Anyone have experience with a Concussion?

[lukenick1]

My DS17 was recently diagnosed with a concussion. On May 3 he was at bat for his High School baseball team and was hit in the helmet by a pitch. He seemed fine said it did not hurt and continued the game. About 10 days later he was playing a pick up game of basketball with his friends and was elbowed in the head. He had quite a bump on his head that was very sore but he continued to play for another hour. A couple hours later at home he started feeling nauseous and anxious. He was also sick for the rest of the weekend complaining of nausea, fatigue and just feeling crappy. I never made the connection to a concussion and thought he was experiencing anxiety/panic attacks or perhaps a stomach bug. It wasn't until a doctor visit a few days later that we discovered it was a concussion. Being a Junior this couldn't come at a worse time. He has missed this whole week of school and missed important assignments and an AP exam. Trying to finish up his Junior year being a high achieving student has really put extra stress on him with this injury. So many important things coming up to prepare for College applications and closing of his HS transcript is really such a bummer. He is a high stat kid and now worries this will impact his admission to some highly selective colleges. Has anyone had experience with concussions and also has anyone had this experience right in time for College applications/ admittance? He is worried this will affect his GPA. Thank God he already got through his SAT. It's the nervousness, panic attacks and fatigue that is keeping him from returning to school. He feels overwhelmed by the commotion and noise of the hallways and environment there. Who knew an elbow bump on the head could turn out this way. I always thought concussions happen by traumatic blows to the head and loss of consciousness. Eye opener for sure.......

 

[Poohforyou]

My daughter had a concussion when she was little but several classmates of hers went though tough times in high school with them. They all finished they're freshman year of college though so there is success after this hurdle.

If you haven't already spoken to the high school I'd do so ASAP.

Guidance should include documentation of this when information is sent to colleges. The office/nurse can work on a modified schedule for your son or even allow him to attend classes via Skype.

It's too bad about the AP test but his grade in the class will likely carry more weight than his test score.

I hope he's better soon. He really needs to allow his brain to heal.

Can he take incompletes and finish over the summer?

 

[Southernmiss]

Our oldest had a nasty concussion the January of his senior year.

The bad, debilitating symptoms lasted about a month. He did not miss school, but slept and rested a lot and did not do homework or extra curricular activities.

And there were accommodations made . The school trainer was in touch with school administration and relayed doctor instructions to them.

Other symptoms-frequent headaches, memory, etc. lingered through the summer, but did not stop him from working as a life guard and getting ready for college.

Poorforyou has good advice abt school and other college preps.

It's a bummer, but certainly surmountable.

 

[lukenick1]

He is very very stressed out about missing the AP exam because he will lose the GPA boost. He said he is willing to sit in the class for the time frame of the test staring at the walls just so he can get the GPA boost. He says it is detrimental to his grade. My poor boy.

 

[mjkacmom]

I have a high achieving junior, but don’t worry about college applications yet. She started studying for the SAT/ACT in August with a tutor (took one twice, one once with another scheduled next month, plus a subject test),knows what schools she is applying to, visited several, one twice, and will start on the applications in a couple of months.

 

[mickeyboat]

My DD17 has had a couple of concussions. One from hitting her head on the ice while playing hockey and one from getting hit in the head with a ball playing dodge ball in gym. She had no loss of consciousness. It took her quite a while to heal from the second one. She didn't experience headaches or nausea or sensitivity to light much after two weeks, but her brain was "foggy" for months afterwards. She totally bombed the SAT she took a month after it happened (spring of her junior year). She retook it in August and dramatically improved her score. She was healed enough by the end of the Summer and Fall to be able to do the whole application process with no problem.

Make sure your son is resting his brain as much as he can. You should definitely talk to the school to see what kinds of accommodations they might be able to provide. One idea is to allow him to leave classes a couple of minutes early so he can travel from class to class in relative quiet. Another is to ask for extra time on assignments and tests. Does your school have an athletic trainer? Concussion protocol? The trainer might be able to give you some ideas about what might help.

I am sorry this has happened to your son, and hope he heals quickly.

 

[mjkacmom]

He is very very stressed out about missing the AP exam because he will lose the GPA boost. He said he is willing to sit in the class for the time frame of the test staring at the walls just so he can get the GPA boost. He says it is detrimental to his grade. My poor boy.

His GPA goes up just because he sat for the exam? Dd has 4 AP classes this year, took all 4 exams, it doesn’t effect her GPA.

 

[lukenick1]

His GPA goes up just because he sat for the exam? Dd has 4 AP classes this year, took all 4 exams, it doesn’t effect her GPA.

Yes his school offers a 1.1 grade boost for taking the exam. I don't think he should be penalized if its out of his control.

 

[lukenick1]

The GPA's are weighted if you take AP classes with exam at his school.

 

[Southernmiss]

He is very very stressed out about missing the AP exam because he will lose the GPA boost. He said he is willing to sit in the class for the time frame of the test staring at the walls just so he can get the GPA boost. He says it is detrimental to his grade. My poor boy.

Have YOU actually been in touch with the school and counselors or are you and DS panicking without knowing the consequences at school? Sometimes fear of the unknown is worse than the reality.

Please be in touch with the school and find out what will happen specific to your son's situation.

We can all relay our experiences, but that may not agree with the school.

DS's concussion happened 6 years ago. He went on to finish high school #1 in his class, get a great scholarship, go to college, and graduate with a master's debt free and find his wife and real job. One concussion is a big thing right now, it's not the only thing.

 

[lukenick1]

Yes of course I have contacted the school and waiting for a reply from them.

 

[Southernmiss]

Yes of course I have contacted the school and waiting for a reply from them.

Wonderful! Hopefully, they can explain soon what will happen and how it will affect your son. Hoping for good news and that it will just be a not so great memory and a great story to tell at the class reunions.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I have a baseball-playing son who has had that exact situation (hit in helmet w 85mph fastball) and other situations with him, along with the sequelae. And I myself had a very bad concussion last year which caused me a lot of problems.

First - and this is what I see in your son's situation - one of the worst things that can happen is getting a SECOND concussion on top of a first concussion. They warned me about that. It sounds like he might've had a concussion from the first hit (brain slams into skull after an impact, resulting in bruise to area of brain that hit), then got a second after the elbow hit, and that's when you saw the worse symptoms.

Honestly, I would take him to see a neurologist and have him follow whatever he or she says. When I had mine I got different information from different people. It wasn't until I saw the neurogist that I got the best advice. Healing needs to take place, and it can take quite a while. (She told me up to a year, sometimes longer.) It can be stress-producing to experience symptoms from this. For example, I lost a lot of my vision for a while, and it really scared me. And the headaches were excruciating. There are a lot of things that can go along with a concussion (or two!). Please take him to see a good neurologist. Hang in there.

 

[mjkacmom]

Yes his school offers a 1.1 grade boost for taking the exam. I don't think he should be penalized if its out of his control.

Ours are weighted even if you don’t take the exam, but no higher than honors classes, which are easier. I’d take him to a specialis5 who specializes in concussions, if possible.

 

[verleniahall]

His GPA goes up just because he sat for the exam? Dd has 4 AP classes this year, took all 4 exams, it doesn’t effect her GPA.

Yes his school offers a 1.1 grade boost for taking the exam. I don't think he should be penalized if its out of his control.

Our school offered this as well when I was in high school, so did my now husbands - he had over a 4.0 GPA just due to AP exams

 

[lukenick1]

Wonderful! Hopefully, they can explain soon what will happen and how it will affect your son. Hoping for good news and that it will just be a not so great memory and a great story to tell at the class reunions.

Thank you

 

[lukenick1]

I have a baseball-playing son who has had that exact situation (hit in helmet w 85mph fastball) and other situations with him, along with the sequelae. And I myself had a very bad concussion last year which caused me a lot of problems.

First - and this is what I see in your son's situation - one of the worst things that can happen is getting a SECOND concussion on top of a first concussion. They warned me about that. It sounds like he might've had a concussion from the first hit (brain slams into skull after an impact, resulting in bruise to area of brain that hit), then got a second after the elbow hit, and that's when you saw the worse symptoms.

Honestly, I would take him to see a neurologist and have him follow whatever he or she says. When I had mine I got different information from different people. It wasn't until I saw the neurogist that I got the best advice. Healing needs to take place, and it can take quite a while. (She told me up to a year, sometimes longer.) It can be stress-producing to experience symptoms from this. For example, I lost a lot of my vision for a while, and it really scared me. And the headaches were excruciating. There are a lot of things that can go along with a concussion (or two!). Please take him to see a good neurologist. Hang in there.

The pitch that came in at him was a curve ball so not a lot of velocity. My son really didn't think it was a big deal and said he barely felt it. I still wonder if the shake of it was enough. There was also another game before that one where a pitch bonked him on the top of the helmet.

 

[Jennabeth]

We are dealing with this right now and the similarities are eerie. My DD plays soccer and collided with another player 3 weeks ago. She had no contact to her head at all! Played the rest of the game and went to practice the next day (Tuesday). Had another game on Wed and ended sitting for a lot of it, said she felt nauseous. She mentioned another kid at school was sick that day so we thought nothing of it. Had a game on Thurs (crazy week) and again ended up sitting because she did not feel right. Didn't go to school on Friday because she said she felt like she mentally couldn't handle it (noise, chaos and light can be overwhelming if you have a concussion). Fast forward to the next Monday (a week after the hit) and she sat out a lot of that game because she felt dizzy. One of her teammates said it sounded like she had a concussion and all of sudden everything clicked. She missed school on Tuesday and met with the trainer on Wed and he did the questionnaire which prompted an email from him to get her to a doctor asap. Luckily our school has a relationship with a practice and we were able to get her in Friday morning. She was diagnosed with a concussion and we were told absolutely no physical activity other than walking and she is to rest her brain as much as she can, knowing that it is a crazy time of year in school. All of her teachers are aware of the situation and are working with us. Her symptoms are decreasing and if she can stay symptom free by Monday (3 weeks after) she'll be able to ride the bike and see what happens when her heart rate increases.

It is tough, she checks in with the trainer every day and knows that the only thing now is rest and time. We were told by the doctor that there are therapies that can help speed the healing process, but she seems to be doing well and we aren't to that point yet. We will be lucky if she's cleared for training four weeks after. Luckily this was a mild concussion but since it took so long for the diagnosis it will take time to heal. Concussions can occur even if there isn't a direct hit to the head. Now I know more about the symptoms and will be more proactive in the future. Good luck!

 

[lukenick1]

Thanks for your story......my son is feeling good headache wise and the nausea is better his big complaint now is constant anxiety and panic attacks. He is also having insomnia. He was up and restless.anxious most of last night. Every time he would fall asleep he would jolt back awake and tremble in fear. He would feel confused and scared about why he is feeling this way. This has really made him so anxious and he feel hopeless its not going to go away. I am so helpless as a Mom I don't know how to calm him down other than talk him down and be there for him. This is my 17 year old who never wants to be with Mom and Dad who now wants to sleep with us. This is so crazy........I wish I knew how to make him better. I think being an over achiever, he is probably going stir crazy not being able to do anything to distract his anxiety. He's not used to not using his brain. He is always active. This is so difficult.

 

[Jennabeth]

Thanks for your story......my son is feeling good headache wise and the nausea is better his big complaint now is constant anxiety and panic attacks. He is also having insomnia. He was up and restless.anxious most of last night. Every time he would fall asleep he would jolt back awake and tremble in fear. He would feel confused and scared about why he is feeling this way. This has really made him so anxious and he feel hopeless its not going to go away. I am so helpless as a Mom I don't know how to calm him down other than talk him down and be there for him. This is my 17 year old who never wants to be with Mom and Dad who now wants to sleep with us. This is so crazy........I wish I knew how to make him better. I think being an over achiever, he is probably going stir crazy not being able to do anything to distract his anxiety. He's not used to not using his brain. He is always active. This is so difficult.

Oh yes, sounds exactly like my daughter. She is an overachiever, this is her freshman year and she has a 3.9 GPA and made (and started) on the varsity team. She also has anxiety and it has been worse lately with this and had a panic attack the other day. We are on her constantly on her about slowing down and taking it easy if she wants to play again this year.

He needs to sleep, that is the best time for the brain to heal. Has he seen a doctor?