Concussion!

One of my favourite things about the arrival of decent weather is sports. I'm no professional athlete or anything, but I do love to give 'er when I am participating, whether it be hitting some baseballs in a cage, slammin' it on the tennis court or playing volleyball. I guess you could say that I am hardcore, and it is not unusual on any given June day to witness me taking my sports persona to the max. Case in point: I totally got a concussion playing recreational volleyball last week. Yeah, I'm on a team in a beach volleyball league. I know what you're thinking: that's hot, and it totally is, too. But before your mind wanders to visions of rock-hard bodies spiking balls at rocket speed while sweat glistens on their half-clad asses, I should (in all fairness) note that our team is so not there yet--perhaps we will be in 2009. Our division of the league, the "recreational" division is not overly competitive. Last week however, I got too complacent with the "rec" designation of our team, and started to get sloppy: I let my guard down, guy! I chatted when I should have had my eyes on the ball, I made designs in the sand with my feet between plays instead of launching into the stuff, head-first, in an effort to make a save!

Long story short: I got hit in the head and was later diagnosed with a concussion. I've never had one before, and as a fully-fledged hypochondriac, I was at once gripped with the fear of developing life-threatening (or at the very least), life-altering complications as a result of my nonchalance on the court. Oh woe, how I questioned! Would I feel blood ooze out of my ear? Could I die? Would I remember how to make spicy penne? And what the heck did I do with my star sapphire ring? I wanted to wear it last weekend. (As you can imagine, my anxiety only mounted...)

I was thankfully somewhat assuaged after an appointment with my trusty (and every so patient) G.P. She assured me that the bruises in my brain would eventually subside if I let rest and the healing hands of time do its thing.

In the meantime, this totally freakin' wierd list of stuff my body/mind does when concussed:

1) Me So Sleepy: Eleven-hour evening sleeps, peppered with two-hour daytime naps
2) Me So Moody a la: “I love you, I hate you! Can you buy me a latte?”
3) Unmitigated Anger/Personality “blips”: bitching about/at everyone/anyone
4) Apathy, when not moody or angry, to the nth degree.
5) Nausea! Dizziness! Hot Flashes?


So, like, what lessons have I taken away from my sports injury? First off, one must be A-lert when playing sports: especially those that involve balls flying at your face. Also, don't think about dinner or the fact that your tonenails are unpainted. Second: I think a small, fitted helmet is in order if I want to continue being so hardcore. Third: totally never, ever put the star sapphire in any place but the right one. To every gem, its home—that’s what I always say.