Brain damage? Does it sound like I'm over reacting?

[J0HN_TIT0R]

Hey all,

So I've been almost constantly worried about brain damage for months now. It all started when I bumped my head over the summer, and got worried that I would get permanent damage from that, even though the doctor said he didn't think it was a concussion. Now I've been constantly thinking and dwelling on past injuries, like when I fell of my bike as a kid, or hit my head on a basketball court. And even smaller things, like I remembered how on the bus to school I used to rest my head on the window, and when it went over big bumps sometimes the window would hit my head.

I'm in graduate school, and I'm worried that these experiences will make me not smart enough to succeed. I'm also worried about CTE like football players have been shown to get, even though I've never played. Does this sound rational? I sometimes look at myself as being damaged, but I don't know if it's because I just worry about things so much.

[venusbluejeans]

sounds like normal life to me, everyone has those sorts of incidents..... I don't think anyone will go through life without hitting their heads....... from genius' to the not so bright...

you will be fine.... you get out what you put into education.... work hard and you will be fine

[EKB]

I'm having some anxiety about hitting my head tonight too. Smacked it off the fireplace mantle on my way out from behind the tv this morning. Didn't hurt at the time, though now I have a small sore spot. Lots of panic going on though. :/

Now, all that to say, I've not only hit my head like this before (and been fine), but also plenty as a kid - including falling backwards off a swing and bouncing my head off the asphalt, and whacking my head off a stone fireplace hearth while horsing around. You'll be glad to know I did well in grad school - so fear not :)

As for CTE in football players, that's from years of repeated high speed knocks to the head causing the brain to actually move in the skull. I do know someone who's Dad may have CTE and he played college football. It's from way more than just an occasional bump on the noggin, and doesn't show up until you're well into a person's senior years.

Good luck with your studies! And I will do my best to keep my mind at ease, and hope you do as well.

[axolotl]

Does this sound rational?

No. As others have said, sports players get brain damage from repeated, dramatic blows to the head, not occasionally bopping their head slightly on a bus window. You can sustain a good whack on the head with no ill effects, and you've had the all clear. Skulls are made specifically to protect the brain, and think about the rough-and-tumble world our distant ancestors lived in!

If what you describe could cause brain damage, most of the world would be brain damaged.

Have you seen anyone about anxiety?

[SLA]

Your brain sounds fine John. If anything it is working too hard, and over-reacting!

Once you start to focus on other things, these worries will subside.