I was on my way to pick up my kid after basketball, and (I'm told) a van careened across the median and hit me head-on. I can't remember anything for a couple hours before/after the wreck. CT scans were ok (other than a lesion from voting for Obama, lol) and they released me a while ago. My thighs are deeply bruised and I've got other assorted this and that's. But y'all ain't rid of me yet!

The Land Cruiser is totaled. [bleep] bummer. That was an awesome vehicle.

Both airbags deployed. I guess it was the airbag that gave me the concussion.

They had to cut the other guy out of his van but the cop at the hospital said he was ok. He lives on my rural lane; he's handicapped and the van had hand controls so he could drive it. Sure hope he's really ok. Good guy.

Still pretty foggy; trying to reconstruct the last 12 hours or so; it's coming back but the wreck is a blank. I called my wife afterward... can't remember a thing. Wierd.

Would appreciate any advice from those of you who've been concussed as to any tricks of the trade. Guess I need clearance from a doctor to drive and there's a concussion clinic they are sending me to, but, would still appreciate the word from the trenches IE guys who've BTDT. I had a bad concussion like 35 years ago but I don't remember much, lol.

Whew. What a day. Came home and hugged my kids!

Stopped at the wrecking yard on the way home from the hospital to pick up groceries that were in it, couldn't get a good pic but this'll give an idea:

Sorry for your troubles. That's the first time I've heard you admit even linearly, that you were wrong for voting for Obama, so congrats on the realization and the admission.

You're a better man than me 'cause I'd have not been worrying about the dude in the van, handicapped or no. I'd have been wanting to kick his asss for putting my kid at risk.

I have nothing to offer as far as advice on concussions. If you've got a good doc, do what he/she says.

few times btdt, memory may come back in bits and pieces of what happened, my guess is everyone and every time is different


shame about the vehicles, but as long as everyone is relatively ok, chalk it up to the survivors of life always carry some scars.

CY's advice about the good doc is probably better than what anyone can offer here.

Thanks. I was alone in the car- thankfully!!!

My thighs HURT. Ugh.

Man... chit happens fast...

Kid had a pretty bad one when he was 18. Lost half that day and half of the next. As far as he remembers he woke up in the hospital the day after the crash. He probably never will remember it. Other than lingering headaches for a month or two there were no other lasting affects.

Thank God you were on your way to pick up your kid and not on the way from picking them up.

Good luck on the concussion thing. Never had want one, don't want one.

Alan

Do NOT take it lightly and avoid heights, ladders, power tools etc till the doctors clear you to drive for the same reasons not to drive.
I say to not take it lightly because my stepson now has a form of epilepsy due to repeated concussions and will be suffering the effects for the rest of his life. At 19 he has been told he will possibly never drive and will be severely limited in what he will be able to do, all because he ignored the doctor and thought he was 10 foot tall and bullet proof. The second concussion in less than a month is what has caused his problem.

I've had a few concussions and have always been told to have someone there to wake me up every couple of hours if I want to sleep, also was told to drink lots of fluids and try to avoid pain killers. Your wife needs to watch for signs of pupil response changing, you need to watch out for that really heavy lethargic feeling i.e. your arms, head etc feel heavy and you have no energy, watch for increasing head pain particularly sudden increases, also changes in hearing and vomiting.

Glad no one was seriously injured. Concussions are serious business. A second one soon after the first is really dangerous. Do what your doctors say and don't miss appts at the concusion clinic.

Just to be a smart-azz, but it looks like a good smack upside the head is just the ticket for "hope and change" voters. Couldn't resist!
Glad you are ok, it's funny how things kind of "dissapear" for a while. I remember being walked off a rugby pitch one day in New Mexico and "waking up" halfway off. Still don't know what happened. No concussion, just out of it.

Ouch!

Glad you're still in one piece.



Sort of puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

Even though I find your "politics" sorely lacking, I hope your recovery is quick and complete. You can always get another LC, but not another brain. Although in your case......kidding. By the way, the mass of the LC undoubtedly saved you from more serious injuries. Newtons Laws of Motion wins again!

dang....sorry to hear about your land cruiser....hard to find a good one.

don't dick around with the concussion, see a specialist. my boy had a near fatal head injury in a slalom race two years ago . took about six months of rehab before he could return to school.

the memory loss, tremor, aphasia and a host of other effects can cause you some real problems so get checked out and see what you're dealing with.

we'll see if you got hit hard enough to knock the bolshie out of you.

ask your doctor.

And don't sign anything right now------------nothing from the insurance co. ,nothing.

Besides the med- I guess your losing what, $1,000 a day in wages

My advice about concussions~dont get anymore.

Who you gonna vote for next time around?

Hope you get better Jeff.

Follow up with the doctor/concussion clinic as directed. They can take some time (weeks) to resolve.

lol. Ya beat me to it.

Don't bump your head!

Hope recovery is swift and full, Jeff. Take care and relax a few days.


ps
Relax probably excludes reading on here....

Glad you are OK, Jeff!

No idea on what to do on the concussion except follow your doc's advice to the tee.

Get better soon.

I am sorry to hear you got hurt Jeff. I have had a mild concussion once but never anything that bad. No real advice but to listen and obey the specialist.

BTW, I hope your memory loss does not include our phone conversation yesterday when you said you were going to give me a Wilson Combat for Christmas.

Hehehe.

Jeff, this is your big chance;now you can say "hey, I didn't vote for Hussein...or at least I don't remember doing so."

Jeff:

Okay, I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I am a certified Sports Medicine doc and have managed literally thousands of concussions.

Your history of several hours of both antegrade and retrograde amnesia is indicative of a very severe concussion, and if you do not take care of this properly, you may be risking permanent brain injury. Adults are less susceptible to permanent damage than teens are, but still you need to take care of this.

So here is what I advise you to do:

1. See your family doc today and get a referral to a concussion clinic. Not a general neurologist. General neurologists and "headache specialists" who are not active in concussion management are usually 10 years behind the concussion literature, because it's published in Sports Medicine journals and not general neurology journals.

2. You need to REST as much as possible. Concussion is brain injury, and your brain needs to rest to heal. Don't try to fight through the fatigue; take naps, sleep in, take a few days off work.

3. VISUAL REST: Of particular importance is VISUAL rest, as the occipital lobes of the brain seem to be particularly vulnerable to injury from concussion. VISUAL REST means avoiding bright light, avoiding reading, and ESPECIALLY avoiding reading anything that works with pixels (i.e., computers and cell phones). is to be studiously avoided. This means that as soon as you finish reading this post, TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER!!!

4. Your ability to concentrate on complex tasks will be a lot more impaired than you think. Avoid driving. Avoid going to work. Avoid the news on TV.

5. Consider your brain to be unhealed as long as you have concussion symptoms: difficulty concentrating, light sensitivity, dizziness, headache, etc.

Now TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER AND GET TO YOUR DOCTOR.

This is real medical advice. Just because I'm not charging you for it doesn't mean it's not worth anything.

Concussions are bad stuff. As everyone is different, so is the advice. For me, it was avoiding TV, and the computer, as they would bring on a headache. Any bright light, or intense light did the same thing. It was hard to focus on small tasks for very long, without feeling sick. Hit the easy chair for a day or two, and really, just try to avoid doing a whole lot. Go see a specialist, and when you are able, read up about what happened to your brain, as it bounced off the inside of your scull.
In short, feel your own way through it, and don't muck around.

R.

Doc beat me to it. Great advice there!

R.

Hey, concussions are no big deal - just ask Mohammed Ali.

I've had 1 years ago when I was dumped off a horse on my head. I have no memory of about an hour of that one. The horse got home without me. My parents came looking for me and I was wandering around looking for my glasses. They had me home and Mom was washing the blood off my face when I woke up. They hadn't realized I was out until then because I'd told them everything that had happened. We made a very fast trip to town to have my head examined.

Don't get another one any time soon. Ever if possible. Follow DocRocket's post. VA tells me I'm fine but I swear something got knocked loose in the last one I got. Can't imagine what life is like for the athletes who received dozens over the years.

The concussion research literature in the past 8-10 years has uncovered more about this condition than was previously learned in the previous 100 years. This is in large part due to better real-time brain imaging techniques such as MRI-MRA, and to psychometric testing such as the ImPACT Test; major funding from the National Hockey League, NCAA, and other sports organizations has been a huge factor, too.

Superdave, the research shows that while kids are far more vulnerable to permanent "scrambling" from concussions, adults are not immune to permanent problems, particularly after multiple concussions. I have seen teens with recurrent concussions transformed from academic all-stars to kids with severe measurable attention deficit and to struggling just to pass in school. Most have made a good recovery, but it can take several years to get back to "normal", and who knows what learning opportunities a kid has lost when that much of his/her developmental time has been sidetracked by this type of injury?

my son had to basically put his brain in neutral for a month, to let it "reset", then very slowly start returning to various stimuli. It was all a very scary process.

try keeping an 18 year old away from phone, TV, computers and video games for a month sometime....just lying still in a quiet, shady room. my wife got him a cat to keep him company. he's fine and in college now, but I've still got the damn cat.

Don't know if Jeff is in Oregon or a place that's wetter than Oregon, but there's a concussion clinic in Portland.

He needs to be on the way, or arrived.

Dang Jeff---

Having played a ton of contact sports I've had my share. First off definitely see a doctor. After a series of tests and questions the advice will likely be to have someone wake you up every couple of hours for the next 24.

The fact that you lost memory for 2 hours is not of great concern but could set the degree of concussion that you might have.

Warning signs are continuous headaches, slurred speech, eye movement, decreased coordination amongst others.

I'm not a Doc but sure one will be along with better advice. For now see a Doc and have someone watch you for the next day or so.

Godspeed---David

PS----I usually had injuries so a tetanus shot or booster was usually in order as well. Might want to check on your last one.

There you have it. The collateral damage that concussions afflict is untold and uncalculable.

Be grateful you can't remember.
My son had a horrible hi speed MVC in April 98.
It took squads over an hour to cut him free.
Time enough for them to life flight his buddy across Cuyahoga County and return the same chopper for him.

He was awake and aware the whole time. While being busted up badly.

GO!

...and do what Doctor Rocket advises.

He's a real doctor, not one on TV.
...............................................................
eta:

That's cause not effect.

Glad your ok Jeff. Sorry about the ride but it could have been worse.

Do you still like Obama?

Hoping the knock on the noggin' may have cured you.

tjm,
Jeff is in the Eugene area I believe? May I suggest you PM him your post above about the clinic in Portland?

Stay safe and be still

Head injuries can be tricky

I went to a race horse chiropractor once and saved about 50 bucks,

I bet there is a wood working shop nearby that could take a look at Jeff's noggin.

I wasn't going to mention that, but yes, it is certainly a possibility.

Glad you're ok bro!

Listen to Doc and go see a specialist asap. Don't [bleep] around with this thing man, concussions are serious business.

Years of beating your head against the wall, aka voting Democrat, can do this sort of thing.

All kidding aside, I hope you have a full and speedy recovery.

Sounds like you guys are giving Jeff good advice about a concussion clinic. Did I see that someone PM-ed him specifics, or am I dreaming? I got an email from him earlier but I haven't heard from him in a bit. I just dropped him an email to tell him to get his ass back here to check on your advice. If I don't hear back I'm going to call him and tell him to get back here long enough to see what you told him to do. He might be knocked goofy but hopefully his wife will have her wits about her.

Tom

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the well-wishes. Just waking up here. Got a mild headache. Thighs are FUBAR. Neck stiff. Lump on my hand. We'll see what else when I get up.

They've referred me to a concussion clinic here in town. I'd *think*, what with a major (ahem) college football program in town, that they'll have good info. Will report.

I suppose there will be some sort of financial settlement to be dealt with, aside from the car I mean. Any advice on how to handle that is also mucho appreciated.

Still can't remember chit about the accident or an hour or so in front and a "couple" hours after. Wierd!

Guess I'm not going shooting this week after all! This was also (finally) the week when I could start making parts in my new machine shop; got some tooling in and power to the 3-phase machines and my horizontal bandsaw. Probably should oughta stay away from there! Do something stupid and get sucked into that lathe....

All right, off goes the phone for a while!

Get a lawyer involved, now.

Was the other driver ticketed?

Damn, glad your OK Jeff. Get well.

you're really going to be sore tomorrow.

Other than the medical stuff from DocRocket, the best advice yet.

Your thighs are bruised - same/same with what brain you have. Get a lawyer and go nap.

Jeff,

In light of what DocRocket advised, I hope you aren't seeing this until about 12/5 or so. Regardless, I wish you a speedy, full recovery. I'm glad that your wife isn't a single mother now!

As an attorney, I can only say: When you're up to it, go see an attorney with a solid reputation in your community. There's no hurry. Make no statements to the other guy's insurance company right now. There's plenty of time for that later. Have your wife keep a log of everything you're experiencing--pain, confusion, etc. When you're able, you keep a log too.

God bless!

Yeah, I guess a small brain in a big head is a bad combo!

Jeff;

Get off the computer/phone, call an attorney, and go to bed.

Yeah, good luck with this, but I hope you dont read it for awhile.

Any bets that JO ignores DR after seeking medical advice?




Travis

That concussion just added about 10-15k on a settlement.

Anyone else would have gone to a doctor JO starts a thread asking for medical advice on an outdoor/hunting forum

Incredible!!!!!!!!!!

I guess you missed the part about JO getting a CT scan.

Let's see if I get this right? Jeff is banged up in an accident and gets his brain scrambled. He says he is being sent to a concussion specialist any you guys are giving him crap because he isn't thinking straight.

If I ever get hurt again this it the last place I will mention it.

He already went to the doctor and was given medical advise, what he was asking is what others who have dealt with concussions have experienced and if there was anything that helped them. What is incredible is your reading comprehension.

We agree once again.

Update. Concussion clinic said I'm too old (WTF?), regular doc said what you'd expect. Lawyer in progress. Head hurts, very sensitive to light, very sore body but no "hot spots" I'm feeling (yet) that would indicate a specific acute tear or sprain or whatnot.

I'm lucky.

Drove by the scene of the accident. The dude came BARRELING across a big concrete divider; gotta be a malfunction or seizure or something.

I still can't remember a damn thing; first memories start to show up around 2 hours into the ER visit.

Ok, eyes closed now.

Do whatever your doctor says and take it extremely serious! About 18-months ago my wife fell and hit her head in our shower causing a concussion and she's never been the same. It's completely changed her peronsality and has caused all kinds of problems; headaches, double vision, slurred speech, vertigo, sleep problems, memory loss, you name it.

To top it all off, she recently started having seizures and ended up loosing the job she's had for the last 23-years and will more than likely never be able to work again.

Anyway, like I said, take your doctor's advise to heart, and pray you don't have any long-term effects.

Was he insured?

Jeff, hate to say this in front of everybody but don't forget to send me my rem 700 in 300 wm I bought and already paid for.

If you want just pm me to get my address.

You're so sensitive to light that you decided to log on to the computer?

Can't say I'm surprised.

TFF

Bastid <g>.

No, a very dimmed iPhone screen with sunglasses on.

Yeah, he's insured, but has my same company (Farmers). Not sure the implications of that- the lawyer can sort it out.

GreatWaputi, sorry to hear of your wife's trevails, and thank you sir.

Hang up Jeffy.

Yeah, right...

Jeff, I pray for a good outcome for you.
Mark

You're smarter than 90% of the 'Fire, Scott!!!

Two things I never go looking for here on the 'Fire: financial advice and legal advice. I figger I got the medical end pretty much covered, but I don't look for that here, either.

Wait, that's three..


KAPOW!!! NOOOOOOoooooooo-body expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our two main weapons are Fear! Surprise! And fanatical devotion to the Pope...
KAPOW!!! NOOOOOOoooooooo-body expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our THREE main weapons are Fear! Surprise! Ruthless and fanatical devotion to the Pope! And...
KAPOW!!! NOOOOOOoooooooo-body expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our FOUR main weapons...

And you are a gentleman and a scholar I see

Glad you made it.

But you are a wise man, Doc

You know any good Docs? :>)

Hang in there Jeff, (if you're reading this and it's not Dec. 5th, contact the Brain Injury clinic at Peace Health).

Charlie

Sorry to hear of your accident. My 33 year old daughter hydroplaned on I-64 about a month ago during a heavy rainstorm and rolled her Ford Escape three times, crossing the median and landing on the eastbound lanes of the Interstate. She had a severe concussion, a broken collar bone from the seat belt over her chest and multiple cuts and scrapes. Glass was coming out of her legs three days later.

She is still having vertigo, nausea and severe headaches. She tried to go back to work too soon and it did not work out.

I wish a speedy recovery for you. Thanks...

Bad news, sure coulda been worse. Had a horse wreck 10 yrs ago that put me out for a while. Woke up after 4 minutes, or so my friend said and other than being confused seemed OK. Three weeks later got a headache that went nonstop for 2 weeks, then I decided to go snowboarding. I had a hard time staying on the board so my kid suggested we go off a jump to build my confidence. Bad idea, landed right on my melon. Now I've got a serious headache, but it was 1 pm and lift tickets were good til 4pm, so we kept at it. Next morning I'd had enough and drove to ER, the CAT scan showed a hematoma, probably from a broken blood vessel from the horse wreck. 2 skull holes & suction and I was a new man.

Sorry for the rambling, but do watch out for food not tasting right, things not smelling right, etc. And don't go skiing.

Nope just a gentleman.

Just poking fun, figured its a two way street, right?

What Doc Rocket said, period.

No excuses, no delays, and none of that 'We can fit you in two weeks from now'.

You have a severe injury that can come back to haunt you in a bad way.
And no, I'm not a doctor, but I've seen more of your type of injury than I wanted too.



Again repeat: What Doc Rocket said,......... all of it !

From what I could make out from the wreck photo, it looks as if you are lucky to be alive.

Glad you're OK. As others have said, you don't wanna' fark around with head injuries. I've had several serious concussions, but one really bad one. Swan dove off the top of a game scoreboard after a run along the length, maybe 20 up. Overshot the pole vault pad by a few feet. Legs hit pad, torso acted like a whip and drove my head into the astroturf (blacktop underneath). had just arrived back from 3 years living in Tokyo. At ER gave addresses, phone numbers, etc. etc. from JAPAN. I lost ~2 months of memories that have NEVER returned. Anyway, don't be a hero. A subdural hematoma ain't your friend.

Glad to hear Jeff is okay - and his wife & kids weren't in the car.

Take Doc's advice, it's worth a lot more than you paid for it.

At one time, I read that Troy Aikman, the Cowboy's great QB, did not remember the 2nd of his three Super Bowl wins, because he was still woozy from a concussion suffered in the NFC conference title win.

Not skiing sucks. Was about to get that rolling for the year.

I've been hearing stories about the lost three hours. I guess I was in a loop, asking the same questions:

"what happened?"

"where are we going?"

"is the other guy ok?"

"it wasn't my fault, right?"

"what's better, a Leupold, or a Conquest?"

Dont forget about that Remington.................

Can't believe no one has reco'd OJ and a razor.

Dave hasnt posted yet...

JO with the OJ.

Almost one of them front-back thingys.

The other guy's wife very kindly called. Guess he's pretty [bleep] up. Broken neck, ribs, and a pelvis fractured in several places. He'll be in the ICU for at least another week.

Yikes. Guess the Cruiser won that little contest!

I'm gonna miss that rig...

HEY STOOPIT!

You asked for advice and got it.

Cruisers rock. Get yourself an old fj40.

I hope both of you get back to 100% soon. Now get some rest.

Do some internet searches, as I remember it one needs to work on some things to recover full brain function.

Mount Hood open?

Cristos de geezus...better pay attention to the ambulance chasers...sue yer neighbor

Of course

Not really suing the neighbor, rather suing the neighbors insurance company. No since being messed up for life for the sake of being neighborly.

Thought so....

Update. Reality sinking in. I have a significant head injury. This SUCKS. Spent most of the day with my wife's migraine-thingie over my eyes. Head hurts. Body hurts.

I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself, lol.

Still can't remember anything. When I try, I get a wave of very disturbing feelings- anxiety and sadness (?!). So I'm not trying real hard.

Think I mentioned this but the other guy is ALL [bleep] up... big time ICU [bleep] up. Guess I'm lucky in an unlucky sort of way.

Out.

Jeff your probably not going to be able to shoot your guns for a while.....might as well put em up for sale.

OK, now you're being overly melodramatic. That you survived a pretty serious wreck, apparently without any life-threatening (at least at present ) maladies makes you the best lucky there is. The original lucky. You didn't die. You weren't even maimed, disfigured, maybe burned; no catastrophic injuries as best I can tell from your words. What else you want? Well, that the other person survives it would be high on my list, I guess.

Thursdays are my designated 'surly' night, BTW.

P.S. Suggest paying attention for any newly-found 'powers'. Have someone toss a large bag of BB shot (or M&Ms) onto the floor and see if a number comes to you. Could be a nice bonus at a casino!

I haven't read all the post Jeff, but haveing had three concussions I can tell you that there may be things "missing" or functions that don't work as well. You may not recognize thoses losses right away. SteveNO mentioned aphasea. I was left with a type of aphasea that has lasted 63 years.(so far). So go slow, be extra careful and best of luck.

LMAO!


Travis

Time will tell.

An update. My physical stuff is healing; still ain't right upstairs. Yeah, have fun with that <grin>.

However there's very sad news. The guy in the other vehicle died Saturday.

Man.

Good to hear you're healing up. Damn shame about the other guy.

But remember who hit who.

Words don't convey how glad I am to have 0% responsibility. But it's still very sad.

Just got back to the 'Fire after being gone and caught this. I may not like your politics, etc. but I'm glad you're not too [bleep] up from the accident.

As far as the other guy is concerned, it sucks but it is what it is. Seen way too many people beat themselves up over this schit for something they couldn't change. Acknowledge and let go....end of transmission.

George

Damn....

Jeff, seriously, get in touch with an attorney or have your wife do so.

And, get to a neurologist.

You still haven't seen a specialist yet? You better get with the program Jeff, would hate to see you end up like that fella in the other ride.

Very sorry to hear about the other guy, I had been wondering....

First and foremost, make sure you take care of yourself. See the specialists and get on the path to recovery.

IOW take care of yourself, and I know, it may sound harsh but stop worrying about the other guy.

There's a good attorney in FL.

Glad you are better. Sorry for the loss of your neighbor.

Yeah, working on that. Doctor tomorrow; will be going to a specialist too I guess.

It's just all so frustrating. To say there's a mountain of chit that needs doing, that'd be hard enough if my bean was working right, is an understatement.

take your time, get your bean right (ie see a specialist, and not from Slocum), don't make any decisions, and get off the internet.

Charlie

Jeff,

Right now you only have one task, and that is get well. The other stuff will be waiting for you when your ready.

Wow, what a shame.
Jeff, forget about skiing this year. You don't want to ring your bell even once for a long time. Never mind that until you are 100 percent again, your reflexes will be a little off.
Next year, (there WILL be a next season, you bet) you WILL wear a nice ski helmet.
Glad you're still with us, but do what you can to make sure you STAY with us, all right? We need our token greenie lib.

Just a quick note, then I'll let this thread go.

I want to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who wished me well. It means a lot to me. There's a community here and it's a good one.

Thank you.

Get well....azzwhole!

I'll throw in a "Get Well Azzwhole" too, and stay the [bleep] away from those newly installed machine tools, 'til you've got yer' act together.