WQAD anchor Eric Sorensen was back on air this morning. He’d been dealing with something you normally hear being diagnosed in NFL or NHL players, not TV meteorologists. He had a concussion.
Sorensen told viewers on his station blog he’s still suffering from lingering effects: he has trouble getting words out and some brain fog. He also says the diagnosis surprised him, even after banging his head a couple of times in the last two weeks and at one point not being able to talk or stand up.
I had no idea that concussions could last so long! I thought you get concussions and then they go away in a few minutes or hours. I was totally shocked when my doctor told me that they can last 4-6 weeks before going away. And I never had any idea that they could be this serious, or that you could bump your head and make things worse. Had I known all of this, I would’ve gone to the doctor a while back…and protected my head more.
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On his blog, the ABC affiliate’s meteorologist writes it all started when he fell on his stairs. “I didn’t think anything of it since I’ve fallen quite a few times in my day and this time I landed on my “extra padding.” But the jarring gave me a low-intensity headache.”
Fast-forward to Sunday morning when I was setting up a new wire crate for my dog. I hit the back of my head on the top of the cage and saw stars. Within a few minutes my vision got blurry and I ended up on the floor again. This time I was disoriented and had a hard time talking. Thankfully, I don’t live alone and got a quick ride to the hospital.
Sorensen also says his journey should serve as a gentle warning to viewers.
But if I can share any advice at all about this: if you ever have an issue with a possible concussion, please get some help. There’s nothing to be ashamed of when you don’t feel right in the head.