That was a terriic interview, a small insight into the nightmare some of these players live throught .My heart ached for that kid...and he was very honest in revealing his fears. I'm glad he mentioned the mental part of the process that is affected by a cerebral contusion, that a brain bruise affects you mentally as well, those areas that take a longer amount of time to heal and how frustrating it must be living thru that period.
You can see why NHL players who return to play after a concussion usually are not the same for awhile. And I have seen it in Mike Richards, having watched him play for 7 years. That's why I think Gagne should really think long and hard about his future , he has a baby and a toddler at home, and a life to give them. Chris Pronger's wife recently said he is no better and you could hear the fear in her voice.
Post Concussion Syndrome affects each patient differently ,but even the mild ones usuall take 3 months or more to go away, sometimes up to a year. These would be the common symtoms.
(
http://www.adhd.com.au/Post_concussion_Syndrome.htm)
The cluster of symptoms reported by these patients is referred to as the Post-concussion syndrome. The following are amongst the most commonly reported symptoms of post-concussion syndrome [4, 6].
Attention deficits, difficulty sustaining mental effort.
Fatigue and tiredness
Impulsivity, irritability
Low frustration threshold
Temper outbursts and changes in mood
Learning and memory problems
Impaired planning and problem solving
Inflexibility, concrete thinking
Lack of initiative
Dissociation between thought and action
Communication difficulties
Socially inappropriate behaviours
Self-centeredness and lack of insight
Poor self-awareness
Impaired balance
Dizziness and Headaches [6, 15, 18, 19]
Personality changes [20, 21]
