It's Never Over And That's OK...

The fight for spreading knowledge about head trauma is going to be an uphill battle. I've been hiding from the fact that this is something I need to be a part of. My new found friend, Lauren, writes a blog <http://lifeafterthegame.wordpress.com/> and it is fantastic. I feel like I can't verbalize as well as she can so please tune in to her entries!

Lauren has reminded me how important it is to do the best we can to prevent this from happening to anyone else. There is no way anyone who has not suffered a concussion can understand what it is like to have one.... that is, for now (a doctor I used to see is working on a virtual experience to show how it feels). So for now the best way to teach is to share.

Through our conversations, I have been reminded how important this topic is to me. I think I was hiding from it because it's still hard for me to admit this is part of my life. My symptoms don't seem bad to me, but my shaking is starting to get to me a bit. In addition to my hands shaking, my face has been shaking and my feet have been hurting. I hope I can get into the neurologist soon. More than likely I will have long-term side effects of some sort, I have to be ok with that.

In fact, today I had such a hard time writing in class that I had to ask my professor if I could take notes on my laptop instead. Not only did my hand and wrist hurt but my handwriting was illegible. Now it has been suggested to me that I should contact disability services for accommodations... I really don't know how I feel about that.

On another note, over the weekend I contacted a representative in Ohio who is sponsoring a bill for concussion management in sports. I like the bill, there are things that are missing from it but I also don't think you can legislate everything. The funny part is that one compromise they had to make for the bill to get through the House is to not specify it has to be an orthopedic/sports med doctor to clear the athlete...

What?! Don't you get cleared for every other injury by a sports med doctor? Shouldn't you treat your brain better than any other part of your body? The lack of understanding of the importance in this issue is mind-boggling. I'm hoping to help get this bill passed through the Senate. It's not perfect but at least it's a start.

It's never over and that's ok... because this is a fight worth fighting.