Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JULY | AUGUST 2016 55 goodHEALTH STILL NO ANSWERS ONE TEEN’S HEART-WRENCHING STRUGGLE POST-CONCUSSION Seventeen-year- old Avery Crowe, a student at Hebron High School, was a competitive D1 club soccer player when she collided heads with another player duringabiggamein which college scouts were in attendance. Determined to gain the attention of the scouts and lead her team to victory, Avery shook off her injuryandcontinued the game, hurting herself again when she headed the ball 10-15 more times in that one game. Only later would her parents learn that Avery had suffered a concussion that would forever alter her life, and theirs. Avery shares her story here. I go to bed every night wondering if I'll wake up forgetting everything. It’s terrifying.Ican'tcontrolit,andIdon'tknowwhenit'sgoingtohappen.Itpainsthe peoplearoundme.Whydoesthishappen?How?Ayearandahalflaterandstillno answers. I've become a pro at covering my pain and emotions. I'm just trying to be anormal17-year-old. A year and a half ago, I got a life-changing concussion that I'm still dealing with today. I've been diagnosed with retrograde amnesia, along with a pounding headache 24/7, double vision, vision damage, vestibular and cognitive damage. One of my biggest struggles is memory. I forgot my boyfriend 7 months into our relationship. I had no idea who he was. But thankfully he stuck with me and made me fall for him all over again. In school history is a nightmare because it's all memory. I have multiple accommodations to help me do my best. For example, I get my test read aloud to me normally about a week later, so I have more time to study.Thishelpswithmydoublevision.Icanreadforabout45minutestoanhour beforeIstartseeingdouble.I'vegottenprismglassestohelpmyeyesconvergetext. But my biggest struggle through all of this is my pain. I have raging headaches around the clock. I've tried every over-the-counter painkiller, and nothing makes a difference. However, I'm beyond lucky to have so much support from my family, friends,teachersanddoctors.Thishappened to me for a reason. Even though I go to a doctor appointment every day some weeks, I know it's going to get better. I can't control what happens and can't live my life in fear because if I do then I won't be making new memoriesthatIhopenottoforget. Avery Crowe with her mother, Ashley. Whenever a patient has had a period of time in which the level of arousal has been affected, it is termed “unconscious.” The injured person may not have even been aware of it, or it may even be so brief that others don’t witness it. So, a loss of consciousness is not required to make the diagnosis of concussion. There is, however, often a “confusional state” when the patient demonstrates impairments in memory, attention, concentration, perception, judgment, personality, emotion and decision-making. The patient may also experience dizziness, headache, ringing in the ears, imbalance, fatigue, difficulty initiating activity, persistent headache and feelings of “fogginess.” If a combination of these symptoms exists for more than 24 hours, the patient is considered to have “post- concussive syndrome.” The cognitive and behavioral changes may persist for variable amounts of time depending on the nature of the trauma and on the individual’s own brain. How Do We Manage Concussions? Because the brain consists of so many microscopic neuronal connections, damage to the brain’s tiniest components may be difficult or impossible to see on traditional MRI and CT scans. Diagnostic imaging may show negative findings, but that should NOT always be interpreted to mean that there has been no injury. The patient and his or her caregivers have to carefully consider the symptoms as well. continued on Page 75 Editor’s Note: Follow Avery on her blog at www.mymessybrain.com. "Many in the medical community have chosen to use the term concussion as a replacement for the term 'mild traumatic brain injury' because there is NO brain injury that should be considered 'mild.'" - Ralph B. Lilly, M.D. "I go to bed every night wondering if I'll wake up forgetting everything." - Avery Crowe