Need advice after concussion injury

Wow. Glad you're alive and recovering! I am no doctor, so will give no advice; however, I will share my experience as you have asked.

Jan 2, 2009 I was hit by an SUV while riding my Ninja on the highway. This was about a 65 mph get-off, and my helmet and other safety gear saved my life. Unfortunately there were some minor injuries, one of them being a concussion.

Immediately, two of my favorite stress relievers/activities were gone; motorcycling (as the bike was totalled) and lifting weights (as I also had a fractured wrist). Also very frustrating was the inability to perform physical tasks at work, so that wasn't even a substitution for lifting or keeping my thoughts busy.

This was a sad and challenging time in my life and I looked to my friends, and other activities I enjoyed, to help me through it. Without this, I certainly would have went nuts. So, I can suggest activities that you can safely do, as directed by your doctor, to keep you busy both mentally and physically while you recover.

I know this isn't much, but I hope it helps. Speedy recovery to you!

Leonard - very sorry to hear of your accident/injury. Sounds like a round of bad luck, but as long as your doc gives you the OK cycling should be better for your health than not.

No personal experience with TBI, but I have a good friend who is a leading neuropsychologist/ TBI specialist and another friend who KO'ed himself in a "friendly" skier cross last March. One or both might be a good sounding board for you.

Skier friend just returned to work this week - so about 6 month recovery. Basic course of recovery/rehab. sounds similar to yours. PM me if interested and I'll try to link you up.

sitzmark said:

Leonard - very sorry to hear of your accident/injury. Sounds like a round of bad luck, but as long as your doc gives you the OK cycling should be better for your health than not.

No personal experience with TBI, but I have a good friend who is a leading neuropsychologist/ TBI specialist and another friend who KO'ed himself in a "friendly" skier cross last March. One or both might be a good sounding board for you.

Skier friend just returned to work this week - so about 6 month recovery. Basic course of recovery/rehab. sounds similar to yours. PM me if interested and I'll try to link you up.

My neurosurgeon told my children it would be more like a couple of months, but that may not include the total period I need to take kepprin. Others have mentioned longer periods. Maybe I'll wait until after I've seen my neuro in a couple of weeks. If he suggests it may take something approaching 6 months, I'll be back to you.

leonardevens said:

Maybe I'll wait until after I've seen my neuro in a couple of weeks. If he suggests it may take something approaching 6 months, I'll be back to you.

That's an excellent decision. Good luck.

leonardevens said:

My neurosurgeon told my children it would be more like a couple of months, but that may not include the total period I need to take kepprin. Others have mentioned longer periods. Maybe I'll wait until after I've seen my neuro in a couple of weeks. If he suggests it may take something approaching 6 months, I'll be back to you.

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that your recovery will take 6 months - hopefully not.

Skier friend was in very bad shape and life flighted off the mountain - unconscious from moment of impact and for a day or two in ICU. My guess is that his level of brain trauma was more severe, but no way of knowing from the discussion here. Was more speaking to the possibility of sharing insight into the challenges of "being out of commission" and the process/experiences of navigating memory loss and cognitive rehab. He struggled with both.

Wishing you a full and speedy recovery!

leonardevens said:

So I wonder if anyone can give me any advice about how to deal with the consequences of the concussion, the medication, and living without cycling for a while. Experience of others who have gone through something like this would be helpful.

P.S. Although I've had two accidents in the past three years, both of them were unavoidable and due to something someone else did. (The other resulted from a large dog rushing at me at right angles and jumping on me before I was even aware of her. Fortunately I had at worst a minor concussion, although my helmet cracked.) I am generally a defensive cyclist and plan to be even more defensive in the future. So I don't think there is any reason to believe I should stop cycling, but if anyone has anything else to add on that point, I will certainly listen.

FWIW. If the situation doesn't remedy itself in the anticipated timeframe, you can always consider something like a CATRIKE ... while it won't preclude a large dog jumping on you, you won't need to worry about falling over.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by alfeng [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Quote:
Originally Posted by leonardevens [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG] So I wonder if anyone can give me any advice about how to deal with the consequences of the concussion, the medication, and living without cycling for a while. Experience of others who have gone through something like this would be helpful.

P.S. Although I've had two accidents in the past three years, both of them were unavoidable and due to something someone else did. (The other resulted from a large dog rushing at me at right angles and jumping on me before I was even aware of her. Fortunately I had at worst a minor concussion, although my helmet cracked.) I am generally a defensive cyclist and plan to be even more defensive in the future. So I don't think there is any reason to believe I should stop cycling, but if anyone has anything else to add on that point, I will certainly listen.
FWIW. If the situation doesn't remedy itself in the anticipated timeframe, you can always consider something like a CATRIKE ... while it won't preclude a large dog jumping on you, you won't need to worry about falling over.

Once in the past I considered getting a recumbent tricycle. I even tried one out. What wasn't clear to me was how I would do on one when going over bumps. On a road bike, you can always lift yourself off the seat. Because of my spinal stenosis and now because of the possible aftereffects of the concussion, I think I want as smooth a ride as possible. How do different `catrikes' differ in this regard? I remember that when on the one I tried, I could still feel road shocks, but I wasn't sure if they would be an issue in ordinary riding. I still came close to buying one, but in the end decided not to because of a variety of problems, such as finding some place to keep it in my condo.
 
I am also nervous about how well motorists can see a recumbent and whether I would be more likely to be his by some driver of a large vehicle in a hurry.
 
Of course, you are right int that In case of a collision, I would have far less distance to fall, and a helmet would probably prevent the kind of brain injury I suffered this time.
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FWIW. I only saw a Catrike, once (someone rode it to an LBS I had stopped at), a couple of years ago -- it is VERY low slung ...
 
My vague recollection (and, from pics) is that it has a lawnchair-type seat instead of a solid chair-like seat ...
 
Now, that doesn't mean that it will absorb enough road imperfections to matter ... but, it will certainly be kinder to you than a solid seat would be.
 
The key for a softer ride would be to use FATTER tires with slightly less air ...
 
I would like to think that the frame and/or steering mechanism is robust enough on a Bent so they could support a rider's weight and so the rider can left him-/herself off the seat in anticipation of bumps in the road when necessary ...
 
Since I don't ride a Bent, I'm not sure why the front wheel can't be unweighted ... bunny hops may not be possible, but the beginnings of a wheelie could lift the front wheel off the ground AND if the rider isn't going too fast, s/he can then lift their butt off the seat, too. Maybe, not!?!
 
As far as visibility to drivers, a lot of Bent riders attach a pennant to the back of their bikes ...
 
You will be more visible if you add a flashing Red LED tailight on the back + an LED headlight.
 
At intersections, it is advised that you do not roll up alongside the curb (tough to do with a recumbent) and that you occupy an entire lane.
 
Hope that helps.

Leonard, your story just amazes me! I just started riding this year at age 59, and figured I would be the oldest person by far on this site -- and I keep finding the most inspirational people here, older than I am by far, who are so determined to keep active and vital in their 'golden' years that it brings me to tears at times. I'm so sorry about your accident, and so glad you're still with us!

That being said.... as a new biker, I know NOTHING about biking (not even which gears to use, lol), so don't have any advice to offer in that area. But I worked in the medical field for 30 years assisting doctors, etc., and know how to look up info on some problems. You know, of course, that anything anybody says here, including me, should be checked out with your MD. But I also hope he has been clear with you about all the side effects of Keppra. Among Keppra's more common side effects are dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, and loss of coordination, all of which could seriously hamper your efforts to ride a bike safely. I don't know how long you've been on it; for many people, those side effects lessen as time goes on and the body adjusts. But you do need to be aware of them, since those symptoms also mimic the effects of some concussions. The other, less common side effect from Keppra is depression, which can be very subtle at first and become worse over time so insidiously that you're not even aware you're depressed. Any normal person would be upset after such an accident, especially when it keeps you from activities that you love, but that sadness should gradually go away as you become more active. Depression caused by the medication, however, will not go away until you stop taking it. So after a month or two to 'get over' the shock of the accident, if you feel depressed, worthless, or the least bit suicidal, by all means discuss this with your physician.

My only other advice would be to find something you can do indoors, safely, to keep from losing muscle tone and stamina any worse than has probably already happened. (Hope that's not discouraging, but it happens very fast.) If you could buy/rent an indoor exercycle and some of those outdoor videos that let you pretend you're following the path, it would help you retain muscle tone and not feel so cooped in, until you can be out riding again. It would also help your body remember the motions and balance needed when the Keppra is making you dizzy. (Make sure you're not so dizzy you would fall off the exercise bike, before you get on!

I hope that your recovery is steady and not one minute longer than it has to be. You and others like you are a real inspiration to me, and I've begun to think that hitting 60 next year (in years, not mph) might not be the end of me after all.

Happy pedaling!