Doctors know more about concussions now than they ever did before. Just a couple of decades ago, the medical community did not regard them as all that serious. However, since then, many medical professionals have changed their opinion about them.
As it turns out, concussions are a lot more serious than doctors once thought. That becomes even more true if you sustain more than one of them. Let’s look at some of the ways that concussions can impact your family life.
You Might Have Headaches
Headaches are the most common symptom of a concussion. You might experience them after:
- A slip and fall
- A car accident
- A sports injury, like taking a big hit during a football game
A headache does not always mean that you have a concussion, but if you’re getting them persistently after a blow to the head, you should see a doctor.
If you have a concussion and suffer headaches from it, you might need to withdraw from your family until you feel better. You may need to lie down in a dark room with a cold, wet towel on your forehead.
If you’re a parent, then that’s problematic. While you’re lying down, you can’t look after your kids. You may have to get your spouse, significant other, or another adult to watch them until your symptoms go away.
You Might Be Depressed
There is also a link between concussions and depression. It most often happens if you suffer more than one concussion, but if you sustain a particularly bad one, you might experience this.
If you’re depressed, then:
- You may not want to spend time with your family
- You might not want to talk to them or engage in your usual activities together
If you have children, it might be hard for them to understand why you’re acting differently. You may have a challenging time explaining it to them.
Eventually, your symptoms should go away. If they don’t, you may need to talk to a doctor or a therapist about that.
You May Demonstrate Irritability
Concussions can also change your personality. You might seem like a different person after a bad concussion.
Part of the way this can manifest is that you may get angry quickly now, even if that was not something you ever did before. It might frighten your family members to see you acting this way.
What you must realize is that a concussion can fundamentally alter your brain. It amounts to a mild form of brain damage.
You need to understand that the way you’re lashing out at people is not truly who you are. It’s just a distressing symptom from what happened to you.
Like the other manifestations, this should go away in time. Meanwhile, try to work extra hard to control your temper and not snap at your family members if they do something that irritates you.
You May Feel Extra Emotional
Concussions can also impact your emotions sometimes. You might find yourself speaking and acting irrationally. You might cry or laugh at an inappropriate time.
Hopefully, your family members will understand that you’re not yourself and will be patient with you. It might feel weird to them that you’re acting in this way, but it’s not forever. Eventually, you’ll return to a more stable mind frame.
You Might Forget Things
With severe concussions, you might have short-term memory loss. If you sustain more than one concussion, then you might even experience long-term memory loss as well.
Both of these conditions can cause you and your family members distress. Perhaps you can’t remember the reason you went into another room, or you can’t go to the store to pick up just one or two items without writing them down.
If you do go out to run an errand, then write down whatever you wanted to get. Ask your family members to help you while you recover.
If you’re having long-term memory problems, then talk to your doctor. They might have some recommendations as to how you can retain the memories you do have.
Concussions are serious, and you need to avoid any activities where you might suffer more than one of them. If you have several, then you can damage yourself permanently. That’s potentially going to hurt your familial relationships in many ways, and you don’t ever want that to happen.
If your family loves you, they should be willing to help you as you recover from this disconcerting injury.
