Can we talk about concussions again?

[fourcatmom]

I know there have been a few threads about concussions recently, including mine from last year but I am still really seeing some red flags with my 7th grader who suffered a pretty good concussion last December. I just feel that her learning is different but it is mostly with things that seem to have to do with organization. Her grades and school really took a turn for the worst in the second part of last year but I kind of thought she would be better by now after having the whole summer to rest. She just brushes it off and says she is being lazy and she has moments where things don't "connect" in her head. There have been a few things this week where I am have asked her to make something (a hands on project) modeled after something that she did some research on but was very simple and another where she had to paint a picture to her best ability of Starry Night by Van Gogh. Then today it was a simple task of folding a piece of paper a certain way. She has also almost completely stopped riding now at this point. She is doing some lessons but doesn't really have a lot of interest in "going". She still loves horses but seems to have lost some motivation or drive to go. 

 

I don't know, something is off. We haven't been back to the neurologist since she was cleared and I am not even sure what they would do. She is not depressed, she seems very happy and seems to enjoy being at home more but also seems more tired. Could be different reasons for not wanting to go to barn as much but some of the school things are red flags to me. 

 

Advice? 

[fourcatmom]

So I just found this and off of this list, there were only 3 items that I could answer no to. The rest are t hings she struggles with still. She doesn't struggle with everything everyday but they are common themes. 

 

â–  get tired easily in class and over the course of the day

â–  be bothered by bright fluorescent light in the

classroom or loud noise in the cafeteria

â–  be easily distracted

â–  have trouble doing more than one thing at a time, such

as listening to the teacher while also taking notes

â–  take longer and need more repetition to learn new

material

â–  remember something one moment but not recall the

same thing another time

â–  be easily overloaded, especially with a steady flow of

information

â–  read more slowly due to difficulty with comprehension

â–  have a headache that develops or worsens with

concentration

â–  feel dizzy after sudden movement or lose her balance

more easily

â–  have trouble organizing and remembering homework

â–  lose track of time

â–  get lost or have trouble finding his way around

â–  get frustrated or irritated more easily, especially if

overloaded.

[EndOfOrdinary]

Not to blow off your concerns - my son has had so many concussions that doctors told him one more and he had to wear a helmet permanently till he was ten - but many of the things on the list also hit with puberty.

 

These do not:

 

feel dizzy after sudden movement or lose her balance more easily

 

have a headache that develops or worsens with concentration 

(though migraines and ice pick headaches are very normal during the teenage years)

 

be bothered by bright fluorescent light in the classroom or loud noise in the cafeteria (unless she always has been)

 

 

This is not to say that there is not something going on.  Just be aware many kids totally lose their minds during puberty and a neuro-doctor might blow you off if you are not able to provide examples.  Good luck.  It is always so scary to feel like something is not right with your kids.  Listen to your internal mom voice.  If it is trying to tell you something, follow up as much as possible!

 

 

[fourcatmom]

Thanks. The incident with the paper yesterday just really hit me hard so I am not sure what the next step is. I think I have to rule things out. 

[Momling]

Some of that sounds puberty related, but if you have a sense something is really wrong, I'd get it checked out.

[maize]

My first reaction as well was to think this sounds fairly normal for puberty; but as a mom, if this were my child I would be worried as well that it could relate to the concussion. I'm not sure there is anything you can do in that case, however, other than continue to do what you can to avoid a repeat injury.