Most people don’t think about common tasks, but when you have a concussion, some simple tasks become extremely difficult. I have had other concussions and falls, but on Sept. 16, I had my worst fall.
At my all star cheer practice, me and a base were doing a trick where he threw me and I did a side flip. After completing this skill a couple times, we did it for a coach. When we performed this skill for her, I was thrown, but instead of being caught, I was dropped, and my head bounced on the ground before my body fell. After that it was kind of a blur, but I laid down in a dark room and had to be constantly communicating so I didn’t pass out. Then my mom came, and the doctor on staff made me go to the emergency room. Once we got there, I waited for hours, but when I was seen, they said my neck was sprained along with a severe concussion.
After a few days I returned to school, but with many restrictions. The school’s concussion protocol document says that if I am in pain, I should get extended time on assignments, and I should avoid testing during recovery. I am also allowed to take a break at the nurse’s office when my head is in pain. However, I’m not allowed to be on any electronics until my symptoms are gone. This is a very important part of a concussion recovery. I found that most teachers find this annoying and pressure you to use screens.
Even though I have told my teachers about the severity of my concussion, along with an email from the nurse, most teachers pressure me to do assignments, tests, and quizzes. My head is constantly banging, throbbing, and in pain, but teachers don’t understand how bad the pain is. My head pain and others on concussion protocol will get worse with loud sounds, bright lights, background activity, and many more things.
The concussion protocol also requires you to go to the nurse twice every week to track your symptoms. This helps them know how you’re feeling and if you should get cleared by a doctor. The pain from my concussion is so bad that I had to go to a neurologist. After visiting him, I have to complete fine motor activities that include hand movements, followed by a short test that helps connect eyes to the brain.
Concussions are a very serious injury, and they cause me and others with a concussion lots of pain. The school may have a protocol, but teachers think concussions are a burden and will ignore your pain to finish the lesson.
Students are not given the protocol directions, but their teachers are. It would greatly help students if they could see the protocol document so they would be aware of what modifications they could ask for. If I had been given a copy of the protocol, I would have asked for early dismissal from class, to wear sunglasses on the first days back, and even have requested half days to ease the recovery.
