Greentext

It is not one step before death. Holy shit are you being dramatic.

I had a TBI as a result of a double impact - minor concussion where I didn’t pass out skateboarding (and didn’t know it), then the next day friendly fire collision with a friend in the park snowboarding. I was knocked out for five minutes, had an out of body experience, came to very aggressively with a permanent change of personality that persists to this day half a lifetime later. That being said I was nowhere near death, had a I been knocked out into a coma things would be different.

TBIs are nothing to mess with, they change you for life. ADHD like symptoms, mental health struggles, aggression and explosive anger, memory loss, gaslighting from medical professionals about the severity of the injury (the 2000s were rough…) and opening yourself up to abuse by future significant others because you don’t trust your own memory. Never mind the struggle to maintain employment or how TBIs are invisible disabilities that are tough to get workplace accommodations for.

TBIs are serious, even when they are ‘mild’ (a complete misnomer). But being knocked out ≠ being knocked into a coma which is one step from death. Nor does it mean you’re having a brain bleed. Your brain is inflamed and it’s key not to impact it again for a ~month while the inflammation recedes. Because I had a double impact I ended up permanently damaged. I worry about CTE and dementia later in life as I’ve had other hits to the head since, including getting knocked out momentarily while riding for work.

FYI in case anyone asks - yes I wear a helmet and was wearing one the day of my TBI. Helmets don’t prevent concussions at all, they prevent skull fractures, punctures and lacerations. The helmet saved my life because it prevented skull fracture but more importantly laceration, as my friend collided into my head with the edge of her board first.