Here we go!

Let me start by saying that I am sooo excited to start this!  I have wanted to do a blog for years, and I signed up for a class at my school on All Things Google, and in it was info on creating a blog.  I signed up for another class earlier thinking it was something similar, and the date was changed (and I couldn't attend).  I thought I missed out on my opportunity, but I was so wrong.  Turns out, I got lucky with this one.  (And I got as much needed day off with the other class!)  Not to drone on, but let's get started! This blog will pimarily be about my experience as an Athletic Trainer with Concussions.   What's that sound people say when something happens and it's like a big shock?  Not duh, doh, or dong... Although Homer Simpson's "Doh" would be appropriate.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJKgJ6HWqqA

So, this is my first attempt to create a blog about concussions and other sport-related injuries from my view on the sideline and in the Training Room (or "spa" according to my coaches).  I will try to keep this as professional as I can, even though some interactions with folks (and there are an amazing amount of human interactions that an ATC is involved in on a daily basis) are not so professional, from the other side.  I recently went to training in Pittsburgh to become a Credentialed ITAT.  The joy of going to a live workshop is the personal interaction you get with other dsicplines.  I was blessed to have a conversation with the CEO of ImPACT, Mark Lovell, regarding concussion and the loss of consciousness.  My question to him was "Why do some athletes lose consciousness and not have concussion symptoms?"  His eyes lit up and he started spewing forth all of this beautiful information on the brainstem, and potassium potentials, etc., and directed me to the following research link (and a few others of course):

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/232176939_Cerebral_Concussion_in_Athletes_Evaluation_and_Neuropsychological_Testing

I was so excited by his enthusiasm to share information with me.  Some professionals with extensive amounts of letters behind their name don't like to share information with the (pions).  We are, by no means, pions, but frequently we are made to feel as such.  We are the ones feeding them the information from the sidelines with the statistics they need to do their glorious research.  This was not one of those interactions.  We were both like kids in a candy store in this brief, but intense, discussion. It was exhilarating!

So...I drone on, and I want to keep this first post brief since I'm finishing this class up soon.  I want to add a pic that I have uploaded today, just for viewing and reminding purposes.

I'll add more soon!