... the symptoms are 'normal' or probably better stated: "expected." Scalabrine's inquisitions are not far away from those questions that I had - and I really wish I could have worked side by side with the doctors who are "experts." Who are they?? How can I get a job with them?? Are they looking for a pharmacist that has personal experience with concussions?! (and are they willing to let me start working real small hours and build up my endurance?????????)
“You go to the extreme - like there are six football players who had some kind of self-inflicted death, you read about them. I actually brought that up to my doctor, and he said that’s a different kind of concussion from what I have. I don’t have a situation where the brain hit the skull and then swelled.”
Here's a great tip that Brian gave: Bless his wife Kristen's soul for putting up with the man through his mTBI recovery! I bet she could be a spokeswoman for caretakers and family who deal with the worst of the worst!!
Scalabrine:
“My wife is always keeping track of my temperament, seeing that I’m consistent with my temper, and not getting really aggressive because of this. The only thing I really have are the headaches, which I’m slowly getting rid of.”
Mark Murphy concluded his article with the best sentence that should be taken to heart by anyone recovering from post-concussion syndrome... because you might be out of work, but to hell to those who think it's any sort of vacation!
After all, even the most positive thinkers need support.
Somebody get Skalabrine my number - I want him to start running my Tough Boy Initiative on a larger scale!! Hope you feel better soon!!!!! And thank you for being so honest to so many people despite how normal and fantastic you look!!!!!!
Go. Celtics.
Go. Bruins.
and of course... Go. Red. Sox. Yay!!
And as a side note - I was watching both the Sox vs. Orioles and the Bruin vs. Montreal Game 2 tonight with a friend... and although it was a lot to really pay attention... I remember looking at one of the smaller screens showing the hockey game and thinking - Holy COW. I can read the small print. I can see the score. I can SEE the seconds winding down. I can SEE the penalty clock in the corner. I CAN SEE CLEARLY the three white letters of the score bar AND their scores (5-1 by the way ;) haha) But my vision had been so horrible that even 6 months ago it was as if I wasn't wearing glasses and it was fuzzy and I couldn't figure it out. It still gets that way sometimes... but my vision was amazing today :)
NEdream: 1 Concussion: 0
Let the playoffs begin!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment