November 1, 2023

Posted October 28, 2023 

Updated October 28, 2023 

Begin catching up on Latin. I saved this for after political science, and for some of the workbook free readings in other courses so that I could get on practicing using latin right away, doing it right the first time.  This will go really well, I gaged where I am in Latin and will cover and catch up within a 1-2 week span or better with a caffine slam if need be. I full expect to feel good enough do to all of the healthcare professionals that have collarboratively put together how to get Derek back, whatever a Derek is. I did change a bit according to one friend then my childhood best friend talked to me 7 years later, after we cut back from weekly contact for years, and he said I was roughly the same person that exact 7 years later. He was excited about this! That truely is an accomplishment. 

Concussions can be tough for a little while but with planning for the next one, each time I recover, doctors have been getting it right and I get back to normal quicker now than ever before. 

I am a bit more discrete verbally regarding my involvement in concussion care. I  was the first known concussion at WP Wagner that was accomodated. I was the first one that was accomodated for post concussion syndrome that slowly improved with a different plan. The administration and secretaries/ administrative assistants talked with my mom and I and had medical records and updates each year even without a return to school until 3 years after my severe concussion occured(started). This is where even though I am not quick to mention it in classes, I am so excited to have heard that My concussion case being accomodated, was helpful to all of the other known cases at WP Wagner After me. My concussion and the time that my administrative team spent with me and my mom really did help. The super intendent was informed of my concussion and my principle talked to him, while my mom and dad contacted my local mla at my request. I asked if my principles return to do 1 full time year at school after a single semester with a single class was ending. The mla advanced it to a second minister, and then the Premier of the Province. My Principle stuck around and almost stayed on a full extra year to be there for me getting to go back to school with 5 other students that had circumstances like mine. This was the most rewarding process I have ever been apart of. My physed department head, the special needs coordinator (I think helped with how to mark me so i could be with my friends), and vice principle. We did go through together how to return sucessfully to school with such a severe and first known concussion that was accomodated. This was one exciting process choosing to discuss how my brain could function.  Can I jog, at what point do I get sick, what activities are able to make me feel sick? Which ones should we try? Which ones most importantly were safe enough to not risk another severe concussion mid term. I did not walk on ice with no helmet on, even when both my teacher and I were not quite sure because I did struggle to stand on ice and barely move without the balance issues being a safety hazard. That being said I could do ball/floor hockey pys ed. I did not do dodge ball. I did get to play some basketball drills and the class drills, and as much as was deemed safe and ran through my principle. The marking was reviewed with my vice principle and department head and I think Principle (I would have meetings plus the teachers would schedule meetings and updates). We put together as flexible of a plan as we could we set goals, and in most cases this made a return to school safe and sucessful up to the point at which migranes became too much to go to school. Absenteeism was focused on, lets show up first, then lets be there for the course, there are ways to accomodate you, we can have you in the same room with your friends, we can have you get earplugs, we can eleiminate some items that are run through the principle and vice principle, and department head to leave you writing the same tests in the same time as the other students and get whatever mark that you (I) get. 

In 2012 there was almost no concussion treatment at all. There was a dark room and rest as the standard reccomendation, and that was about it. It took years to try physio, which was cut off because of the doctor knowing better than the therapist who stopped talking to me but would just give a sheet and skip the assesments and not do the exercises and not check the symptoms. I am really gratefull because I underwent this same care with a neurologist the at least two days a week and more comprehensive testing on vision and balance and reaction time, and partial neuropsychologist testing, and a neurological exams with a 1 week durration and home exercises. The appoinment could be made for a full week in addition as needed, as recommended by the neurologist. This was so sucessful I went from not passing on the first chemistry exams, to geting closer to 80 without any accomodation on those test senarios. I worked hard and did those assignments when I could do them without missing school and my school sometimes had to step in and help me to quit because I was so adiment to complete the courses and do so recovered that, I really did get excited because my teachers were excited that I was there. I got to be a trial and error with doctors student, and it was the most exciting period of my whole life pre and post accident. I had my neurologist tell me I keep needing to have someone cut me off of activity, and keep on doing the maximum and pushing over the zone limits, so we worked hard together to get that program to work with no drugs at all and no caffine involved. Once caffine was involved we worked together with even the teachers keeping track of how I could function with each level of caffine. How many coffee servings have you had? We could discuss it once and a while then If I felt better and just looked like i felt bad my teacher would remind me i had my energy drink that i told him about that i ment to take to class and to go get it and tylenol so that I felt better.

Medications are really a new thing. I started effective concussion care at 18 in Alberta partnered with an Atlanta Private Health Center. We worked together, and the number of doctors who were excited to see improvment over time was really quite a lot of them. I am glad that the concussion program which was new at the time, and was not allowed due to a conflict with a doctor at the universty hospital between my parents with my pediatrician and the neruologist not liking my parents, myself, my pediatrician, and having a conflict of interest. My pediatrician decided she was going to the job, and she would take up to an hour with assesments and treatment and discussion. She oversaw the majority of concussion up to age 20. I then only had a neurologist. (sometimes mom sees only her dermatologist because it is a specialized issue handled by the dermatologist - phototherapy and medication for an allergy and rash). I am so excited to have been apart of something that made people excited. I am very happy to have been apaart of something that was new and different, and actually helped someone else. This was an incredble success. 

I have been doing trial and error with the new concussion protocols as they were released instead of the 10 year old alberta standard. I did not follow the 10 year outdated standard. The improvement in care has been phenominal. Even if one appointment is not a good appointment, the next one can turn into a better one again. Sometimes an appointment is just not enjoyable, I am not thrilled to be there or the doctor is not thrilled, and I can land up seeing that same doctor often and others and have agreat appointment, where the doctor went and read up on me between the conversation we had last appointment or visit, before discharge. It is so lovely. Planning when I might need to ask for an appointment is the hardest thing. Sometimes I feel sick and I want everyone to see me as healthy every time I walk around in class and am at school, and never show off how nauseated or how sore I am, or how bad my memory could be or delayed speech could be. This has been managed effectively for 10 years with the hospital care system working to further the results and see what is the end point. Will I get the full recovery. I choose to beleive that if it isn't in 10 years in 20 years a doctor will know about a treatment that helps like the graduated exercise and differenciation for each cardio task due to vistibular functioning. I am getting to learn from the residents and doctors and staff. I choose the can do spirit,  because I choose to beleive that a full recovery is possible if the doctor believes so too! Sometimes I just take a little longer to get back to feeling better but the damage from the car accident does keep progressing towards a full recovery period. I have been getting better from the damage quicker with better treatment and more detail added to the care. I keep having a little hit here and there. I get some concussions and the doctor tells me next time yes you should have come in, so do so. Yes this time you have more emotional symptoms with a single one off head injury working a little bit different than expected by me or the doctor.  The doctor was pretty darn optumistic but told me when to come back. 

I have no idea how far vision and balance can be improved. I really don't understand how those two things work to be honest I just know that I feel really aweful when they are not good and have to limit activity to get better and get a doctor again. I spent at least 8 weeks daily 5 days a week ( day patient) at the Carrick Center - There was a neurologist the full amount of time. there was one single assesment where a neurologist was not there to do the vision computerized tests and balance computerized test, however that was fixed and my parents and I  planned to go to their Texas location with a Medical Neurologist still full time at that particular location. My Neurologist went and took the treatment alot further than the day program offered as I continued under his care for several years up to 24.5 or so. Cumulatively I went from sunglasses in a dark room, and one bad concussion and top up hits to doing way better and staying that way. 

No matter how many concussions I get, I just check, hey do I need to worry about CTE (if I am really severe) and I do run the risk, but am expected to get more concussions in the future, and still recover fully from them! That is what I find to be the most exciting moment. 

I took more time to review concussion protocol just to brush up, and print off what articles I used with the doctors over the last 10 years. I am so excited. I never know what will happen next. I don't know if I will feel sick or feel well and how long I feel exactly this sick, but I expect the doctors advice to go well. I expect the treatment plan to go well, then the doctor gets more involved again and giving more direction regarding what I can do durring the day or what meds can be adjusted. This is going well. I have had some meds go bad that should have gone well, and usually would be good, and I tried it, we documented and we are together, or at least that is how I feel. I'm doing my part and my best. That is all I can do and I think about this all through the week as I largely live a little more normal, a little more recovered from the damage. 

Migranes were the biggest barrier for the first month the post concussive symptoms were worse as I continued studying for the longest time in university full time from home as best as I could. I am not 100% sure what I will need but as soon as the readings are done 1 read per course and then the assignments in latin, I should do really phenomenally. That's what I would expect, and really great managment takes alot more work. It takes dedication to not just drop school alltogether. I have debated on dropping out of university all together and don't tell people that. I don't want them to be unable to cope.  I don't wa