One year ago today, my son fought in a Muay Thai match. When he left the ring, his teammates noted some strange behavior and confusion. And a dilated eye. There happened to be an ambulance on-site for emergencies (some fights have them, some don’t, regulation is a grey area) and he was taken to a hospital.
I was not in attendance at the fight, I was camping a hundred miles away.
I did some contemporaneous posts on the old chain (for example this one) as events unfolded.
He lived, but it was a very close call. The ambulance made all the difference. The surgeon told me that if my son had arrived even five minutes later, he would not have made it.
Thirteen days of hospitalization followed by months of therapy and follow up.
But he survived. That’s all that matters to me.
He sent me a text this morning:
Morning Dad. One year since everything changed. Thanks for being there every step of the way. Thankful it happened, it definitely brought us closer.
Well, I’m certainly thankful it brought us closer. And he has a new appreciation for life. Can’t argue with that.
How is he doing? What have the long-term effects been?
He’s pretty much back to normal. Has to be super careful not to bang his head but if you didn’t know what had happened to him you’d never guess how close to death he’d been. His short-term memory was pretty sketchy for a while but cognitive functioning is back to fine.
I have had couple incident with concussion but it has been 3 and half years for my major brain injury and during those three years, I got several more accidents and bang my head couple of times. I don't have problem with cognitive functioning but I have problem with executive functioning (controlling impulses & emotion and also attention), almost ADHD like. I suffered from memory loss, there are many memories growing up that I didn't remember. I woke up from the accident speaking different language and losing my inability to speak what is supposedly my mother tongue. There are many new personalities that I picked up too.
I am positive that since your son is still young, he will recover quickly. I hope he didn't do like what I did, definitely avoid alcohol for the first few months and probably about a year. This might hinder the healing process.
I do wonder, does he have trouble with speech? trouble with naming things? more pauses? easily fatigued?
All of that in the early stages, but not any more.
oh that's awesome. I still have those problems to this day.
Good to hear! I assume the skull plug was replaced, then? How well did the bones knit again? What special precautions does he need to take in daily life, and what kind of support do you still need to provide?
I am a bottomless well of curiosity.
There were a series of screws and tiny pieces of metal similar to in shape butterfly bandages that were used to re-attach the part of the skull that had been removed. By now the bones have healed but the screws remain.
Not really extreme special precautions other than being careful, but he’s never getting back in the ring.
After getting out of the hospital he lived with us for a couple of months. Lots of therapy, restrictions on lifting and bending over which could increase blood pressure in the brain. He’s been living on his own for nine months now.
Good to hear! I know from my own chronic health issues that family support is nice, but there's still always the urge for independent adulthood, too.
What a nightmare. This young man and his parents have had quite a lot of suspenseful events. Great work Dad.
I'm very glad that he made such a good recovery. I can't imagine how frightened you all were.
I was so pleased to see this post, I was wondering about you and your son the other day. It's great that he has recovered so well and is living independently. Thank you for letting us know.
I am glad that at least your Son had made it. I myself had a lot of injuries in my body as almost all my major organs have some degree of hurt in thm @preparedwombat
wow year went by?
glad he is doing good