Andy played in his first-round game. Halfway through the second period he missed a check, fell over another player, and slid headfirst into the boards, in the corner to the right of the opponent's goal. He immediately removed himself from the game, banging his stick as he skated to the bench, and our hearts sank. He sat on the back bench and played no more that period. Occasionally coaches spoke with him, but made no move to insert him into the same.
Between periods I went to the locker room. His eyes were
puffy from crying. He was agitated. He said his head hurt.
He did not play the rest of the game, complaining of a
headache. Because he was worked up, we could not tell whether his head hurt
because it hit the boards and he was re-concussed or because he was stressed,
angry, scared, and crying.
"He's so afraid of going back to that place that when
he gets hit, he pulls himself out right away," his coach told me after the
game, and he's right. It's one of the big differences between concussions and
other injuries. Stress, anger, and fear don't do much to a sprained ankle. You
don't have to wait until someone stops crying to determine if their wrist is
broken. People may favor a bum knee, but how do you favor a brain?
Meanwhile, back home, Molly says she feels better but still
has headaches. Another non-symptom-free day for her.
It's 2 p.m. At three we've told Andy we will ask him how his
head feels. If it hurts he won't play today – won't even suit up. Tomorrow we'll
go through the same routine. If it continues he'll go back to the doctor on
Monday.
The adventure continues.
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