Of all the injuries I suffered growing up playing sports, a concussion was never one of them. The same goes for Nicole. Neither one of us ever experienced a concussion, which is what has made dealing with Tony’s so nerve wracking.
In Tony’s CYO basketball playoff game at the end of February, he and a teammate collided mid air going for a rebound. The backs of their heads clunked together and they both hit the court. Luckily, Tony’s head did not hit the floor.
He had a little pain the remainder of the game and the rest of the weekend, but did not start showing any signs of concussion until the following Tuesday. He presented with a throbbing headache, pain to the touch where he hit his head, and a little bit of dizziness.
His headaches began to worsen, he became lethargic, and had trouble sleeping comfortably as the week went on into early March. We treated his concussion (pre-diagnosis) with ibuprofen, ice, and rest. We told him to take it easy during recess and gym class. He had already given up his iPad and Switch for Lent, so there was no issue with staring at a screen.
By this past Tuesday he was finally feeling a lot better. He was feeling so good that he decided to play football at recess. The past two weeks also included play practice every afternoon at school for the St. Charles Spring Musical, Faith Hall of Fame. All of this was the perfect storm on Tuesday. The pounding of his feet while running, the music, the spotlights, and the singing all got to Tony.
He woke up Wednesday morning around 3 complaining of a throbbing headache, dizziness, and nausea. He wound up getting sick twice around 7 so we kept him home from school. He saw the pediatrician on Thursday morning who confirmed that Tony likely started feeling better and then suffered a setback by doing so much at school on Tuesday.
The treatment plan remains the same. Rest, ice, ibuprofen, sleeping in a dark and cool room, and staying out of organized sports/gym class for at least another week.
A concussion is a whole different monster when it comes to treatment. It’s all about rest, pain management, avoidance of light and loud noises, and keeping the child comfortable. I wish we could just give Tony an antibiotic and he would feel better in a matter of 24-48 hours.
You really need to be careful with head injuries. He missed the second half of school last week but is returning on Monday. He is starting to come out of it, is less lethargic, has his appetite back, and is slowly getting back to being his normal, talkative self.
For those parents who never dealt with a concussion growing up, here are the signs to look for if you believe your child might have one:
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Double or blurry vision
- Headaches
- Sensitive to noise and light
- Problems balancing
- Feeling groggy, lethargic, in a haze
- Trouble paying attention or focusing
- Problems with memory
Every concussion is different and your child might not present the same as a teammate or how you presented if you suffered a concussion at a younger age. Your child also might not experience every symptom presented on this list. Tony only dealt with mild dizziness, headaches, and nausea. He never complained about balance issues, blurry vision, memory issues, or trouble paying attention. He did, however, have sensitivity to light. When we walked out the door Thursday morning to go to the pediatrician it was very bright. Tony immediately covered his eyes and complained that the light hurt his head.
The pediatrician recommended Excedrin Migraine if ibuprofen stopped working, which it did. The Excedrin Migraine has helped immensely because it has a little bit of caffeine in it. He has been wearing an ice mask to bed to keep his head cool as well. We hope Tony is finally turning a corner so he can begin the track season at school (which started today) by next week.
