The Long Road: My Journey with Post-Concussive Disorder
Hey there, fellow speechies! Today, I wanted to share the journey I've been on, one that has had a huge impact on my life…my experience with Post-Concussive Disorder. Now, I’ve always been highly aware of brain injuries and the troubles they can cause individuals who have suffered them. My kids and I have always worn helmets when riding bikes or skating, we wear our seatbelts. As a Speech Language Pathologist, I’m used to being on the clinician side of the table, helping others with communication and cognition. I’m the one with the answers, right? But when I found myself trying to cope with the symptoms of a concussion that had lasted months past the expected recovery time, my perspective flipped.
Post-Concussive Disorder (PCD) is the catch-all for these lingering symptoms. Symptoms can include headaches, nausea, mental fog, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, poor memory,
noise and/or light sensitivity, vision disturbances, anxiety, depression…all symptoms associated with a concussion and then some. It’s not understood what causes it, how to treat it, or even how much of the population experiences it. Numbers range from 11% to 82% of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) cases. I know, helpful, right?!
I don’t think I lost consciousness, but we went in that day, and had a scan that showed that
there was no apparent bruising on my brain. I had mild to moderate typical concussion symptoms, but my neck pain never went away. So then I went to physical therapy, Round 1, which alleviated the neck pain to a tolerable level.
Well, now the school year was starting. I was still feeling lightheaded and dizzy if I turned too fast, still had some neck pain, had a persistent headache. I felt like my mind was moving through sludge. Getting through groups of elementary kids was...difficult. And the problem
was, it continued to worsen, to the point where I was having daily migraines and took medical leave that October.
It comes to the point I have to resign from my job in May 2023. At that point, even with nearly six months of treatment orchestrated by the concussion expert, I’m still having daily migraines. My speech therapist was wonderful, and had me walking the track around the rehab center’s gym while I performed memory and cognition tasks to aid in desensitization to light and noise.
Now, nearly two years after, I have headaches almost daily, but they are headaches, not migraines. I’ve had two sets of lenses because my eye focus has changed. But the mental fog has dissipated, and I feel like myself again for the most part. I seem to misspell words more now, and memory is still an issue compared to pre-concussion. And I’ve picked up a slight stutter that comes out when my brain is overdoing it.
Now, why do I tell you all this? As speech-language pathologists, we often are treating individuals who have experienced a concussion, and we may not even realize it. Because no one tells the speech teacher in the corner closet, right? And we should be aware that these symptoms can persist weeks, months, even years after the typical recovery period.
We need to be prepared to go to bat for our students who might need extra help with coping strategies in the aftermath of a concussion. They may not be able to describe what’s wrong. These challenges are invisible, and in many ways, unmeasurable, and can add up to creating emotional issues as well. Students who have experienced a concussion may need accommodations that are not “listed” in our handy IEP software. They may need cognitive therapy to address attention, memory or problem-solving issues. Counseling may even be necessary.
As speech-language professionals, we need to raise awareness and understanding both of concussions and post-concussive disorder. We need to help families navigate the symptoms, and educate teachers watch for the signs in their students.
Together, we can help them on the road to recovery, one step at a time.
Wishing the best to my powerful speechies,
Mrs. Speech
Images provided by Pixabay: free for use under Pixabay Content License
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