Head Trauma, Memory Loss

[Tony Williams]

I would like to meet up with teenagers and / or their parents who have experienced a memory loss due to a motorcycle riding accident.

My 16 year old was injured at a motocross race in Southern California in Jan 2005, and has not regained any memory.

 

[Okiewan]

Wow that's bad to hear Tony.. best wishes for a full recovery, I can't imagine how tough it's got to be.

 

[Chili]

Sorry to hear about the injury. My son had a relatively mild concussion mid season last year, he doesn't recall about a 5-10 minute span of that day. Best wishes to your son and family.

 

[Chevalier]

I hit my head off a wall while riding my bike(with out any helmet or gear! - just before i was going to wash it) broke a couple of toes, a wrist, fractured my jaw in a few places lost about 2 weeks memory at the time. Slowly most of my memory came back but I still don't remember the day of the accident.
The most important thing it to have time off the bike so he can't get another concusion, I was told at the time that if I got another bad concusion too soon it could be extremely dangerous.

...when you say "not regained any memory" I assume you mean about the accident?
Its normal not to remember what happened after a hard knock on the head, I have it and so do a few friends who have hit their head!

 

[Moto Squid]

The end of 2003 I got a nasty knock on the head. I was 18 when that happened. I can't remember about 15 seconds prior and the next 10 minutes is totally gone....the rest of that night being in the ER, getting my shoulder poped back in, is very sketchy. My eyes were rolled back, I was twitching, and drooling when the medics got to me.

I had some pretty serious memory problems. Short term was horrible. To me I seemed normal but my parents noticed it right away. I would repeat the same thing numerous times within minutes. I had no clue. I couldn't remember much of anything; plus I was seriously dislexic when it came to phone numbers. 4-5 months later (I think, it was a while) I went and got an MRI because my parents were still freaking out. It showed a little bump but it was so long afterwards most everything that would have showed right afterwards was gone. Right now I'm alot more normal but my parents still comment how I'm different. (my personality became more mellow apparently)

PM me if you want....

 

[High Lord Gomer]

I'm sorry to hear that, Tony.

PM me if you want...I've had a few episodes where I've lost memory for relatively short periods and a bad car accident when I was 5 left me with absolutely no memory before that. I can even remember the layout of the hospital I woke up in, but nothing before that.

 

[RM_guy]

I had a good knock to the head about 30 years ago and lost about 2-3 hours of time that I never regained. It's a weird feeling to not remeber what happened. I sure hope your son recovers OK.

 

[sick 96 250]

Sorry to hear about that. What that basically is, its the brain swelling which is putting presure on a certain part of the brain that effects memory. I had brain surgery several years back and afterwards there was so much swelling my memory was shot for almost 6 months. It will get better over time depending how bad of the injury. To this day my short term memory still isn;t the best, i forget names alot but it doesn't bother me.
Although it wasn;t a moto related injury thought I would shed a little light about the memory loss. Hope everything comes out for the better with you and your kid.

Have you gotten any recent tests done? (MRI, CAT scan)

Best of LUCK

 

[Tony Williams]

...when you say "not regained any memory" I assume you mean about the accident?
Its normal not to remember what happened after a hard knock on the head, I have it and so do a few friends who have hit their head!

No, he didn't remember who I was, what a motorcycle was, how to wipe his butt, and he could barely walk.

In one month, he's walking well, but takes steps very slowly.
And, he's learned his alphabet and numbers. Can't read.

Like I said, he remembers nothing prior to the accident.

 

[Tony Williams]

Have you gotten any recent tests done? (MRI, CAT scan)

Yes, he's had all that.

 

[Tony Williams]

a bad car accident when I was 5 left me with absolutely no memory before that. I can even remember the layout of the hospital I woke up in, but nothing before that.

Hmmmmm, that sounds a bit familiar. Never recovered?

 

[High Lord Gomer]

No, but I don't think I had to re-learn anything. Of course, at that time I didn't know much, but I do remember walking down the hall to the playroom and not having any trouble walking, so all I really lost was event memory. I still knew everyone.

Has he been able to remember any people, yet? How is his speech?

Damn...at least he's lucky enough to have you.

 

[sick 96 250]

Tony, what did the MRI results show? Did they put the dye in his blood stream and everything? It took me about a month and a half to walk again and after that i was still skeptical about not being able to hold onto something. I was able to read still but I couldn;t remember anything that I read or anything that I had said to people the sec after I was done talking. Some of my motor skills will way off. Has he had any seizures since the accident? There should be some indication through the tests of whats goin on there, maybe see a different neurologist? Hope everything comes out for the best, it is some hard times. Best of Luck with everything.

 

[chewgravel]

No advice, but best wishes to your son for a full recovery.

 

[theturbojosh]

When I had just turned 18 I wiped out big time right around noon and woke up in the hospital sometime later that night to a nurse scrubbing on my face with a toothbrush...after that I was a completely different person. At first I had a very hard time with a lot a basic motor skills but over the last three years I have been improving and I am almost up to 100%. My parents showed me a lot of pictures and told me stories about things we used to do which really helped. Kind of like riding a bike you'll figure it out it just takes time. One bit of personal advice:as he gets better keep him away from chemicals (drugs/booze) when your in that kind of situation life is difficult and that is a tempting road that left me worse off than when I started anyway My thoughts and prayers are with you and your son. get well soon :aj:

 

[MXGirl230]

Sorry to hear that Tony. Concussions suck. I had three in one year. The last one was in the summer of '02 shortly after the Red Bud National (I was 21 at the time). I landed head first in a field, 4th gear pinned...all I remember is speeding down the field and the bike start swapping out then BAM. I didn't know where I was, how I got there, why my mouth was bleeding (damn braces) or why my bike was laying down ...I couldn't even figure out how to take off my riding boots. I was pretty out of it and VERY confused. The only thing I really do remember is the look in Phil's eyes when I asked him where we were :( ... We have the crash on video....I look like a rag doll before I hit the ground...ugh...
After MRI's, CT Scans and everything they said I had minor brain damage. Kept having dizzy spells and getting headaches. I ended up having to go to physical therapy for 3 months.
I still have a really hard time trying to think of words, remembering names, and don't have hardly any memory of anything before I crashed. The only thing I rmember from the National was meeting Nikki, and that's it. Most of my childhood memories are gone. I have a hard time remembering what happened yesterday.
Best wishes to your son

 

[Tony Williams]

At first I had a very hard time with a lot a basic motor skills but over the last three years I have been improving and I am almost up to 100%. My parents showed me a lot of pictures and told me stories about things we used to do which really helped. Kind of like riding a bike you'll figure it out it just takes time.

Did you ever regain memory? I've been going through pictures, etc, with him.

Were you able to ride again?

 

[YZ165]

Real sorry to hear that Tony. Best wishes to you and your family. Matt

 

[Mike RN BSN]

The primary cause of a concussion is diffuse axonal injury and small vessel injury. Diffuse injury is a result of a shearing forces caused by rapid deceleration ,flexion extension.. There are 4 different types of concussions, but it sounds like he has a moderate diffuse brain injury. With this type the person may develop physical, cognitive, and psychological consequences. This can included, but not limited to disorientation, confusion, short attention span, memory deficits, learning difficulties, social withdraws, depression, agitation, impulsiveness. I could go all day. I’m sure he was in ICU and do you know if he experience any decerebration or decortications and what was his Glasgow coma score? You mention that he had a CT and MRI. CT are usually normal and a MRI may show small petechial hemorrhages or focal cortical contusions. A SPECT scan is a good tool to use because it will show small areas of edema(fluid build up) Good news is that people his age tends to improve more quickly. Most people will recover within 12 to 24 weeks. Those not better by one year will probably not get better. The Doctors will tell you that he won’t be able to ride anymore because another blow could be fatal. But know body can really predict that and they will say that to you to cover their butts if something happens if he rides his bike again.

 

[Tony Williams]

I'll ask the doctors about some of that stuff. Thanks.

 

[acanz]

Im sorry to hear that Tony. I hope he gets better soon as this probably one of the best times of his life (Im 15 and it is for me atleast) and if he misses it now theres no way to come back and live it again. I hope you dont mind me asking, but what did he crash on? I havent heard of someone falling so bad it wiped all their memory before.

Ive gotten a concussion before, but it was a mild one. I was riding down the street without a helmet or anything on my bike (not motorcycle - bicycle) at about 15-20mph and my friend fell off the back pegs and it made me flip over the bars and land on the ground head first and broke my glasses which really pissed me off. I didnt become unconcious, but I did get really tired and had a migrane. I thought I was fine, but I was forgetting things right after I said them and then repeating it a minute later. I was so bad my parents thought I was high on drugs (I dont do drugs just so you know - the people that do that I know got all ****ed up from it so it scared me away from all that). It really sucked but I recovered and was nearly normal the next day.

 

[theturbojosh]

Tony- I have regained some memories, the pictures triggered a weird feeling and I thought about them for a while and little bits and pieces started coming back and my mind reconstructed those fragments to a partially complete story. There are still gaps and somethings are not in chronilogical order, I still have no recollection of the crash or be transported to the hospital which is probably a good thing. I was in running start (taking college classes while getting credit for both high school and college) when I came back I remembered very little and I had to work my off but it paid off I'm 5 weeks away from my aas. The doctors say "results not typical" so I do not want to get you too exited but rather instill you with a sense of hope. Also pray like you've never prayed before my Mom says that was one of the key ingredients in my recovery...

P.S. I was just riding sixth gear wheelies up and down campus trying to impress the ladies :ride: common sense I am still lacking , but I can ride the wheels of my YZ! :laugh:

 

[Tony Williams]

I hope you dont mind me asking, but what did he crash on? I havent heard of someone falling so bad it wiped all their memory before.

In a race at LACR (north of Los Angeles, California). He came up short on a jump. This wasn't even that big of a jump compared to the crazy jumps he's done out in the desert in natural terrain.

 

[xsnrg]

Tony, any improvement in the last week or so?

 

[MXTex]

Tony,
My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your son.

MXTex