BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

On Feb. 11, 2013, Karen Siska shivered against the morning chill as she hurried up the steps to her parents’ home in Severna Park, Md. It was her 47th birthday, and the least she could do was to help straighten the house for the dinner party her parents were hosting for her that evening. A public health nurse, Karen was director of nursing, responsible for 84,000 students at schools in 126 locations in Maryland. She loved her job but had taken the day off to celebrate her birthday. Ralph Creel, a retired policeman she was dating, was taking her on a daytrip to the picturesque harbor town of St. Michaels, known for its quaint waterfront restaurants and boutique shops. Humming as she worked, Karen busied herself straightening the fireplace hearth. Lifting her head, she saw stars as it hit the underside of the mantle. Rubbing her jaw, Karen wondered if she’d cracked her teeth from the violent jolt. Straightening up, Karen’s head and jaw hurt and she felt lightheaded—like she was in a fog. Looking in the mirror, the image was blurred and fuzzy. Everything was blurred and fuzzy. A while later, she and Ralph left for St. Michaels. Over the next hour, her symptoms increased in intensity and she started to feel nauseous. “Ralph,” she said, “I hit my head. Now I don’t feel well. I think I have a concussion.” “Let’s get you to the emergency room,” Ralph said, turning around. Rather than wait all day in an ER, they went to an urgent care walk-in clinic where Karen was given papers to fill out. The first question was her name. She knew her name, but they asked her to spell it. Karen felt as though her brain was a rusted engine that wouldn’t turn over and spark to life. Struggling, she finally remembered—K! It was the first letter of her name! Try as she might, she couldn’t remember what came next. Brain Freeze “After three hours and an X-ray, they told me they didn’t treat concussions,” Karen recalls. “By morning, when I went to see my primary care physician, I had a terrible headache, was lightheaded, sensitive to light and sound, and had a lot of pain in my neck at the base of my skull. My doctor confirmed that I had a concussion and told me to stay home and rest for a week. “I didn’t think I needed a week off. I felt sure I’d be fine in a day or two, but my symptoms persisted. I couldn’t concentrate and my brain actually hurt when I tried to think. I had trouble sleeping and continued to have terrible pain in my neck, so I obeyed the doctor’s instructions. I tried watching television, but I couldn’t follow what was being said. I tried reading, but words didn’t make sense. Light and sound made my symptoms worse. I couldn’t tolerate any stimuli. Lying on a pillow also worsened my pain. I couldn’t register what people were saying to me.” After a week, Karen returned to work. “My co-workers told me they thought something was still wrong,” she recalled. “They said I wasn’t acting like myself. I took their advice and went back to my doctor. This time, she told me to stay home and rest for a month. BVOV : 13

• Cover