# Knew this day was coming



## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Damn, man. That sucks.


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## trapper (Jan 15, 2013)

That is a bummer. Sending good vibes your way.


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## Tatanka Head (Jan 13, 2014)

Sorry to hear. As much as it sucks, I hope you are following his advice. Did he say that there is a possibility of reduction? I don't know how that works if you have clots. Is there a way to reverse it without surgery, or do they need to be physically removed? Positive thoughts going your way.

I have a friend who started seeing double 3 weeks ago. If he wears an eye patch over either eye he can see fine, but together is causes double vision. His neuro told him that he believes he has up to 50% blockage in some of the vessels around his brain (MRI results). Super scary news to get.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Awww no! So sorry to hear!
Any chances that it gets better? Have you gotten a second opinion? (Medicine is often based on guessing and assumptions... it's not exact science... thus it often depends a lot on the specific doc what and what not is categorized as a risk... one doc thinks A, the other B... one is defensive and advises against _every potential_ risk, even without having any evidence that thus particular something is a risk...)

Really hope that you get better news soon!


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

So very sorry to hear that. Having missed all of last season due to injury,.. I sympathise completely. I will keep you in my thoughts and hope for this to be a temporary hiatus and that your situation improves and completely resolves itself in your favor!


Btw,.. Second neni's rec. I have several doctors, most r specialist for one thing or another. I can't say I trust any one of them 100% completely. Always a good idea to get a second opinion. Especially on something with such potential for serious consequences. 

Wishing you the very best!!!

:hairy:


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

Just curious what the year off is supposed to accomplish. Doctors are the first ones to tell you not to drink as they rush you out of the office so they can make happy hour.

What exactly is the risk that snowboarding imposes on the condition?


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## deagol (Mar 26, 2014)

Sorry to hear your news, Noreaster.

I have had relatives be told similar things from doctors. I imagine Doctors don't realize what a demoralizing and crushing blow it is to those of us who are active and have a passion for a given activity to be told (advised) to just give it up...

This is also based on my own interactions with certain doctors.. _Quit snowboarding?? easy for you to say.._
YMMV


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## cookiedog (Mar 3, 2014)

Damn, man that sucks. I had similar shit got TBI during the climb at 13000ft or so. Had crazy 9-12hr headaches for two years. Defiantly be extremely careful if you can't skip this season.


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## Oldman (Mar 7, 2012)

That is some kind of funk that you have just been served up. Very sorry to hear of your news. I concur with those above in that you owe it to yourself to get a second review of your situation.

Here is hoping that this is only a bump in the road, not a life sentence.


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## bksdds (Jul 2, 2015)

f00bar said:


> Just curious what the year off is supposed to accomplish. Doctors are the first ones to tell you not to drink as they rush you out of the office so they can make happy hour.
> 
> What exactly is the risk that snowboarding imposes on the condition?


Doctor is probably thinking one good fall could cause an aneurysm or more damage (more strokes/bleeding/oxygen deprivation/pressure on brain). 

What are you noticing thats neurologically different Noreaster? What if you took it easy on the hill? Was your doctor worried about you potentially falling and causing something more serious?


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## Noreaster (Oct 7, 2012)

f00bar said:


> Just curious what the year off is supposed to accomplish. Doctors are the first ones to tell you not to drink as they rush you out of the office so they can make happy hour.
> 
> What exactly is the risk that snowboarding imposes on the condition?


He wants me to stay away from any activity that can result in another concussion and let the brain a chance to heal. That's why he's insisting on a hiatus.

Thanks for all your well-wishes. I haven't told any of this to my family and not planning to for obvious reasons, so I especially appreciate being able to share it here with all of you. I'll have another radiologist to have a second look at MRI, although it's kind of a moot point. Over 30 years of dealing with this - I can read MRIs just as well. 

I'm not taking a season off, that's just not happening. What I think I'm going to do is take it easy, or easi-er anyway. Ditch park completely, maybe forget backcountry this year, ride veeeery carefully. So, yeah.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

I'm no neurologist and I didn't even stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night, but it seems like any healing that would occur would've already happened over the past 30 years.


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

Weed is the answer.


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## deagol (Mar 26, 2014)

Noreaster said:


> He wants me to stay away from any activity that can result in another concussion and let the brain a chance to heal. That's why he's insisting on a hiatus.
> ....


That actually makes a certain amount of sense..

But the good news, from my perspective: head injuries in snowboarding -depending on how you ride- are actually quite rare, so you could still ride (conservatively) and still be allowing your brain time to heal- as long as you don't knock your head, right?

There is, I guess, a certain amount of risk to that, but we accept risk every time we get in our cars and drive down the highway. 

I was hit by a drunk driver in 2007 and did a double barrel roil in my vehicle and it was scary as hell, but no one told me not to drive anymore incase it happened again.


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## bksdds (Jul 2, 2015)

linvillegorge said:


> I'm no neurologist and I didn't even stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night, but it seems like any healing that would occur would've already happened over the past 30 years.


True, but after age 30 you're body undergoes changes. Roughly your systems diminish 1% every year after that age. So his injury from years ago may start showing the long terms effects as he gets older. 

Keep on keepin on Noreaster. I agree with you taking it easy on the slopes.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

deagol said:


> But the good news, from my perspective: head injuries in snowboarding -depending on how you ride- are actually quite rare, so you could still ride (conservatively) and still be allowing your brain time to heal- as long as you don't knock your head, right?
> 
> There is, I guess, a certain amount of risk to that, but we accept risk every time we get in our cars and drive down the highway.
> 
> I was hit by a drunk driver in 2007 and did a double barrel roil in my vehicle and it was scary as hell, but no one told me not to drive anymore incase it happened again.


This.

I've been knocked out twice, but never on a snowboard. Once on a mountain bike and once in a rollover car crash while not wearing a seat belt. In all my years of riding, I've actually only taken one significant blow to the head from riding and that was just a fluke catch of the edge on mellow terrain so I'm not even sure you should try to take it easy. If you're anything like me, most of your worst falls come when you let your guard down and get lazy on mellow terrain. I can't recall ever taking a really bad fall in serious terrain.


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

Wow. Speechless. 

Maybe talk to the Dr and see if you can at least ride powder....

This news sucks. Hopefully you are able to recover a bit after some good rest/time off...... 

Wish you the best.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

F1EA said:


> Wow. Speechless.
> 
> Maybe talk to the Dr and see if you can at least ride powder....
> 
> ...


Bummer. I'd stick to soft days. In reality just an edge catch and head hit can easily cause a concussion so negating that with at least a soft surface can help.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Noreaster said:


> He wants me to stay away from any activity that can result in another concussion and let the brain a chance to heal. That's why he's insisting on a hiatus.



So either he doesn't snowboard and thus doesn't know that one can well ride without being in constant danger to get concussion OR he knows you very well and fears that _you_ won't be able to shift one gear down n ride defensive n carefully... 

Either way... at your experience level, you can have a lot of fun slipping sideways on snow without falls, let alone ones harsh enough to lead to de novo injuries - if you want!

(I had to spend one season riding with a bulky thick neck support thingy due to neck injury - of course docs neither supported horse nor snowboard riding... ooooh... IF you fall again and damage that neck even more, consequences _could_ be severe... K, then I won't fall, but ride anyway. Intended to have zero falls, and did take it easy, more or less. Can be done, had a lot of fun nonetheless, also BC. Only one fall the entire seadon; nothing happened. Pfeww...)


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## Noreaster (Oct 7, 2012)

bksdds said:


> True, but after age 30 you're body undergoes changes. Roughly your systems diminish 1% every year after that age. So his injury from years ago may start showing the long terms effects as he gets older.
> 
> Keep on keepin on Noreaster. I agree with you taking it easy on the slopes.



Yes, that's pretty much the consensus here. Vascular changes attributed to aging, plus the fact that I haven't exactly shied away from concussions over the years. 



linvillegorge said:


> This.
> 
> I've been knocked out twice, but never on a snowboard. Once on a mountain bike and once in a rollover car crash while not wearing a seat belt. In all my years of riding, I've actually only taken one significant blow to the head from riding and that was just a fluke catch of the edge on mellow terrain so I'm not even sure you should try to take it easy. If you're anything like me, most of your worst falls come when you let your guard down and get lazy on mellow terrain. I can't recall ever taking a really bad fall in serious terrain.





deagol said:


> That actually makes a certain amount of sense..
> 
> But the good news, from my perspective: head injuries in snowboarding -depending on how you ride- are actually quite rare, so you could still ride (conservatively) and still be allowing your brain time to heal- as long as you don't knock your head, right?


True. As much as we talk about concussions and brain injuries in snowboarding (or snow sports/activities in general) they are not all that common. And that's actually my saving grace. I know that I can avoid them, or at least try to minimize situations where I put myself at risk. I used to ride park pretty heavily even as soon as 7-8 years ago and most of my concussions came from falls in the park. As of last year I stopped doing big jumps and this year I'm not doing park riding at all. 

And Linville, I agree that mellow terrain is responsible for most of the bad falls and taking it easy is not riding mellow but rather, riding smart. My problem is that when it comes to snowboarding I have an impulse control of a teenage boy. I get injured in the park and go "never again". Then next season I'm right back at it. I figure if I can control myself I'll be OK.


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

Time for some serious helmet research also perhaps. More than brim or no brim.


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

I mean you can bump your head just walking on the street. Most of the bumps on my head were from before 12. My skull has hard bumps on four corners. I think I hit it hard enough to damage the bone tissue. I am amazed that I am not a retard or maybe I am. How do I know?
Either way, helmet and being responsible is the key.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Noreaster said:


> ...
> Thanks for all your well-wishes. I haven't told any of this to my family and not planning to for obvious reasons...





Noreaster said:


> ...My problem is that when it comes to snowboarding I have an impulse control of a teenage boy. I get injured in the park and go "never again". Then next season I'm right back at it. I figure if I can control myself I'll be OK.


In that light... since you know abt your lack of self control... you ride with your daughter IIRC? Wouldn't it be wise to let her know what's going on - she'll recognize any change in your riding habbits anyway and wonder why - so she could hold you back in a weak moment and if not that, at least not unconciously provoke you into something...?


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Noreaster said:


> And Linville, I agree that mellow terrain is responsible for most of the bad falls and taking it easy is not riding mellow but rather, riding smart. My problem is that when it comes to snowboarding I have an impulse control of a teenage boy. I get injured in the park and go "never again". Then next season I'm right back at it. I figure if I can control myself I'll be OK.


I understand completely. You'd be making the right call to simply quit riding park. After I found out my wife was pregnant I quite riding backcountry. Sure, I could do nothing but mellow meadow skipping, but that's not realistic for me.


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## PorkCereal (Dec 28, 2013)

Knowing your probably going to anyway, defiantly go with someone to make sure you make it home safe


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

f00bar said:


> Time for some serious helmet research also perhaps. More than brim or no brim.


Helmets don't protect much vs concussions. Except MAYBE the new Giro softshell tech......

Obviously getting off the park and big jumps can prevent a lot of these potential head injuries. The next step is seriously avoiding ice.

Time to move to the powder highway.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

F1EA said:


> Helmets don't protect much vs concussions. Except MAYBE the new Giro softshell tech......
> 
> Obviously getting off the park and big jumps can prevent a lot of these potential head injuries. The next step is seriously avoiding ice.
> 
> Time to move to the powder highway.


There's research that indicates that increased helmet use hasn't reduced the number of brain injuries in snow sports, but that research can't tell us whether or not the use of a helmet reduced the severity of those injuries and it also can't tell us if we're simply better at diagnosing those injuries today.

It's kind of like the research that shows that boxing gloves don't reduce the force of a fighter's punch. However, I guarantee you I could take those researchers and line them up and give them a choice of being punched in the face as hard as I can with either a bare fist or a gloved fist and they'd all choose the glove. Same thing with for snowboarding/skiing. You could take them and tie them down on a snowboard and aim them right at a tree and ask them, "Hey man, want a helmet?" Betcha they'd all take one.


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## Noreaster (Oct 7, 2012)

neni said:


> In that light... since you know abt your lack of self control... you ride with your daughter IIRC? Wouldn't it be wise to let her know what's going on - she'll recognize any change in your riding habbits anyway and wonder why - so she could hold you back in a weak moment and if not that, at least not unconciously provoke you into something...?


No, she's in her last year of pre-med and riding with mom (or snowboarding at all) is not a priority anymore. I can't be happier too because she's an aggressive park rider and I'd rather she wouldn't follow in my footsteps to where I'm at right now.


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

linvillegorge said:


> There's research that indicates that increased helmet use hasn't reduced the number of brain injuries in snow sports, but that research can't tell us whether or not the use of a helmet reduced the severity of those injuries and it also can't tell us if we're simply better at diagnosing those injuries today.
> 
> It's kind of like the research that shows that boxing gloves don't reduce the force of a fighter's punch. However, I guarantee you I could take those researchers and line them up and give them a choice of being punched in the face as hard as I can with either a bare fist or a gloved fist and they'd all choose the glove. Same thing with for snowboarding/skiing. You could take them and tie them down on a snowboard and aim them right at a tree and ask them, "Hey man, want a helmet?" Betcha they'd all take one.


Inthink helmets help for sure; but problem is she's past the point of "reducing the severity of a tbi" and at a point of point blank avoiding one. Big difference. 

So for her i think its a matter of using a helmet and riding in an environment with little to no possibility of a tbi.

I don't know. All this she needs to talk to a Dr. One that specializes in head injuries and sports. Hopefully snow sports as it's very easy to go over conservative with a sport you dont know about.....


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Noreaster so the day has come...

You have made your decision...

AK heli...it ain't no ride in da park...

U chose wisely...quality of life over life

Ya ain't no fool...no one gets out alive

There are worse things than death...


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## Noreaster (Oct 7, 2012)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Noreaster so the day has come...
> 
> You have made your decision...
> 
> ...


Haha, I agree. Although I'm kinda planning to survive my AK trip you know.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

wrathfuldeity said:


> AK heli...it ain't no ride in da park...
> 
> U chose wisely...quality of life over life


Seems legit. She mustn't fall says de Doc, You shouldn't fall will say the guide. Perfect match


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