I also have a story like @MayUseFullLane, from Dec 30, 2011. I had a concussion from an avoidable bike crash that caused long-lasting symptoms.
Here is a 🧵.
Here is a 🧵.
A favorite memory of Berkeley grad school is biking in the hills for exercise, which I did several times per week. I preferred to meander the steep, winding roads, in neighborhoods I now recognize as having exclusionary zoning: and this afforded safe, scenic streets for some.
In South Berkeley my favorite rides required just 1 unsafe crossing at Alvarado and Tunnel. In 2004 I emailed @CityofBerkeley asking for a crosswalk or a light and they said they were "looking into it." 7 yr later it had still not arrived. 
The organized bike advocates were focused on getting paint designating how to mix with fast-moving traffic on Tunnel Rd which they could use to climb to Old Tunnel Rd. I was not and generally tried to avoid riding on Tunnel altogether.
I must have crossed that intersection 1000 times, scurrying across to dodge traffic. Minutes would pass if I simply waited. This time I was a little too impatient, a little too focused on my postdoc proposal, and failed to correct for the slick surface after drizzle.
A car coming from the east as I crossed north surprised me with its speed and I sped into the right turn. I lost traction and all of my momentum converged in impacting my chin against the curb. I was shaken and immediately worried my jaw had been broken.
After a minute, I realized my mouth was working fine, the adrenaline subsided, and I stubbornly completed the bike ride. Only that night speaking with a college friend did he suggest the possibility of a concussion. Shortly thereafter, mild dizziness started.
I was anxious and cautious during the long weekend, but not so much to cancel having friends over for a NYE party. I went into the UCB student health service urgent care when it opened and was reassured they found no neurological or cognitive problems. (This remained the case.)
I was not prepared for what came 2 weeks later: scary unknown sensations I eventually learned comprised a migraine-like "headache." It got worse with socializing, working at my computer screen, and general fatigue. I got extra rest and managed to finish my thesis on time.
The headache persisted over a year. I was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, with many months of inconsistent medical advice. Doctors referred to "headaches" but I would insist it was a singular "headache" because it was present every day when I woke up.
The headache, in truth, never completely abated. It is often still mildly present and intensifies when I am especially hungry or fatigued, but I am no longer afraid of it-- I have learned to accept it as mere sensory fluctuation, correlating with my body's overall status.
Like @MayUseFullLane, the first question many doctors and friends would ask was whether I was "wearing my helmet," and I had to explain that the helmet did not cover my chin. They would also ask if I had been struck by a car, and I had to answer, literally, no.
Nor did I ever stop biking, because I love the exercise, recreation, and efficient transportation. I do choose my routes carefully when I can while increasingly advocating for safe streets with @sfbike, @UrbanEnviroCA, and @CalBike.
Many people perceive biking as unsafe, but what they are really perceiving is the safety hazard from cars. I cannot think of a person who has spontaneously crashed into a serious injury while biking on the street, yet I know many who have suffered one because of cars.
I hope that the clearer vision afforded by this moment-- literally clearer air and also new attention to space on our streets-- accelerates efforts to achieve streets safe for all road users, and that invite rather than discourage moving human bodies. theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
@threadreaderapp unroll
Thanks @threadreaderapp. Check out the full thread at threadreaderapp.com/thread/1254226….
