The effects of mild concussion

are not to be laughed at. Your resident cat managed to faint last Monday. Fortunately I landed on the garden bed and not on the cement. I still managed to hit the back of my head rather hard. When I came to I found myself staring at the sky and thinking "that's a bit odd". Then I, carefully, sat up. Realising what had happened I tried the "paws to nose" test an decided it was probably safe to stand up. 

What has followed has been the concerned ministrations of two friends, Middle Cat and our GP.  Middle Cat swapped her appointment with our GP so that I could see her this week rather than next. C... (our GP) ordered blood tests (yesterday) and a CT scan (Monday) "to see if (I) still have a brain". I am trying to feel positive about all this - rather difficult given the other upheavals in life right now. 

Middle Cat has banned me from pedalling for a fortnight. I must confess that I don't feel much like doing any but that does not mean I like being so dependent on her.  We went to the supermarket after the blood tests yesterday and all I wanted to do was curl up on my sleeping mat afterwards. Mmmm....not me at all.

What I am acutely aware of however is how lucky I am. First, it could have been far worse. If I had hit the concrete I would have ended up in hospital with much more serious issues. Second, I have been given help. I had help when it happened because L...arrived just a short time later and phoned Middle Cat. This last week I actually managed to see our GP and the shortage of GPs means getting in to see anyone is not easy now. It also meant that our GP promptly arranged for several things to happen...and that I have another appointment to see her on Monday week. I have one of those "need" and not "want" appointments then. I am getting a CT scan far more quickly than we thought I could...perhaps someone has cancelled? I don't know.

And then I thought of all the "concussion" issues that have been in the news with people who play contact sports. It seems that there is finally an awareness that all those knocks humans take are not a good thing. I have always wondered about it. I have never been to a football/soccer/rugby match. The idea of watching people knocking into each other has never appealed to me. Now I think I would be even more concerned. Yes, they do injure themselves but concussion in sport isn't necessarily an injury that can be seen or recognised until it is too late. It won't stop people playing. There will always be the "it won't happen to me" element about it. 

Being forced to have some quiet time when I have things I want to do has made me think again about all this. Hopefully the blood tests and the CT scan won't show anything serious and I can go back to being a pedalling and busy cat... but I have promised to be sensible. I won't be playing "paw-ball".