Concussions

A series of unfortunate events has been upon me lately. On top of work and school, I decided that I apparently wanted to smash the back of my head off of my freezer door, causing me to be concuss. With this, I had a massive migraine for almost a week, I was incredibly nauseous, and I was not really all there. My boss basically yelled at me, as I was taking my second dose of headache medicine to try and get rid of the pain, that I need to go to the doctor to get checked out. This event caused me to really think, think about how horrible a concussion can be.

What is a Concussion?

“A traumatic injury to soft tissue, usually the brain, as a result of a violent blow, shaking, or spinning.” (Concussion n.d.) This can be caused by an “blow” to the head or even a major jerk to the body. Many athletes suffer from concussions, especially football players. They get thrown around and hit so much, that before they know it they are on the bench confused at what had happened.

Football players are not the only people to get concussions. All athletes, or even an every day person, can receive a concussion just like I had. Unfortunately, no matter the pain that you are in or how you received it, every concussion causes some damage to the brain. The best thing for someone who is concussed to do is to give it time to heal.

What are the Symptoms?

Most concussion symptoms are some like I had stated earlier. A headache is the most common, but may also include dizziness, confusion, difficulty with memory, and difficulty with balance or coordination. One might also seem nauseous or they may vomit, they may seem dazed, and they might see stars. Symptoms may appear right away or even a few hours from when the hit happened. (Concussion 2014)

The symptoms that a child might have could be different than one of an adult. A child could seem very cranky, which includes crying a lot. The child might be getting more tired easily, and change in eating or sleeping patterns. (Concussion 2014)

Every concussion is major, whether you feel symptoms or not, because it is an injury to your brain. No matter the extent, you should still get your head checked out to make sure that you truly are fine.

(News 2012)

What Tests Might the Doctor Perform?

There are four different tests or examines that a doctor may perform on you when you go to get checked out. These include a neurological exam, a cognitive test, an image test, or an observation. (Concussion 2014)

A neurological exam is going to examine your basic functions; such as hearing, sight, strength, balance, coordination, and reflexes. (Concussion 2014)

The next test would be a cognitive test. This test will take a look at memory, concentrations, and the ability to recall information. (Concussion 2014)

Next, would be an image test which will include taking images of your brain. Tools used to do this technique are either a computerized tomography (CT) or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). (Concussion 2014)

Finally, if the doctor feels that it is necessary, he or she might keep you overnight for further observations.  (Concussion 2014)

Treatments

The best treatment for a concussion would be rest. The doctor might suggest that you have shortened school or work days and try to stay away from things that might over-exert your brain, which includes; thinking, texting, video games, the computer, and so on. You can also take any type of pain reliever to help the head ache. (Concussion 2014)

Multiple brain injuries can cause serious problems to your brain. The best thing that someone can do is to see the doctor and take an easy. Which is exactly what I did not do.

Finally, this link has a great video about concussions!

http://brain101.orcasinc.com/5000/ (What’s n.d.)

Work Cited

Concussion. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2813

Concussion. (2014, April 2). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/concussion/basics/treatment/con-20019272

News from New Life Wellness Center. (2012, December 1). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs191/1101313906210/archive/1111708251266.html

WHAT’S A CONCUSSION, ANYWAY? (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://brain101.orcasinc.com/5000/

Hypoglycemia-what?

During the summer of 2007, I was at Kings Dominion in Virginia with one of my best friends. We were waiting in line for one of the biggest and best roller coasters at the park, when all of a sudden, I started to get really hot and light-headed and my heart started pounding so hard that I thought it might pound out of my chest. I leaned up against the wall thinking that I just needed to close my eyes and rest while we stand there. Before I knew it, I heard my best friend and this random man saying my name. I was trying to open my eyes, but all I saw was pitch black. When they carried me to the bottom of the ramp, I got a drink of water and eventually came to. I thought I passed out because it was hot and I was in a very tight space with a lot of other people. The paramedic gave me some candy and we went our ways. The following morning I woke up sick as a dog. It was the worst sickness I have experienced in a long time. I had a fever of about 103 and no doctor to go to, so I ended up spending my vacation inside until I got back home later in the week.

Later, during that same summer, I was visiting Knobels with my family. Waiting in line to buy tickets, I got the same hot and light-headed feeling as I had before. My mom immediately ran to the nearest food vendor and bought me a frozen icy. Eventually I started to feel better, but the rest of the day I just felt like crap. I thought that maybe my body just didn’t want me going to amusement parks or maybe I wasn’t supposed to be outside anymore. I was only fourteen years old and very confused as to what was going on with my body.

After almost going down for the second time, my parents thought the best thing for me would be to go see a doctor. She examined me and asked me, what felt like a billion, questions. She came to the conclusion that I should go get a blood test done. After seven painful hours of blood being taken from my arm, I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia.

What is Hypoglycemia?

When I first learned about the condition, I was told that basically my blood sugar would drop a lot faster than most people. Causing me to get light-headed and eventually causing me to pass out. The actual definition of hypoglycemia according to the American Diabetes Association is “a condition characterized by abnormally low blood glucose levels.”

What are the Symptoms? 

Once again, according to the American Diabetes Association, the symptoms of hypoglycemia happen very fast. Some of the symptoms may include; shakiness, anxiety, sweating, chills or clamminess, irritable or impatient, confusion, rapid heartbeat, light-headed or dizziness, hunger or nausea, sleepiness, numbness or tingling, headaches, weakness, unconsciousness, etc. Even to this day, about seven years later, I still get some of these symptoms if I haven’t eaten in a while. If I had to explain my symptoms the best that I could, I would include light-headedness, sweating, chills, shakiness, rapid heartbeat, and weakness. I would also add that I feel like I am going through a tunnel, what I see starts to get smaller and smaller as the darkness or blackness becomes more apparent. Luckily, I have learned what my symptoms are and I catch myself before I pass out.

How is it diagnosed?

Like I had stated earlier, I was diagnosed by going to my doctor first. She asked me many questions that had to do when the symptoms occur. Was it after I just ate or a while after I have eaten last? She also asked me question about what I usually eat. After hearing my answer, that is when she told me I had to go for a blood test to test my glucose levels. First, I had to fast the whole night before. Aftet getting to the hospital, the test consisted of getting my blood drawn (two tubes) every hour for seven hours. After my first hour, I was also asked to consume some type of glucose drink. This would help them determine what my blood does with my glucose and how fast this reactions happens. After the test were done, I had to wait to hear back from my doctor with the results. The results came back exactly the way she had expected them too, positive for hypoglycemia.

What are the Treatments?

The only major treatment there is, is consuming glucose. Whether it be glucose tablets, soda, candy, or anything that is higher in carbohydrates and sugars. After I was diagnosed, I received a doctors note that stated that I had to leave class early every two hours to go to the nurse for a snack. Some of my fellow students thought that I was the luckiest person alive, but in all reality I was just trying to be healthy. The snack that I would mostly consume was a Gatorade and some kind of protein, chewy bar. I had to eat something that was high in carbohydrates and had a fair amount of sugar.

Even though I still experience some moments of being light-headed, hot, and anxious, I have learned to cope with this condition. I have learned exactly when it is about to happen and I have learned exactly on how to fix it. I also, always, have some sort of food with me just in case it happens at a random time. One thing that I also do is check my blood sugar levels. I don’t usually do it everyday, but at least after I have an attack and eat, to make sure that I am still at the levels that I need to be at. This is a condition that can just sneak up on you, just like it had me. The best thing that someone can do for themselves it go to the doctors and just ask them questions.

In case you want a little bit more information, here is a video (created by my local news channel) about hypoglycemia.

http://wnep.com/2014/10/21/healthwatch-16-hypoglycemia/

Work Cited

Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Glucose). (2013, July 12). Retrieved November 9, 2014, from http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hypoglycemia-low-blood.html

Julie, S. (2014, October 21). Healthwatch 16: Hypoglycemia. Retrieved November 9, 2014, from http://wnep.com/2014/10/21/healthwatch-16-hypoglycemia/

Eating Disorders

A little bit about me before I start this post. I am a senior Art Therapy major and over the past year I have found a very intriguing interest in eating disorders. This is where I want to go with my life, this is what I want to specialize in.  I want to be able to help people with eating disorders the best I can by creating art.

For me to be able to help someone with an eating disorder, I have to know a little about it. Lucky for me, I have already done a presentation and have learned a lot about eating disorders. An eating disorder is defined as a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits. Most eating disorder patients have the need to feel perfect.

There are a few different types of eating disorders, including; anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, compulsive eating disorder, binge eating disorder, and obesity.

Anorexia nervosa is defined as the refusal to maintain a body weight at or above the minimal normal weight for age and height, otherwise known as BMI. Anorexic patients have an extreme fear of gaining weight and/or becoming fat.

Bulimia nervosa is defined as recurrent episodes of binge eating with a sense of lack of control over that eating and compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain. Binge eating is defined as eating in a discrete period of time, for example one hour, a larger amount of food than most people would eat in that same amount of time, under similar conditions. In response to eating all of that food, they will then most likely feel absolutely horrible about eating, which may lead to self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, or diet pills.

Compulsive eating disorders is defined as episodes of uncontrolled eating or bingeing followed by periods of guilt and depression. This may cause a person to continue to eat even after they become uncomfortably full.

Binge eating disorder is basically the same thing as binge eating, which I have described earlier, except the patient most likely will not purge afterwards.

Finally, obesity is defined as being twenty-five percent of more over the ideal body weight for a person.

Some characteristics that one with an eating disorder might display are self-hatred, feeling of worthlessness, experienced peer pressure or pressure by the media to be thin. Have perfectionist tendencies and could have experienced sexual, emotional, or physical abuse.

Media, unfortunately, plays a major role in eating disorders. Young girls especially, feel the need to fit in and be thin. While searching, I found these images that are part of the “You Are Not a Sketch” campaign. I feel like I should include this image to showcase to the world that you don’t have to be stick thin to be perfect, you are not a sketch. 

(http://bitesizewellness.com/3-ways-to-improve-your-self-image/)

As I have explain earlier, this is the population I want to work with when I become an art therapist. So, here are some of the benefits of using art therapy with eating disorder patients. Eating disorder patients, like many other patients, initially resist treatment. They tend to mistrust people, who they feel, are trying to take their illness away from them. Art therapy has the advantage of gaining the trust of the client by using a non-threatening approach that allows for control of the physical body. Eating disorder clients often have feelings of self-hate, ineffectiveness and lack of self-worth. Art can move the eating disorder client towards trusting and expressing their own feelings and abilities. Rather than being “perfect” in their art, clients are encouraged to express genuine feelings. Art becomes a record and document of the journey and tangible evidence of any progress. Eating disorders last several year, and can even last a lifetime, artwork can illustrate, to the eating disorder client, their journey in a tangible way. Finally, Art products can remind the client of the positive relationships and support they had/have with their friends and family, art therapist and other group member.

With all of this being said, eating disorders are so unique. Not everybody suffers in the same way but they can all be helped in the same way through art therapy. I hope to one day, be that crutch the patient needs to get through this disorder.

“To lose confidence in one’s body is to lose confidence in oneself.”- Simone De Beauvoir

Where did I get this information from?

http://www.eatingdisorderfoundation.org/EatingDisorders.htm

Art Therapy in the Treatment of Eating Disorders by Jen Burton Liang

There’s No Point Raging on Your Own by Karen Johnson & Sarah Parkinson