I am running the 2022 NYC Marathon to raise funds for the Brain Injury Association of New York State. Through community programs, public policy and advocacy, BIANYS minimizes the impact of Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI. I wish I’d known about their educational resources and services as I navigated my own concussion and post-concussion syndrome.
In 2019, I sustained a concussion in a freak incident on the NYC subway, when I stepped into a brawl on a crowded platform. In the rush-hour chaos, I was simply standing at the wrong place at the wrong time, and got clocked in the head by a guy the size of a linebacker. The punch wasn’t meant for me, I just happened to intercept it.
Flight response propelled me out of the station. I didn’t realize the side of my forehead was bleeding until I got home. But it stopped quickly, and once I calmed down, I felt relatively ok. Shaken, but ok. I just wanted to forget the incident and move on. And that’s exactly what I tried to do – unsuccessfully – for the next 2 days.
That night, the bed was a boat on waves. I chalked it up to the adrenaline. The next morning, I tried to run, like usual. I couldn’t get down the block without feeling wobbly. I took a sick day and figured I just needed to sleep it off, whatever “it” was. The following day, at work, the room split in half. My boss sent me straight to the ER, where I was diagnosed with a concussion.
Despite the symptoms, it never occurred to me that I might have a concussion. This is why education about head injuries is critical. It’s common for concussion symptoms not to manifest for hours, or even days, after injury. Adrenaline can mask them. Or the concussed individual can have altered perception, not fully registering symptoms.
If there were a playbook for concussions, it would tell me that I did everything wrong on the day of my injury, and in the days that followed. Rest is imperative in the first 48-72 hours; instead, I tried to push through.
After a few days, it's appropriate and necessary for most concussion patients to begin - slowly - reintegrating to activity. For many, it’s critical to find a concussion specialist who can guide that reintegration and customize treatment for the type of concussion (there are many types). Unfortunately, many mainstream medical professionals are not concussion specialists, and the latest research and treatment protocols can be overlooked in diagnoses. Twice, I was prescribed outdated treatment - to just rest until I felt better. I over-rested; recent studies show that prolonged rest without accompanying treatment or reintegration exercises may actually stymie healing.
My symptoms persisted. The “whoosh” - a sensation that felt like the ground was pulled out from under me. The “bobble head” - a sensation that my head was disconnected from my body. And" tunnel vision" - my brain actually turning off my peripheral vision. Symptoms were triggered by the most mundane activities, like walking through the grocery store, riding the subway, or exercising.
The most frustrating thing is that concussions are often invisible. Damage occurs at the cellular level, destroying neural pathways and creating chemical and hormonal changes - things that don’t present in MRIs. For weeks, I bounced around to medical professionals who specialized in one discipline or another, but were unable to treat my complex head and neck injuries in integrative ways. I moved into post-concussion syndrome, or PCS, the condition where symptoms persist for more than 6 weeks.
After three long months, I finally connected with a therapist who combined physical and vestibular therapy, and began making slow but steady progress.
It took a year and a half to fully heal.
Every 13 seconds, someone in the U.S. sustains a TBI. This is why I am so passionate about the work BIANYS does to make concussions visible. Getting current research, knowledge, and best treatment practices into the mainstream is critical to helping TBI survivors find the right treatment pathways quickly and expedite the healing process.
A few weeks before my concussion, I’d begun training for the 2019 NYC Marathon. Now, three years later, I will finish that journey. If my fundraising in support of BIANYS helps even one person connect with the information and support they need to navigate their own concussion healing process, it will be worth every penny and every mile.
Thank you for joining me on this journey.
~Jenna
