A concussion is nothing to joke about

[knockedsensless]

I'm a 46 year old woman who used to ride when I was a kid but didn't take lessons until 7 months ago. I don't own or lease a horse - yet but I ride the same horse every week for my hour long lesson. My instructor was teaching me how to canter and I had just begun cantering (maybe 15 seconds) when the horse abruptly stopped and pulled his head forward and down forcefully. I knew I was going to fall so I let go of the reigns and sprung into a curl as best I could. I went over the horse's head and hit the ground with the middle back of my head first followed by my right shoulder and side. I didn't go to the hospital until five days later when I was told I had suffered a mild / medium concussion and had broken a rib. Here is my question. Two and a half weeks have gone by and I still feel really tired, spacey, dizzy, a little nauseaus and get overwhelmed easily. What is going on? I didn't pass out at all. How long will this last? I had an MRI and there is no blood on my brain. What is happening to me? Signed, Knocked Senseless

[caj]

i had concussion and a possilble fractured skull in august after misjudging the distance between my horse and chair i was using as a mounting block(stupid i know)she moved so did the chair i didnt!!it was a couple of months before i fully recovered two trips to the hospital and two to the doctor so it can take time hope you feel better soon

[Kimo]

I'm sorry to hear about your fall. You must be in pain with a broken rib, too! :(

A concussion can take a long time to recover from. Why not give your doctor a call? If you're feeling off, you should get a quick check, plus you can get all the info you need on how fast you'll recover. Sounds like you need some advice from a pro.

Good luck!!

[LMS]

Please don't let your doctor cast your symptoms aside. You may need to see a neuropathologist or neurologist.

Yes symptoms can linger on for many months & years in some cases. CT scans and neurological tests can also show up normal even though there is a problem.

Write down your symptoms & also note when they occur and for how long.

Concussions whether they are mild, medium or severe are all worthy of thorough investigation!

A broken rib takes about 10 months min. before it heals

Here's link: http://www.caaws.ca/girlsatplay/stuff/health/concuss1.htm

[virtuallyhorses]

A broken rib takes about 10 months min. before it heals

Eh? Says who? Bones take on ave 6 weeks to heal (4-12 weeks) Ribs aren't any different in process except that you can't splint them so they tend to be in the 8-12 week range whether sprained or broken. If you reinjure them this obviously makes recovery time longer but I have never heard of 10mths.

[Grace O'Malley]

I'm a 46 year old woman who used to ride when I was a kid but didn't take lessons until 7 months ago. I don't own or lease a horse - yet but I ride the same horse every week for my hour long lesson. My instructor was teaching me how to canter and I had just begun cantering (maybe 15 seconds) when the horse abruptly stopped and pulled his head forward and down forcefully. I knew I was going to fall so I let go of the reigns and sprung into a curl as best I could. I went over the horse's head and hit the ground with the middle back of my head first followed by my right shoulder and side. I didn't go to the hospital until five days later when I was told I had suffered a mild / medium concussion and had broken a rib. Here is my question. Two and a half weeks have gone by and I still feel really tired, spacey, dizzy, a little nauseaus and get overwhelmed easily. What is going on? I didn't pass out at all. How long will this last? I had an MRI and there is no blood on my brain. What is happening to me? Signed, Knocked Senseless


Ouch! It will take awhile and very gradually get better. I had a fall back in August. Like you, I knew I was coming off and controlled the fall pretty well, but slammed the back of my head hard enough to crack the helmet and see stars. I thought I was okay, but the dizziness and nausea hit so hard that I had to go straight to hospital. I wasn't up to much for a couple of weeks, and it was maybe two months before I felt steady enough on my feet to go around the block with the dog.

I think this: "benign positional vertigo" (http://www-surgery.ucsd.edu/ent/PatientInfo/info_bppv.html) was at least part of my problem, but I never had this formally diagnosed.

The morning dizziness took a long time to go away. I took to drinking green tea with ginger every morning--like for morning sickness! It's the dizziness that causes the nausea. There are over-the-counter drugs you can take, but I never did.

I am back to doing everything now, but I still have some vertigo issues at times. I turned 50 this year, and the sad fact is that we don't heal as quickly as the young stuff :( Still, you *will* get better and be able to ride again--I just bought my first horse in January.

Anyway, if you need a pep talk, you know where to find me :p (feel free to pm)

[knockedsensless]

I just joined this forum and didn't know what to expect. I want to thank everyone for sharing their advice, concern and encouragement. I think that I will check in with my doctor again just in case but it's a relief to hear that this WILL go away and I will ride again. I miss it a lot but I'm taking this time out as an opportunity to read more about riding so that the horse and the rider have a good time together. I don't blame the horse for my accident I blame me for not having better control of the situation. Thanks again for your thoughts and ideas. I will visit this forum often. Knocked Senseless (but only for a little while longer!)

[LMS]

Eh? Says who? Bones take on ave 6 weeks to heal (4-12 weeks) Ribs aren't any different in process except that you can't splint them so they tend to be in the 8-12 week range whether sprained or broken. If you reinjure them this obviously makes recovery time longer but I have never heard of 10mths.
Says the thorasic surgeon who had to saw my husbands ribs when they did an emergency life saving operation.

Maybe I should've phrased it: it may take up to 10 months...

[Dreamchaser]

Oh yes concussions are no fun. I had a concussion two years ago and it took me a month before I could walk in a straight line. I always made sure I had someone beside me.

[NoviceNic]

Poor you. Here are some virtual hugs to make you feel better <<<<>>>>. Go and see your Doctor though just to make sure that things are healing as well as can be expected. By the way where are your from?? Boston Lincolnshire or Boston USA???

[joe21]

knockedsensless,

There are some great people on this forum offering some great advice.

That being said, this is NOT the place to get answers to the questions you have asked. You should be aksing your Doctor! Tired/Spacey/Dizzy sounds like symptoms of a concussion. If you had a mild concussion, you should not still feel dizzy 2.5 weeks later. Call/see your doctor now. Tell him/her everything and follow all his/her instructions! Any kind of head injury is nothing to play around with

[stormy's mum]

ouch!hope you fell better soon concusions are terrible i had one two years ago when icame off my friends horse. reading with one is impossible tak abot a head ache i hope your ribs heal soon
-britt

[nicolaj]

I hope your injuries heal soon, I know concussion isn't nice.

If you are at all concerned return to your doctor straight away!

:eek: :eek: Also BEFORE you get on a horse again go a buy a new riding hat, the one you fell in WILL be damaged especially as you said you landed on your head!:eek: :eek:

Hope are back in the saddle soon!:)

[Afellpony]

A good while ago now, I was riding a friend's horse on the road. (I'm small and she was a well...very large). She fell on the road and fell on top of me. I had concussion for a few days after that. head ache, feeling sick etc. Went to the doctor and they did gave me some medication and an appointment for an x-ray at my local hospital.

[Greentchr]

I want to second Joe21's remarks. Do contact the doctor at once, and if you do not feel you are being taken seriously or do not feel comfortable with the diagnosis, get a second opinion. The part that concerns me is that you are "getting overwhelmed easily". IF this is not normal for you, you need to get checked out ASAP. A 'mild' concussion does not last this long. Anytime the brain is involved, you need to be extrememly cautious!

I want to disagree about the horses 'fault' in the matter- it is not normal for a well-trained horse to all of a sudden stop dead in the middle of a canter without being asked. Were there extenuating circumstances? If not, I would be cautious about this horse!

Hope you feel better soon!

[jess2233]

im no doctor but you should be feeling better by now surely get back to the doctors i would i had a bad fall years ago i hit my head hard never went to hospital straight away wish i did :( as when i got up next day i had lost the use down one side of my face its still not 100% right that was about 10 years ago get back to hospital or the doctors tell them how you feel i would even if they say your ok at least you know and thats one less thing to worry about.:) hope you feel better soon.

[NSCHMIDT]

You still feel spacey because you still have an injury. Much like your broken rib a concussion will take time to heal. You cannot rush the healing process with your rib, your head is no different. It is als very important right now not to bang your head again, for awhile. Just because you don't see the injury doesn't mean it's not there. I'm sure your under medical care of some sort, so please pay close attention to what your doctor tells you about how to care for yourself.
Get well soon

[Vicki&Milo]

Eh? Says who? Bones take on ave 6 weeks to heal (4-12 weeks) Ribs aren't any different in process except that you can't splint them so they tend to be in the 8-12 week range whether sprained or broken. If you reinjure them this obviously makes recovery time longer but I have never heard of 10mths.

yeah, sorry to argue, but i fractured my breast bone last august (pretty similar to breaking a rib) and although it was mainly better within 6 weeks I still get pain now if I sleep on it funny.

Likewise, concussion is swelling of the brain, and if you imagine a sprain ankle (completely different I know, but bare with me), whilst it will seem better within a few weeks, there will actually still be some difference for some while, so I don't think its that unusual for concussion to take that long to settle down. But as everyone has said, there is no harm in making a quick phone call to your doctor, they'd rather spend 5 mins on the phone than have to make an emercengy visit later :D
Good luck and hoep you feel better soon
Vicki xx