“I have an invisible injury” - What Concussion and Eating Disorder Recovery Have in Common
Earlier this summer, I sustained my 7th (🤯) concussion during a mountain bike crash. Before I dive into the recovery process for the various injuries from that crash, let me back up for a minute: I played softball from age 6 until age 22. I was a catcher, which meant I was involved in collisions at home plate quite often. I also played middle infield, and I definitely took a few ground balls to the face when they’d take weird bounces. I even fouled a ball off of my face during my freshman year at Texas A&M (masks are required on batting helmets in travel softball but not once you reach college) - by some miracle, no bones were broken in my face, but I had no hesitation about putting a mask back on my batting helmet for the rest of my college career.
I never sustained a concussion until I moved to Jackson Hole and got involved in mountain sports. But after sustaining a moderate concussion from slipping on icy stairs in 2019, it’s been almost too easy to sustain more. Until this year, I hadn’t experienced too many long-term symptoms from any of my previous concussions.
The concussion I sustained this summer has been different. I’ve struggled to explain to people what it’s like and how the symptoms can manifest. At one point, I was starting to get frustrated when people didn’t understand what I was going through. I asked my PT/concussion specialist what I should say to others about the recovery from this unique injury.
“You tell them you have an invisible injury and a bruise on your brain.”
Not everyone quite understands what I’m saying when I give them that answer, but it feels better than trying to explain all the other complexities of concussions. I also couldn’t help but notice the similarities between trying to explain what recovering from a concussion is like and explaining to people what the consequences of my ED and RED-s were way back in 2012. At the time, a handful of family members were confused when I’d talk about my bone health and other health repercussions of Low Energy Availability.
“But you look healthy.”
“I know I look healthy, but I’m not.”
In this way, an eating disorder and a concussion feel very similar to me. You can’t tell by looking at me if I’m healthy or not right now. The same was true then during the early stages of ED recovery. You couldn’t tell that my body was disintegrating on the inside. Just because someone looks healthy doesn’t mean they are.
Something I’m doing now that I wish I’d done when I was initially recovering from my ED: I am actively working with a qualified healthcare team.
In addition to regular checkups with my longtime psychologist, I’ve worked with multiple physical therapists this summer who specialize in different types of physical therapy. I was referred to a PT who has extensive experience in concussion treatment, especially multiple concussions, and I’ve also worked with Gianna Rissoli for physical therapy of my neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist. I’m so grateful to have a team in place who understands the mind of an athlete - none of them implied that I should give up my sport, which meant so much to me.
I’m outlining how I’ve prioritized my own care for these injuries. However, the advice below should not be taken as medical advice. If you feel that you have a concussion or you’re in need of assistance for another health issue, please refer to a medical professional for your care
How I've prioritized self-care over the last 4 months:
❤️🩹 I am focusing on eating enough food and a wide variety of foods to promote tissue repair
❤️🩹 I am supplementing wisely: I've taken Thorne Vitamin D and Momentous Omega-3 Fatty Acids (before you take a supplement, consult with your physician or a registered dietitian)
❤️🩹 I am working on not checking or reading email after 6:00pm. I've also reduced how much time I spend on social media.
❤️🩹 I regularly follow up with multiple physical therapists. I worked with a physical therapist who is a concussion specialist for neck and brain recovery, and I am still working with a different physical therapist each week for physical therapy on my right shoulder, neck, elbow, and wrist
❤️🩹 I invested in blue light blocking glasses to reduce mental fatigue since my job requires a lot of screen time (here's the pair I bought 🤓)
❤️🩹 I've started wearing special earplugs to reduce overstimulation from loud noises (this was a suggestion from my concussion specialist). Over the last month, new concussion symptoms emerged from overstimulation and loud noises. Sudden loud noises or being in loud, noisy environments has triggered nausea and searing headaches that have left me feeling ill for hours. I bought Loop earplugs to help me manage these symptoms, and WOW, they work so well! 🙉
❤️🩹 I've continued to be active, but I've allowed my mind to rest when needed. My concussion specialist recommended taking more mental breaks during rides, and I've slowly needed less and less of these as I've recovered throughout the summer.
❤️🩹 I've reduced my overall client load.
❤️🩹 I have followed up with my psychologist a handful of times this summer to help with other concussion symptoms: burnout, mood shifts, emotional regulation, setting boundaries, etc.
If you’re an athlete, a coach, a parent, or a healthcare professional who cares with athletes, you need to be aware of the signs of symptoms of eating disorders AND concussions.
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