Keep Going
My name is Samantha and I live in Ottawa, ON with my husband, mom, and two cats. I enjoy reading, cooking, knitting, and spending time out with friends. I taught ESL for 13 yrs and ran a baking business for eight. When I closed my business, I got a fun retail job while I figured out what was next for me. It was in the storage room at work where I sustained a concussion when boxes of stainless steel travel mugs fell onto my head. Someone had stacked them unsafely on the top of a rolling shelf. I was told by my doctor to take it easy for a week and to stay off screens. After a week I was told I could return to work. In the following nine months I struggled to figure out why I was in such pain and feeling so terribly when I was supposed to have been better in a few weeks.
How have concussions affected your life?: While my concussion didn’t seem so bad compared to sports injuries and auto accidents, as the weeks passed we realized just how much I’d been affected. In the long list of possible symptoms I struggled with everything except for seizures, nausea, and light sensitivity. It was difficult to do the simplest of tasks, cooking was a nightmare, I was bruised from bumping into walls and furniture, and reading a simple sentence made my eyes ache. My head felt like it had been used for batting practice.
Many areas have gotten better with therapy (physio, kin, OT, SLP, and counselling), but I still have problems with memory, concentrating, word finding, making decision, and learning new things. I am extremely tired due to crazy dreams when I sleep and get fatigued easily. I get frustrated and angered easily and cannot let the feeling go. My warped, wry, dry sense of humour is gone and I rarely feel happy or laugh. Learning to deal with anxiety is something totally new to me. Whenever I write something I need to concentrate on how I move my pen, form sentences, and spell words. I have a degree in English Literature and those things used to come with ease. It is hard not to compare my life before – fairly easy going, happy and laughing often, a life-long learner, and always up for some fun. Now, planning and pacing has become my life.
Why do you want to advocate for concussion awareness?: I remember how alone I felt and had no idea what was going on with me. No one should feel that way and in sharing knowledge and experiences more people can be aware of the signs of concussion and its symptoms. Many, including myself, believe that only athletes get concussions, so they may not seek the treatment they need and as a result needlessly suffer. Spreading awareness of concussions and treatment to help those who need it.