Epilepsy Talk

Concussions: Helping Your Brain Heal… | January 27, 2020

It’s a conundrum.

Some people get epilepsy / seizures from concussion-related accidents.

And many people with epilepsy have concussions as a result of their condition.

I got my concussion from a head injury. Into the side-boards I went, while speed skating. (Actually, my friend’s little brother tripped me — just for fun.)

It was clear I was out cold. In fact, I awoke on my coach’s lap, and boy, he was one handsome guy. 🙂

But did I get treated for anything? No.

Although I subsequently ended up with seizures.

Like many, the doc’s attitude was “So you’ve had a concussion. What can WE do about it? Let’s just wait and see.”

But recently, I read about some wonderful research in Bottom Line’s Daily Health News (a terrific daily newsletter that I both wrote for and receive daily.)

The new line of thought is that after a concussion, the brain needs “stimulus deprivation” for a week (basically, total brain rest — no computer, no music, not even lying on the couch and watching TV) in order to recover fully.  And obviously, you need plenty of sleep at night and rest during the day.

Another surprising piece of advice is to get some food in your stomach right away.

According to research, making sure patients get at least 50% of their usual calorie intake within 24 hours — including a higher-than-usual amount of protein, should be continued for two weeks — and is vital to healing.

Other natural ways you can help yourself is with antioxidants. Some recommended sources are blueberries (BIG on natural antioxidants) and Vitamin C, combined with small amounts of calcium, magnesium and potassium – preferably in a powdered form to help aid absorption. Mixing it with orange juice makes it more palatable.

Also…

Keep yourself hydrated with plenty of water.

Take lots of fish oil. (As long as there’s no bleeding in your brain involved.) The recommended amount is up to 4 grams of high potency fish oil from the time of the concussion and then for a week afterwards. (I wish I had known that.) This will help decrease brain inflammation and with it the fogginess, memory loss and headaches that are often a part of concussion.

The good news is that symptoms usually go away entirely within three weeks, as long as you don’t fall again. (A very good case for helmets for those in most danger of falling.)

So the next time I hit the bricks (because there’s been many more than one drastic fall for me), I think I’ll try to follow this advice to the letter.

Perhaps you should too…

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Posted in Epilepsy, Tips
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14 Comments »

  1. Hi how serious can bleed in the brain be.

    Liked by 2 people

    Comment by Ciaran — January 27, 2020 @ 11:45 AM

    Reply

  2. A whack on the head can have unexpected results. No concussion, here, but deafness in one ear, diagnosed by my ENT guy six months after the fact. I will never be able to watch an action movie again as entertainment.

    While most of the news about concussions has centered around athletes (very valuable people), other research shows that battered women (less valuable people) experience a high rate of concussions, and that most of those who do manage to get to the ER say that they can’t remember how many times they’ve been hit in the head. (Women who go to the ER after a beating are likely to be beaten again when they emerge.) I would expect, then, that the rate of seizure disorders among abused women is higher than in the general population. Let’s think about ways to reduce the violence.

    Liked by 2 people

    Comment by HoDo — January 27, 2020 @ 11:46 AM

    Reply

    • HoDo, you might be interested in this article:

      Domestic Violence — When Love Goes Wrong

      https://epilepsytalk.com/2019/11/10/domestic-violence-when-love-goes-wrong-2/

      Like

      Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — January 27, 2020 @ 12:00 PM

      Reply

      • Thanks for the domestic violence reference. Sometimes the women think they have Alzheimer’s. Yes, and let’s remember shaken babies, too.

        Liked by 2 people

        Comment by HoDo — January 27, 2020 @ 1:50 PM

      • Children are also victims of domestic violence and are often left with life-long disabilities due to TBI.

        Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), a form of TBI, is the leading cause of child abuse deaths in the US.

        At least one out of four babies who are violently shaken die from the trauma.

        In the Commonwealth of Virginia, the parent or guardian is most often the abuser (54% of SBS cases were committed by parents or guardians from 2003-2007).

        Between 2004 and 2008, 98 children were hospitalized for injuries related to SBS and 84% were under the age of one year.

        In approximately 34% of these cases, the father was the abuser.

        Like

        Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — January 27, 2020 @ 3:02 PM

  3. Goodmorning Phylis 😊. Wow this a really good article!!!!!!i had a friend that used to tell me she’s going to make me a “BUBBLE HELMET” that way I NEVER GET HURT FROM ANOTHER CONCUSSION AGAIN!! But the funny part about it is it doesn’t ever go away and EVERYTIME you fall against anything it always comes back to haunt you!! One more week so far at homecare for me!! NEVER EVER TRYING TOPERIMATE AGAIN!!!!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Kathy S.B — January 27, 2020 @ 12:03 PM

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  4. I REALLY LIKE THIS!! Thank you Phylis 😃🙏🏼🦅😇😘

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Kathy S.B — January 27, 2020 @ 3:35 PM

    Reply

  5. Would you say this healing protocol would be beneficial after a seizure too ?

    Like

    Comment by Jill — January 27, 2020 @ 3:37 PM

    Reply

  6. I had viral meningitis encephalitis so now Brain Trauma/Epilepsy

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Michelle — January 27, 2020 @ 9:25 PM

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  7. I “liked” this, but I didn’t like this. It’s amazing how one moment changes everything. Bless you.

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Flower Roberts — January 28, 2020 @ 8:36 AM

    Reply

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    About the author

    Phylis Feiner Johnson

    Phylis Feiner Johnson

    I've been a professional copywriter for over 35 years. I also had epilepsy for decades. My mission is advocacy; to increase education, awareness and funding for epilepsy research. Together, we can make a huge difference. If not changing the world, at least helping each other, with wisdom, compassion and sharing.

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