PCS

A couple of Saturdays ago, I had something happen to me that started off a couple of the most bizarre weeks I've ever had. I got up early Saturday morning (about 1AM) with an upset stomach. I went to our front bathroom because I thought I was going to throw up. I remember feeling really hot and clammy and thinking I was having a heart attack. Next thing I know, I am laying in the floor with Donna and Jonathan looking over me. The back of my head is really bleeding and they are really upset.

All I can figure is when I thought I was having a heart attack, I got up to go get Donna and I passed out. Donna said she heard this loud crash and found me in the floor. I managed to crawl to the couch to lie down. Donna woke me up every hour or so to see if I was OK. I got up that morning and felt a little tired but thought I was OK. I even got up the next morning and went to church and even taught Bible class. However, I knew I wasn't quite right. I would get really dizzy when getting up and my head had this full feeling.

I was no better Monday morning. I tried to go to work, but stayed only an hour then came home. Donna called Dr. O'Bryan and he wanted me to come to his office and see him immediately. I got there and he checked me over. When I laid down and tried to get up, I was really dizzy. He ordered blood work and a CT scan. He got on me a little bit for not going to the ER Saturday morning. To be honest, the last few times I'd been to the ER with mom, it was so crowded and crazy, I didn't want to go again. So, he talked to Western Baptist to have the tests run outpatient. I went and it was amazing. I was in and out with both tests in less than and hour and a half. I couldn't believe it.

When they gave us my results, I had not had a heart attack or stroke. My CT scan showed no bleeding on my brain. Dr O'Bryan had told me if all these tests were clear, I had Post Concussion Syndrome. I'd heard about this from keeping up with the NFL. He felt I'd suffered a concussion and PCS is simply the result of that and it takes anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks to get over it. He told me I had to lay around and rest for a few days with no driving. I rested til Thursday and wasn't much better. Donna called him and he said as long as I had no new symptoms, that I should be OK. It took two full weeks before I was better.

It was a good thing on one way. Since I wasn't supposed to work, I was able to sit with mom the last few days she was alive. If I'd been working, I would have wrestled every day with whether to go to work or be with her.

I learned a couple of lessons. One, if I hit my head hard, I should go to the ER. Two, I need to have more sympathy for NFL players who get concussions and don't go right back to playing. I remember Kevin Kolb got one for my team, Arizona. He sat out several weeks and ending up missing the game I went to see them play against the Bengals. I couldn't understand why he couldn't play. Now, I totally understand.