RERUN: FRONTLINE'S REPORT ON CTE

PBS ran part one of Frontline's report on CTE and the history of its discovery.  It is really a great report, one that pulls no punches.  Worth seeing again (and again)!

This is definitely something to have in one's personal collection/library.  As always I would like to see the connection made between head injuries and acquired hydrocephalus.

I'm sure that this is being shown again since the movie based on Dr. Omalu's work is coming out soon.  It wasn't lost on me that Dr. Omalu did an interview on GMA around the same time.

I disagree that football is going to be killed off by the publicity/awareness.  There will always be those who don't believe that CTE is a real risk for themselves or their children--no matter what.  Just as there will always be those parents who don't believe that there is an increased risk for their 4 year olds in playing pee-wee football.  There will also be those cheerleaders, soccer players, etc. who won't believe that any of this would/could ever happen to them.

PBS: Frontline Rerunning 'A League of Denial'

Just heard that Frontline is going to be rerunning the documentary about CTE, 'A League Of Denial'.  It is an excellent piece about the growing body of information about CTE, resulting in large part from concussions during contact sports--like football.  Definitely worth seeing.  Every parent with a child even considering contact sports, at any age, should watch this piece at least once.

Unfortunately, they don't mention other issues, like acquiring hydrocephalus & what that means over the lifetime of someone who has acquired it.  As we always say, every case is unique, but life without it doesn't have nearly the challenges over a lifetime.

This documentary can really open up a vital discussion about head injury in general & how it relates to contact sports specifically.  They also discuss the false sense of security provided by helments & touch on the risks for those who DON'T use helmets--like cheerleaders & soccer players.  Sad to say, one of the shortcomings is that they do talk about the 'right way' to head a ball, which is also simply wrong.  It was long ago proven that heading a ball, especially without a helmet, DOES cause frontal lobe damage.

FRONTLINE: The Concussion Issue

FRONTLINE:  THE CONCUSSION ISSUE

I'm going to be watching Frontline tonight with great interest.  The concussion issue is a real concern when it comes to acquired brain damage, particularly as it relates to hydrocephalus.  I realize that everything isn't hydrocephalus related, but it IS one of the conditions that can be acquired by head trauma (TBI).  From the interviews about this particular episode that I've seen so far, there should be an interest in seeing if there is a connection, especially since two of the conditions that are frequently mentioned in conjunction with this issue are Alzheimer's and Parkinson's--which 5-15% of the time are the first diagnosis that someone with NPH (Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus) receive, possibly delaying prompt treatment, which is critical to a patient having the best outcome possible.

I do think that it is over-reacting for people to say that this is potentially the end of football.  Denial doesn't address the very real issue of brain damage and permanently altering players' lives so profoundly.  Trying to project that denial onto researchers who have devoted their careers to finding answers to brain issues is incredibly insulting to everyone.  There are always going to be those who, when told of the potential risks, will still jump into the fray.  There are also people who have no experience with brain injury, who honestly, can't appreciate just what that brain damage will cost them.  I've seen people who acquired hydrocephalus as adults, who DO see a big difference between life before their brain injury and life after. I'm not saying that they can't overcome some, or most, of the challenges, or that the fight isn't worth the effort, but it is a life changing experience.

I can't say, from a personal perspective, what it is to go from that before and after experience.  I was born with hydrocephalus and know nothing else.  I didn't have a life before hydrocephalus and after, although I do have the before and after of having my hydrocephalus arrested (not active).  That could change at any time, without notice.  I've had to find a way to not constantly think about it and to live the best life possible.

In talking with a friend yesterday, I posed the question if CTE (what the researchers are calling the football head injury related to concussive events) is, in some way, related to hydrocephalus.  Again, I realize that not everything head injury involves hydrocephalus, but it should still be part of the discussion.  So many unanswered questions!  This is where brain research is vital and interesting.

As I've said before, I'm not against brain research, I'm just not fixated on finding that 'cure' for hydrocephalus.  I'm sure that there is a lot more research and development to do to improve the shunt for the future and that could potentially improve a lot of lives.  Perxonally, I have always been interested in the research into growing one's own shunt, using the patient's own skin cells/dna to grow a shunt that wouldn't be seen by the body as a foreign object.