Some Fantastic Articles Involving mTBI

One thing that I really like about all the 'new' data being published about concussions... it spans a really broad area of health care. From rehab, to neurology, to psychology, and also on the molecular level. And I love the molecular level.

Understanding the nicks and knacks of different proteins and hormones and cytokine or prostanglandin mechanisms and pathways... there's so much to know. There's so much that is unexplored!


Here are a few articles discussing the Tau protein found to accumulate and be part of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). CTE has been found in post-mortem brains which were subject to multiple concussions throughout a lifetime. In particular, from football players.


This is an EXCELLENT article written Mark Kram for the Philadelphia Daily News:
Deadly Aftershocks


Here's a pretty awesome picture showing the differences in a 61-yr old brain that hasn't experienced concussion in comparison to two 45-yr old brains (from the men in the story above) who experienced multiple concussions. This is to show you the damage caused by the tau protein they're talking about. (I haven't figured out how to get it to show as a picture instead of just a link... sorry!)
Click here for picture!


In addition, the daily news reports NFL concussion management standards, outlined recently - May 2007:
Special report: Deadly aftershocks: NFL concussion management

They're interested in protecting players from being Tough Boys...

The NFL will establish a "whistle blower" system so that anyone may anonymously report any incident in which a doctor is pressured to return a player to play from a concussion or that a player with a concussion is pressured to play.

Keith Primeau, who played for the Philadelphia Flyers Hockey talks about his experience with post concussion symptoms on the USAToday site:
Former NHL star Primeau warns of concussion risks, by Janice Lloyd

He's among the athletes who have agreed to help the Sports Legacy Institute and pledged their brains after they die to the Center for Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University.


To move North a little. Dr. Michael Cusimano, a neurosurgeon in Toronto, did a little digging among hockey staffing and young players. United Press International (UPI) had a quick summary of it here: Many in hockey don't understand concussion

The study, published in the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, found:

-- Up to two-thirds of players had the mistaken impression a player must lose consciousness to have suffered a concussion.

-- One-quarter of adults and up to half of children could not identify any symptoms of a concussion or could name only one symptom of a concussion.

-- About one-half of players and one-fifth of adults mistakenly believed concussions are treated with medication or physical therapy.

-- About one-quarter of all players did not know if an athlete experiencing symptoms of a concussion should continue playing (they shouldn't).

Just a little reading I thought I'd share.
Beautiful day out today! Wish I could enjoy it all day! (but I got a few good spurts of enjoyment out of it!)

Stroke of Insight Video - Jill Bolte Taylor

I want to be the Jill Bolte Taylor of Concussions.



This is such a great video featured on Ted.com.


I've learned so much about all angles of the brain. And today was just a great day where I had a lot of great conversation with some of my pharmacy professors - and a lot of talk about my recovery. Funny to hear that they have been talking about me, too!

My neuropharmacology professor, who I did research with a few years ago, had just told my story yesterday apparently. His sister in law was talking about her "type A - I'm going to conquer the world - there is nothing I can't accomplish" son who was just in a car accident... and he looks ok but his life is impossible to resume. I was humbled to hear that he used me as a respectable same-case example. I've completely looked up to him over the seven years I've known him. I must have intuitively known he was thinking about me!

He is actually working on mTBI stuff right now, which is pretty cool. I have some crazy ideas to what might be going on... but obviously have to be studied. If there were anyone on earth to take my thoughts and get the answers - it'd be this man, after publishing his 240th accredited journal article. He has a heart of gold and listens to me try to figure things out without knowing some intricate details about neurotransmitters that would greatly change how they react or affect other neuronal processes.

I believe a lot of the changes that happen in strokes are very similar to what happens when you're hit in the head or have whiplash. In a discussion with my neuropharm professor he mentioned that he's found a lot of chemical changes that occur in the brain after a stroke. He's studied some drugs around it, too. Nothing really speeds up recovery, only a potential for preventing damage. However, nobody thinks they'll have a stroke and nobody thinks they'll get hit in the head! Tough to prepare for something that 'would never happen to you!'

It's a great day today :)

Despite the Boston Celtics Loss today, Brian Scalabrine makes my Headlines!

Logo taken from NBA.com in honor of

playoffs beginning for the reigning champs

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 :)
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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.”

Scalabrine input:

“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.”

I know exactly what that might be like. I went to a Celtics game in November - near the time of my first Bruins game. I don't remember the second period even though I know I was watching it... in a seat. And I zoned out for the ENTIRE THIRD PERIOD! I was actually just walking around trying to 'calm' myself... or look normal despite trying to avoid people and noise... until my friend texted me "where the hell are you?! you've been gone for 15 minutes!!" Talk about a wake up call... or text! I was all sorts of turned around!

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!

Tough Girl in Fall River, MA

Another Tough Girl makes headlines:

Read about Michelle Pelton here
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After Brain Injury Awareness Month in May, it seems as if their focus on sports concussions is receiving more and more feedback this April. Not to mention, the last few articles I've posted and read about have moved from the VERY west coast and slowly over to my home state.

The Fall River, MA Herald does their part highlighting a story of a high school girl who suffered her fair share of concussions through sports. The great thing is her devotion to sports after not being able to play anymore. She's truly a gift as an advocate to the concussion world. She is a perfect example of someone who has been dealt a difficult hand but has been passionate about educating others while recovering.

Great job, Michelle! Thanks for sharing your story!!

High School Tough Boys

An article from Cumberland County, PA introduces another Tough Boy:

Read about Kyle Chester Here

Read about Corey Bischof Here

football dude taken from graphicsfactory.com
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The Story of Kyle Chester
I stumbled on another article highlighting concussions today. In Pennsylvania, Kyle Chester was one of those tough boy kids who just wanted to play football. The article describes exactly what I mean by "Tough Boy," quoting Kyle:

“Most kids say, ‘I’m fine,’ and want to play to impress dad, coaches or a girlfriend,” he said, calling it an adrenaline rush. “That’s all I wanted to do was play.”

As unfortunate as Kyle's situation has become I congratulate him for standing up in the face of concussions! Thanks for getting your story out there!!


The Loss of Corey Bischof
An additional story from Cumberland County, PA creating awareness of how personality changes, thought to have occurred from concussions, can be devastating to families. Depression resulting in a teen suicide.


ImPACT testing
Article mentions the testing that has been adopted at the Cumberland Valley High (and I've read of other states that have adopted this same testing for high school sports).

As part of this initiative, each athlete in grades seven through 12 undergoes a neuropsychological assessment through the program. The test provides an objective measurement of attention span, working memory, sustained attention, reaction time, response variability, visual and verbal memory, selective and non-verbal program solving to establish a baseline assessment.

Baseline retests are given in ninth and 11th grades.

If a sports-related concussion should occur during the season, the athlete is retested with ImPACT. Those results are compared to the baseline, which assists the medical staff in making return-to-play decisions.

It's saddening to learn of a loss at such a young age. Grateful, however, that Corey's story is being shared during such a vulnerable time to learn about concussions. I send my blessings to his family.

My Two Cents today
If I find any other examples, I'll post them along! I think I read somewhere that NJ Brain Injury Association agreed to pay for half of the tests in their high schools - but I forget where I saw it... But how valuable could this be? Imagine how different our communities might be if we invested in better brain protection early on like this?

However, brain injuries have been happening for years to all sorts of people. And the great thing, is that you can recover. It just takes some time. And it's frustrating. It's painful. It is very hard to leave the "old you" and recognize the new directions that you need to move in. It is very hard to assume a new path, accept the losses, and become one of the many people in this world who has shaped their life much differently than where they originally thought they could go.

But you do keep going, somehow. It is possible. Recovery is difficult but possible.

The Intelligence of Our Future resides in the Brains of Our Kids

I know I have a reader from WA stop in once in a while... Well, here's a great article adding to the awareness of concussions in sports straight from Issaquah, WA.

The seriousness of concussions are becoming known in sports... and not just any sports - the ones you see the next generation playing!! Think Little League baseball and Pop Warner football. As exciting as these sports can be for the little guys going out and giving it their all, this quote from the article pretty much sums it up for me:

The trouble is, students aren’t as careful as they need to be, said Cheryl Reed, head athletic trainer and sports medicine instructor at Skyline High School. Trainers and coaches have to be vigilant because some students won’t admit they’ve suffered a concussion, she said.

“They want to keep playing, so they don’t tell anyone that they’ve got a headache,” she said. “They just don’t have the maturity to say, ‘Hey, is this really worth brain damage?’”

Just a little awareness for your thoughts :)

I'm completely exhausted today..........

Iraq Veterans and Migraines from TBI

I don't know how legit ScienceDaily.com really is. I find some of the small articles here more enjoyable and thought-provoking than actually credible information. There's a lot of advertising around and Ads by Google... But then again, I haven't looked into the whether the information is coming from something legit either, and it very well could be??

But here is some food for thought on how imporant the Veterans from Iraq will be in developing an urgency to learn about mild traumatic brain injuries.

Enjoy the exerpt from ScienceDaily


Even though some of my posts aren't very influential these days... I'm trying to get in the habit of blogging what I find right away. The more I let build up... the more anxious I get... the more of a failure I feel like... and I know it's just all in my head. Bare with me!

Boston Children's Hospital Brain Injury Program

Play Ball Tough Boy!!
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It's Red Sox Opening Day!!!!!!!!!!!
So hence the Fenway Park photo that I took last April 9, 2008 - a few games into the season last year. However, I had no clue it was one of the first games because I didn't know anything that was going on, in any situation, at any time...

I even caught a foul ball, too... but I was soooooooooo out of it! And every time I would stand up to cheer... I would lose my eye sight or almost pass out. Ugh! The music was too loud, there were too many people around, the lights were bright... my favorite place to be was now becoming a place I'd have to avoid for a little while...

Needless to say, I'm ready for the new Season!!!!!! I really really hope to be able to catch some more games than I was able to last year. And I really hope that I can enjoy them and 'be there' instead of zoning out, getting a migraine, or just forgetting where I am or what's going on.


Anyway - while watching the opening day ceremony, I've been getting more and more excited!! And then the game is ready to start!!!! They go to quick commercials before starting up....

The first commercial: Children's Hospital talking about their Brain Injury Program

I didn't know they had one??? Well, I'm sure they did... but holy smokes!! Way to advertise on NESN!! And if you click the link I provided, you can see the little commercial they made with the Bruin's Patrice Bergeron!

Just another reminder to kids, don't be a Tough Boy... protect your brain. It's the only one you've got. Wear a helmet! And spread the word!!

This is the link to the actual Children's Hospital Brain Injury Program page - the above one is the link on NESN w/the commercial.

YAY!!! GO. RED. SOX!!!! WOOO HOOO!!!

Some of the Toughest Boys Play Hockey

Check this article out, Tough Boy:

National Hockey League players and Concussions
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I have saved a ton of little articles that I have always 'meant to post,' but never 'got to.' I'm just posting this because I found it (back in OCTOBER!! eek!) interesting and it relates to my Tough Boy Initiative - and provides a perfect example of what researchers are just learning about the impact of concussions on those who sustain MANY of them... what better place to start than Professional Hockey??

Wow... what a run on sentence... :(

Bruins Final Score 11.13.08

My First Live Bruins Game!

I went to my first Bruins game in November. I 'zoned out' a little bit throughout the game... but over all I really enjoyed it. I was initially afraid that I would cringe every time they body slammed each other into the walls. I felt like I would constantly be concerned about concussions and constantly urked (spelling??) to think of what could possibly be happening to their brain each time.

I have to admit that I actually really enjoyed that part. When I work and save enough money - I want season tickets. I can see why its not an initial concern while cheering for your local (awesome awesome awesome) team. As much as I felt guilty for enjoying that part, I can see how the sport could have less fan involvement (?? not sure if that's what I mean or how to say it...) if the contact didn't exist while fighting for the puck.

This is a good article that was written October 21, 2008 (very recent!) on summarizing data pulled from a long study involving hockey players and how they've been impacted by concussions - without realizing it. An example of what was found quoted from the article:

Thirty percent of NHL players diagnosed with concussions have normal physical readings but abnormal neuropsychological testing scores.

I want the data from other sports... NFL, MLB, NBA... bring it on!! I know they're all tough boys and do very well sucking up the pain and dizziness to get back on the ice... but I need more data to assess how to change it! After all, that's my initiative. To protect, serve, advocate, and educate to and for all the tough boy's out there in the world!

Go. Bruins. Yay!

Brain Injury Press

Photo from Natasha-Richardson.org

I know Yahoo.com doesn't have the best cited information - but I stop by for some small information and headlines sometimes when I'm not feeling my best. I like to continue to read, even when I don't think I can comprehend much... and this is the kind of small reading I tend to go to!

Anyway...

The news of Natasha Richardson's death is absolutely horrifying. However, I feel this couldn't be a better time for the increased awareness of brain injuries and just how severe they actually can be.

Since the day of my accident, I have felt that somehow I've been affected at a moment where NOBODY knows much about mTBI. And as much as this fact has stunk up any easy recovery... as the months go by more and more situations arise which start making mTBI a HUGE deal on this planet. This is just one example of the awareness that I feel I might be in the middle of when I'm finally well enough to make a stand and become an educator and advocate about the horrifying ordeal that concussions can lead to.

A few days following Natasha's skiing incident/death - I am not sure the exact date, but had thought to blog about it! - I had noticed in the bottom right of my browser on Yahoo.com "Today's Top Searches" that "Brain Injury" was number 6!!!

Now, I didn't ever think I was going to die. I was in excruciating pain for a good 8-14 months, but I never felt my life was at risk. I had significant pain which I thought I was dying or going to have a seizure or pass out and hit my head again and bleed to death (dramatic I know...). I hadn't had a CT of my brain at the time my head was hit, but my CT of my neck was less than impressive and my MRI of my cervical spine a month later wasn't showing anything significant either. In February, I finally had an MRI of my brain and everything seemed clear. I was thrilled to see I had a brain!! wooooo!!!

I hope this link works. This is a pretty inspiring video of a little girl who was hit in the head by a baseball and was 'talking and she was fine' and had 'a bump on her head, but no symptoms whatsoever' until she started to have a migraine a few days later... she had a similar acute epidermal hematoma (significant bruising/blood clot) to what killed Natasha.

It makes me wonder if I might have had a similar hematoma that disturbed some of the blood flow to the neurons I've had to rebuild over the last year plus. I'm just thrilled this girl was so strong and can't imagine what pain she might still be experiencing - but bless her having the strength to forward the brain injury awareness to the world.

My mother also told me that she heard Obama recently mention in one of his speeches that he was awarding troops or veterans increased funds towards treatment of brain injuries - anyone hear this too?

I know I'm not the best at citing references, etc... but I'm working on it.