Bella Paige’s Backstory
Show Notes:
When a new podcast listener asked our host Bella Paige why she started all this, she realized that it’s been a while since she shared her story and the reason she created this podcast and Post Concussion Inc. After committing to doing just 10 episodes, today on episode 85, Bella reflects on the history of Post Concussion Inc. and what you can expect from it in the future. Tuning in, you’ll hear about what life was like for Bella nine years ago when she was trying to attend high school while suffering from severe headaches. She explains how alone she felt in her symptoms and how this affected her mental health. She talks about how Concussion Connect has changed her life and how great it feels to be able to help others. You’ll hear more about this podcast, the soon-to-be-released Post-Concussion Cookbook, the private video channel on Concussion Connect, and the concussion and brain injury-related courses Bella has been working on. To find out how Bella finally reached the point where she doesn’t regret her brain injuries, tune in today!
Key Points From This Episode:
Today’s topic: The past and the future of Post Concussion Inc.
What life was like for Bella nine years ago.
How Bella’s condition affected her mental health.
Why she needed Concussion Connect and Post Concussion Inc. and how it has changed her life.
What life is like for Bella today.
The podcast, how it started, and how it’s growing.
Information about The Post-Concussion Cookbook.
The private video channel on Concussion Connect.
What you can expect from Bella’s concussion and brain injury-related courses.
TW: To avoid Bella’s reference to suicide, skip audio from [18:43] to [18:54].
How Bella has finally reached the point where she doesn’t regret her brain injuries anymore.
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[INTRO]
[00:00:00] BP: Hi, everyone. I’m your host, Bella Paige. After suffering from Post-Concussion syndrome for years, it was time to do something about it. Welcome to the Post-Concussion Podcast, where we dig deep into life when it doesn’t go back to normal. Be sure to share the podcast and join our support network Concussion Connect. Let’s make this invisible injury become visible.
[DISCLAIMER]
[00:00:32] BP: The Post-Concussion Podcast is strictly an information podcast about concussions and post-concussion syndrome. It does not provide, nor substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it, because of something you have heard on this podcast. The opinions expressed in this podcast are simply intended to spark discussion about concussions and post-concussion syndrome.
[EPISODE]
[00:01:14] BP: Hi, everyone. Welcome to episode number 85 of the Post-Concussion Podcast with your host, Bella Paige. I can't believe I'm at 85. I'm just going to say like it blows my mind every single time I share that. Anyways, today I was going to go a little bit into the past, and then talk about the future and do both. I want to start with, if you've listened to the podcast for a long time, you may have heard some of this, you may have not. If you're new, then welcome. I haven't really talked about my story in a while. I realised that when I had a meeting today, and they were a new podcast listener and didn't go all the way back into the past to the episodes, and asked why I started all this. It's hard to go into the past, but here we go.
If we go back about nine years ago, my head pain was so severe that a day looked like this: a lot of the time I was in high school. I would try to go and I would get up in the morning and cry some days. Other days lay on the floor, because my internal temperature regulation was out of control, which we actually talk about in an episode number 80 about, Dysautonomia, it was out of control. My head was on fire all the time. I would lay on the floor, weird, but it worked. I would do that. I would maybe go to school and then I would make it through a class and then I would call my mom to come get me or I would just leave. Sometimes I would get in trouble and eventually they got overlapped, but my headaches were severe. I remember I would be sitting there and just if anyone knew how much pain I was in, if they could see it, they would have been afraid of me, because nobody should be able to walk around with that much pain, because it's just insane.
For example, I get cluster headaches now. My cluster headaches are a joke compared to my concussion headaches. That's wild, because doctors already call cluster headaches, suicide headaches. What are concussion headaches? Yeah. Crazy.
Anyways, severe headaches, severe pain, my memory was terrible. The headaches just took over my life. I couldn't do anything. I'd be on meds. I could barely do therapies. People would talk about doing vestibular therapy and all these things that I did balance therapy, but you were lucky if I could stand on one foot for five seconds. I would fall over. If I close my eyes there was no balance left. So a lot of these things took a lot of time. Those headaches were, they just took a lot out of me as like a person, as a kid. Like I forget, a lot of people don't know that part about me. I mean like friends and stuff. Like the other day a friend asked me how I was like this, because I was just really calm about something and they said you don't remember, you don't know that I was sick.
Sometimes being sick changes you. It always changes you, but when you're sick for a long time it really changes you. I mean these headaches. I wouldn't call them migraines, because I found migraines were so different, because I got those, too. The headaches were someone trying to break out of my skull into my skull and then lit it on fire at the same time. I remember crying and asking if we could just drill a hole in my head, because I remember that was an old technique a long time ago for headaches. I remember telling my family that that's what it felt like. It felt like my brain was trying to escape. It didn't have enough room. They just controlled my emotions.
I remember sitting and bawling, and just asking my mom like, “How am I supposed to live like this?” Like I'm so young, like I was at that time 16, 17, 15 depended. It’s like, “How?” Like, “I don't want to live this for the rest of my life.” I really did not believe anything was going to get better. I promise you that. Like I would go to doctor's appointments and I was willing to try everything, but I really believe that those headaches were going to be with me for the rest of my life. They were with me for about seven years, which is a really long time to be in pain. It killed my mental health. Eventually, those headaches did go away. It took a very long time. I don't believe a lot of other people are going to take this long. So don't be discouraged by my story at all, please.
I've had a lot of concussions, concussions within those seven years, because I got re injured just trying to live my life. My mental health just – if he looked at me, you would have been shocked. I think that's what describes mental health severity in general is the ones who are really struggling a lot of the time is are the ones that you don't see it. Like I definitely had my moments, but a lot of time you have no idea that I didn't want to be here. I was done. I had no idea why I had gone through what I went through, why it all began in the start. Like why did it even start? Like what was I supposed to do next? My entire life had been cancelled and not my life, but my plans had been cancelled and permanently. It took me a long time to accept that.
I wish I thought of starting this years ago. I remember I did think of doing like nonprofits and all these things, but I wanted something that I had control of and something that I could help people as much as I wanted and no one could say any different. That's where this all came together and this began because it was everything I needed. I needed Concussion Connect so badly. I needed to be able to comment about my life and just be like, “I hate this. I'm sorry, but I hate this.”
It just, it’s so hard to be negative around people around you, because you feel like a burden, but you're not. I just needed somewhere to be like, “Honestly, I'm done. I'm sorry, I'm not trying to put this on anyone else. I'm done. I'm just struggling every day. I'm in so much pain. I can't get up.” All these things, but I think if I had people to talk to you about it, it probably would have changed my life, because I just felt like it was just me going through all this alone. It wasn't – I have a huge family.
My parents are great, my siblings are great, but it didn't matter, because they weren't suffering, not in the way I was. It's sad when I think back to how it all was, because I know so many of you are in that spot right now. It's really hard for me, but this has saved – I've helped some people, even one person, but it has also saved me. I could honestly say that that's true from myself going on a podcast for the first time telling my story to helping people one-on-one every day to Concussion Connect. I didn't plan this, but I am grateful that it's here. I really do hope that it helps so many people, because I just believe that this is such a big issue in the world.
I don't always realise how much people don't know about it. I still have a conversation with someone and they're like, “Oh, that's what you do for a living?” I'm like, “Yes, I help people every day.” It's totally worth the stress and the hours and the emotional part of it, because the reward is amazing, just getting a message from someone saying that I've helped them or that they connected with a guest on the podcast means the world to me.
Today, I get the odd headache. I wake up I do meetings, social media planning, outreach, working one-on-one, future planning and a lot of other things, but the list keeps going. So, though Post-Concussion Inc is here to stay, and it continues to grow. I'd love to talk more about that, but I'm going to take a quick breather and then come right back to tell you about things that are coming up. A little bit more about me, and we'll go from there.
[MESSAGE]
[00:10:29] BP: Cognitive FX is a research driven clinic that has successfully treated 1000s of patients who have long lasting symptoms from concussions or other brain related injuries. Cognitive FX has an innovative approach to recovery that uses an advanced fMRI scan to map the function in your brain. Treatment and Cognitive FX takes five days to complete and uses your fMRI scan as a guide and baseline to ensure that your treatment is personalised and effective. This means that you won't need to schedule and keep track of multiple specialists’ locations, dates, times or therapies, because they will all be prepared for you when you arrive.
Once you've completed their treatment you receive a personalised at home plan to continue your recovery and gain access to their online patient portal that has instructional videos and resources for your continued recovery. Conveniently, Cognitive FX also offers free consultation so both you and the doctors can ensure that treatment is a good choice for you and your injury. Visit their website at cognitivefxusa.com. Don't delay your recovery any longer. Find solutions at Cognitive FX today.
[END OF MESSAGE]
[00:11:40] BP: Welcome back to the Post-Concussion Podcast with myself, Bella Paige. Like you heard in the first half, it's just me today. I've been going into the past of me, and how Post-Concussion Inc. started. It started with a blog which I quit on, sorry. I really don't like doing those. It's just not for me. Anyways, there is a podcast. The podcast has been growing and growing as we are on episode number 85. It's just mind blowing to me, because I just, I remember I did 10 episodes, and I told myself that I would do at least 10, because most podcasters give up. Then I just never stopped. There's been breaks in the show, because health, computer troubles, all those things, but I'm glad it's here to stay. It will be here all the way until June. Then we'll take another break. Anyways, I wanted to talk a little bit about what we're doing next, and how it's growing, and just so many things.
I want to tell everyone about the cookbook. I know I've mentioned it, but The Post-Concussion Cookbook is complete and beautiful and so exciting. It's really a cookbook to help you fall in love with cooking again, find motivation, recipes that are good for when you have memory issues. It has the extra steps that you need like sit down, start to the oven, set a timer, those types of things to really help you succeed. Then things like, that are good for dizziness or when you're really tired. I really do hope you get one.
I really hope you sign up.
Then the next exciting thing, okay, this is really exciting, honestly. Concussion Connect, I've been telling you all about it. If you haven't joined yet, you are honestly severely missing out. I promise it is very affordable. I have a private video channel on there that has started, which is just me giving tips. For example this month, we talk about symptom tracking the way I like to track them, because as I've explained, I do it a little different, tips for the holidays. It's one of the videos. How to advocate for yourself dealing with medical gaslighting. Just so many topics and you can request for topics, you can ask questions for the videos, and really be involved. It's just more content from me to really just help you get through this. If you are a family member or a medical practitioner, it can also help you understand other ways to help the people with you. That has started.
Then what's next, which is huge. I mean like huge, huge, because it's taken hundreds and hundreds of hours to put together is courses. These are concussion related and brain injury related courses. They are a little bit of everything. I decided to start courses, because a lot of people I talk to are isolated. For example, even if you're in a city like I am, it’s small, we have one neurologist. I think, at the entire town, we don't have a concussion clinic here. We don't have a lot of people that have brain injury, concussion related experience, other than maybe severe brain injuries, which of course are just as important, but it's hard to find people with information about mild traumatic brain injuries. You get isolated and telehealth is great, but all the time, you really just want to see them in person. Paying or driving to go places or even finding the right people is so hard.
These courses are wonderful from memory tips and strategies, to anxiety, helping anxiety like just honestly, everything on anxiety, because post-concussion anxiety is just wild, wild, because like, you can be sitting there and all of a sudden, you're sweating and can't breathe, and you don't know why. You're just like, “Oh no.” These courses can help you at home. These practitioners and individuals are wonderful human beings. There's things on eye therapy, and physical therapy, and just so many different things to help you every day get through life.
And you can find all of these courses on Concussion Connect, but you do have to join to sign up for them and be a part of it. I really do think that will help you, because these individuals have taken a lot of time to put these courses together. I've spent hours with them in meetings and going over. Is this too scientific? Do you think we should change it up? Do you think it should be more interactive? All these types of questions from these wonderful individuals who have made these courses.
They took the time to really pinpoint what can help you now. What can you focus on and just ways that – if you're isolated, even if you're in a giant city full of every type of specialist. I promise you, these courses can help you and I'm so glad they're coming soon. So make sure you get on Concussion Connect, so you do not miss out on them. Because I just am so excited, I couldn't even explain how once they started.
Every day, I get more updates from different individuals. I get courses that are completed and all this stuff. It's just a wonderful thing that's growing and growing. You can get a hold of all of this, of course, just by going to postconcussioninc.com, which is our main website, and just clicking Concussion Connect and signing up. I promise you, you will not regret it, because there's just so much on top of Concussion Connect that I haven't even talked about, and it is here to stay. I do hope it helps you.
I might have never planned on doing this. I mean, I really didn't, a podcast. I am not one who likes to be in the public eye. I like to be in the background and to talk about all of the things I've gone through from being an attempted suicide survivor, to chronic pain, to almost dropping out of school, to how many – Oh, I wish I should really get into that. All the career changes I've done. There's a lot of them. All of that, to this is just an incredible feeling. I'm so glad I'm here.
It's been a long time coming to finally say that I don't regret my head injuries, because of this. I actually have tears streaming down my face. I just, I really love all of this. I know that if I could give my 15, 16 year old self a hug right now. She would be proud of me, too.
So make sure you join Concussion Connect. I promise you, you won’t regret it. Don't forget to sign up for that email list for the cookbook. So you don't forget. I hope to talk to you all soon, and hopefully on Concussion Connect where you can literally send me a message every day. I hope you have a wonderful day, a symptom free day, or at least reduced and you just keep carrying on. Take it one day at a time. I promise you, it can get better. Even if you think I'm lying right now. Have a good day everyone.
[OUTRO]
[00:20:21] BP: Need more than just this podcast? Be sure to check out our website postconcussioninc.com to see how we can help you in your post-concussion life from a support network to one-on-one coaching. I believe life can get better because I've lived through it. Make sure you take it one day at a time.
[END]
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