Head's Up!

This is Y1's third season playing football.  A couple of weeks ago, he got his very first concussion and as far as they go, it wasn't bad.  But what do I know...like I said, this was his first one (and I hope his last!)  Of course, if he continues to play ball for the rest of his high school years, I'm sure we'll have one or two more and we probably won't get off quite as easily.  The whole process has been very interesting and I've learned a lot...you know, the things that people can tell you about but you'll never REALLY understand until you walk the path yourself.  It's all about learning everything you can from every experience...even the hard ones and I'm here to tell you, there's not much harder than watching your child hurt and being knowing that you can't do anything to fix it!  Nothing like this to remind you that you REALLY aren't in control.

Would it surprise you to know that some folks assumed that we would pull Y1 from the game?  Others thought that we would be mad at the coaches and EVEN (this one sort of frosted me)mad at the teammate who caused the injury.  No...we aren't pulling Y1 from this game.  He LOVES it.  He loves the coaches and he loves his team.  No...we aren't upset with the coaches.  Quite the contrary!  They've been so supportive and concerned.  Our head coach sent Y1 a text and you'd have thought the child won the lottery!  "Heard you took a hard lick!  Hang in there!"  Our trainers have been very helpful and the doctors that we've seen have been wonderful.  The sports medicine specialist was very honest with Y1 about all of this.  He told Y1 that it was up to him to tell the rest of us how he was feeling and be truthful about it.  Getting back on the field FAST wasn't top priority and there was no way to rush it.  And as far as being mad at the teammate....WHATEVER!  I don't know most of the boys on the team at all, but I think it's fair to say that none of them would purposely cause bodily harm to another.  It's not like Y1 was helmetless and one of them headbutted him helmet to skull!  It's a risk you take when you participate in this kind of activity....or soccer...or baseball...or gymnastics.  Shoot fire!  I could slip in the tub and bang my head and end up with a concussion!  (God forbid, of course!)  I'd rather my kids never know physical pain, but that's part of life.  I can't wrap them in cotton-wool or encase them in a special plastic bubble...nor do I want to!  Learning to survive and thrive in this life involves pain, struggle and challenge.  As far as I'm concerned, living your life in such a way that your main purpose is to avoid pain and struggles is no life...and far more dangerous than just dealing with things as they come!

There have been some funny moments.  Of course, my funny tends to be a bit more twisted than some would enjoy.  The county ER was LIVE the night we were there.  I forgot that the ER is the way some folks get their medical care...for whatever the reason.  They won't take time during the day to see a doctor, but after about 4pm, they will head to the ER and make camp!  Not passing judgement...just relaying my observations.  Folks let it all hang out...one recalling that she seemed to remember that it was illegal to drive while intoxicated...being presently drunk and having driven herself to the ER... and that she'd been previously cited for that very thing!  Another was very loud and open about needing her next round of Methadone.  Another was carrying on a rather rowdy phone conversation...not at all inhibited by the fact that the whole department could hear her.  Then there was the one that just knew she was dying because the nurse wouldn't let her smoke in her exam room or leave the exam room to go smoke.  Poor Y1...must have felt like he fell through the rabbit hole! 

He was a mess when I got to him...poor kid was wobbly.  Partially because he was still in his cleats and the rest from his injury.  He couldn't count backwards from ten.  "From ten, Mama?  Backwards?  To one?  Backwards?  Ten, seven, eight...how's that?"  He wasn't being silly...he was just that mixed up and all I could think was that my poor blond child...who is sometimes SO VERY blond had scrambled his brains!  He was very taken with a plant nursery that we passed...one that he's seen several times before..."Look, Mama!!!  Look at all the greeeeeeen!"  Uh-huh, LAW-DEE!  He was off from school for a couple of days and I took him to lunch.  The hostess was teasing him about being out of school/playing hooky.  Total dead pan expression from him, "I have a concussion."  Honeychild, that young lady turned as white as Washington's wig and couldn't get away from our table fast enough!  Just because he was down, didn't mean that he was out.  The boy managed to score a date for the Homecoming Dance, who then turned into his first girlfriend!  WHAT?????  He gets it from his daddy!!

It can take a week to ten days for the symptoms to subside.  Nearly to the hour, he kept a headache for a full week.  He didn't ask for ibuprofen after the first couple of days and the pain was more aggravating than debilitating.  When it finally broke, he laughed and smile in just *that* certain way that we hadn't seen since before he got hurt and I think I finally exhaled.  Not that I'd actually been holding my breath for a week, but it sure felt like that.  His smile and laughter let me know that we were out of the woods and could slowly work back to that mystical and mercurial place called Normal. Not that we have permanent residence there...way too boring!

If he were a refrigerator or dishwasher, he'd probably be in the "scratch and dent" section of the store.  He's my child...God's child so graciously loaned to me and Mr. Snark...and the dents make his life all the more precious to me.  It could have been worse.  We've all read the headlines about freak accidents that claim the lives of healthy, young athletes.  I'm so very thankful that it wasn't and thankful for the head's up to be faithful in counting my blessings.




Comments

  1. PTL it wasn't any worse...and that you could get a few chuckles out of it, too! People really thought you should be mad at coaches or teammates? I guess that goes to show how often people want to point fingers.

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