Concussions/Post Concussion Syndrome

[centralsquare]

I don't have any advice or experience but just wanted to say that I'm so sorry you're suffering from this and I hope you get well soon!

 

[risingsun]

I had a bad fall about two weeks ago. I was brought to the ER by the rescue squad. So many things were hurting, I wasn't aware, at the time, that the inside of my head was hurting as badly as the outside. I hit my head when I fell. The next couple of days, it became worse. By the third day, I was back in the ER. After a head CT scan, they determined there were no bleeds. They diagnosed me with post-concussive syndrome. They said it could last from a few weeks to several months. The worst symtoms, at this point, are difficulty with balance, problems with vision, and feeling very fuzzy in my cognitive functioning. I still have some pain. I don't know what course this will take, but you have my sympathies. I'm "uncomfortably numb."

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Novel, I hope you'll be feeling well very soon, especially now that you'll have wedding planning to keep you busy soon!

Risingsun...oh, no!!!!! You poor thing. You have had more than your share of health issues. I hope you will be better soon, as well!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Novel, I'm so sorry that the business trip exhausted you to that degree and that the docs don't think you will recover as quickly as they'd hoped. That being said, I DO think you will recover in time. The rest is very, very important. It's frustrating how volatile the recovering process is--you feel good, so you try to push yourself, then you end up frustrated when it's too much. But over time, it really does get better.

Congrats on getting engaged, that's so exciting! I definitely agree that having a distraction (especially such a happy one) is actually good. I mentioned that my husband suffered a concussion about a year and four months ago. His recovery process has been really slow, he saw several specialists (he still does) and he was very frustrated. I got pregnant in June and having his focus on something other than his post-concussion syndrome has helped him. In the past two months he's made more improvements than he had in the previous year. So I'm really hopeful that things will start turning around for you quickly! Thanks for keeping us updated!

Hey, NEL, thanks for commenting! I was hoping you would. Congrats on the pregnancy, that's fantastic! I really believe what Jane the Concussion Slayer said (I can't believe I just said that, it sounds ridiculous), that being positive about this helps, and I know that having something happy going on has been huge for me. I'm so glad that the pregnancy has done that for him! If I can ask, are his doctors still saying he'll recover fully, that it's just more and more time? This is a little bit what I'm afraid of. The volatility is so hard, especially when so much of your identity is tied to your work and relationships with people.

Thanks for letting me know how he's doing... and I promise to keep you guys updated!

I agree that a positive attitude helps by leaps and bounds, but I also understand that it's hard to stay positive when you feel defeated and don't know if you'll ever feel the same. D still had symptoms at the one year mark--his left hand still shakes, he gets dizzy at times and he feel overwhelmed when he pushes himself physically or mentally. His doctors continued to tell him that the brain can heal itself at any time, so all hope was not lost, but that he should focus on coping with his "new" life. That was very hard for D--like he'd lost the battle. In any case, I'm saying this because things took a turn for the positive when he had really happy news in his life. At first he was terrified of how the post-concussion syndrome would affect his ability to be a partner to me while I was pregnant and after I delivered, but now he's really excited and his recovery has followed suit. He is not as easily overwhelmed and is even on a trip in Europe right now, which he wasn't willing to do even three months ago (I've been suggesting he take a "break" and go on vacation for months). His dizziness is much better.

I don't mean to blab about myself (I do that all the time), my point is that I really feel that D's recovery is correlated to his attitude. Obviously that isn't the only factor, but the fact that he's recovered more the past two months than he had in the previous year makes it hard to ignore. So I have to agree with Jane the Concussion Slayer about the power of being positive. And the last thing I want to say is "JUST BE POSITIVE!" to somebody with post-concussion syndrome because I COMPLETELY understand how frustrating it is to feel like you have no answers, to wonder if you'll ever feel the same and to worry, but I think this wedding will have a very positive impact on your recovery...just don't get overwhelmed with the planning!

 

[Novel]

Thanks, CentralSquare and DS!

Oh, RisingSun, I am so, so very sorry to hear that! They told me that the intitial concussion symptoms can last up to a month, and post-concussion normally up to 3-4 months (especially if you have underlying health issues, which I do). I really hope it doesn't take you this long! If I can offer any advice, it is to rest as much as you can, don't try to push your ability to concentrate or to read, and to do whatever you can to keep yourself happy. Watch the Jane the Concussion Slayer video I linked to earlier - she's inspiring! She also talks about the importance of a positive attitude here. My concussion caused all sorts of crazy emotional issues that I wish I'd seen someone about sooner - please, if you're feeling depressed or anxious, talk to your dr. That can come from the concussion and really slow down your healing.

Please keep checking in and let me know how you're dealing. I really feel for you right now, and am so sorry you're going through this!

 

[risingsun]

Novel, I hope you'll be feeling well very soon, especially now that you'll have wedding planning to keep you busy soon!

Risingsun...oh, no!!!!! You poor thing. You have had more than your share of health issues. I hope you will be better soon, as well!

Thank you for the support, diamondseeker. I feel as if I can't get out of my own way sometimes. I was told to take it easy and rest. I never thought that a visit to the doctor would end up this way

 

[risingsun]

Thanks, CentralSquare and DS!

Oh, RisingSun, I am so, so very sorry to hear that! They told me that the intitial concussion symptoms can last up to a month, and post-concussion normally up to 3-4 months (especially if you have underlying health issues, which I do). I really hope it doesn't take you this long! If I can offer any advice, it is to rest as much as you can, don't try to push your ability to concentrate or to read, and to do whatever you can to keep yourself happy. Watch the Jane the Concussion Slayer video I linked to earlier - she's inspiring! She also talks about the importance of a positive attitude here. My concussion caused all sorts of crazy emotional issues that I wish I'd seen someone about sooner - please, if you're feeling depressed or anxious, talk to your dr. That can come from the concussion and really slow down your healing.

Please keep checking in and let me know how you're dealing. I really feel for you right now, and am so sorry you're going through this!

Right now, I'm feeling a lot of anxiety. I have medication to help with that and depression. I have other medical conditions and this was the icing on the cake! I am resting and trying to let time pass. Your post was very helpful, Novel. I am having symptoms, which I didn't expect. I will check in with you.

 

[Novel]

Thanks, CentralSquare and DS!

Oh, RisingSun, I am so, so very sorry to hear that! They told me that the intitial concussion symptoms can last up to a month, and post-concussion normally up to 3-4 months (especially if you have underlying health issues, which I do). I really hope it doesn't take you this long! If I can offer any advice, it is to rest as much as you can, don't try to push your ability to concentrate or to read, and to do whatever you can to keep yourself happy. Watch the Jane the Concussion Slayer video I linked to earlier - she's inspiring! She also talks about the importance of a positive attitude here. My concussion caused all sorts of crazy emotional issues that I wish I'd seen someone about sooner - please, if you're feeling depressed or anxious, talk to your dr. That can come from the concussion and really slow down your healing.

Please keep checking in and let me know how you're dealing. I really feel for you right now, and am so sorry you're going through this!

Right now, I'm feeling a lot of anxiety. I have medication to help with that and depression. I have other medical conditions and this was the icing on the cake! I am resting and trying to let time pass. Your post was very helpful, Novel. I am having symptoms, which I didn't expect. I will check in with you.

I'm glad I could help! Also, so glad that you're on meds for the anxiety and depression. Are you seeing a neuro-psych person? My neurologist required it for me and I think it's helping. She mentioned to me that people who use their brains for work find concussions incredibly anxiety-provoking, because we lose so much of our sense of self with them. And she's been reassuring that this will go away. I know what you mean about the icing on the cake!

Keep checking in. I'm thinking about you.

 

[risingsun]

I am improving, but I'm still having some vision, memory, and balance problems. If I don't get enough rest, the symptoms increase. I have a headache, which isn't too bad, but is present almost daily. I've spoken with my doctor, who recommends that I continue to rest and keep from overtaxing my brain. We just received a warning that the antidepressant I have been taking [Celexa] can have serious side effects in doses over 40mg daily. I have been taking 80mg. My doctor said that this particular side effect is rare, but wants me to wean back to 40 mg. It will take a month to do this safely. I have found a med that helps with both anxiety and depression and I don't how effective it will be at the lower dose. I may have to switch to something else. I'm taking this whole thing a day at a time. There's really nothing else I can do. How are you doing, Novel?

ETA: I also have fibromyalgia, so I can't always distinguish which symptoms belong to what condition

 

[Novel]

I am improving, but I'm still having some vision, memory, and balance problems. If I don't get enough rest, the symptoms increase. I have a headache, which isn't too bad, but is present almost daily. I've spoken with my doctor, who recommends that I continue to rest and keep from overtaxing my brain. We just received a warning that the antidepressant I have been taking [Celexa] can have serious side effects in doses over 40mg daily. I have been taking 80mg. My doctor said that this particular side effect is rare, but wants me to wean back to 40 mg. It will take a month to do this safely. I have found a med that helps with both anxiety and depression and I don't how effective it will be at the lower dose. I may have to switch to something else. I'm taking this whole thing a day at a time. There's really nothing else I can do. How are you doing, Novel?

ETA: I also have fibromyalgia, so I can't always distinguish which symptoms belong to what condition

Eek, somehow I totally missed this update! I was out of PS there for a while when I wasn't feeling too well...

How are you feeling now? How was the dosing down for you? And I understand the confusion - I have some other chronic conditions, as well, and telling where the fatigue was coming from was difficult for a while.

I'm better, thank god. I've been cleared to go back to work and other than some lingering headaches, dizziness, and weakened stamina, which are improving every week, I'm really doing much better. I've been told I won't be entirely symptom free for a year, but I do feel like I'm at a completely different stage of recovery. To complicate things, I ended up in the hospital with a completely unrelated infection for a couple of nights recently, so now I'm trying to get over that...

I hope you're feeling better!

I hope you're doing better, RS!

 

[minousbijoux]

However, every time I hit my head, I experience the same symptoms for a day or two even if I don't get a concussion.

Good luck!

This exactly.

My son had a mild concussion about five years ago falling off playground equipment. Then, this past winter, he sustained another one, this time much more serious. He was playing rugby (the last sport in the world a 6', 120 lb gawky teenager should play) and he was tackled and hit his head hard on impact. He was knocked unconscious for a bit, got up, shook it off, said he was fine and kept playing (wanted to be seen as a tough, team player). The very first play after the impact, he said he couldn't see right and had a searing pain in his head. He also said his body wasn't responding the way it normally did and his hand was shaking. He left the game, but hung out until the end of the game (really?!!!)

He called me and casually asked for a ride home from the field. At first I said no - in the middle of errands - and his response: "okay, I'll walk home." (about a mile). I changed my mind (guilt), picked him up and he ever so casually mentioned he hit his head and had a headache. He got home, lay down on the couch because of his headache. He fell asleep almost immediately (at which point I started paying more attention). About an hour later, he seemed to wake up, was looking right at his younger brother and me and asked us something that made absolutely no sense, like "are the cows still walking on me?" or some such. I asked him if he knew what time it was (saturday late morning) and his response was unintelligible but something about schoolbooks and turn out the watch. He was confusing words and making little sense other than making it clear that he was annoyed by my pestering. I start to get pretty nervous at this point.

It went down hill pretty quickly from there - he said he was fine, but couldn't move because of the pain. By this time, I had called the doctor (who heard him talking gibberish in response to questions) who told me to get him to the emergency room. As we're getting ready to leave, my boy says he's hungry, so I make him something to eat in the car. He started vomiting, and shaking and curls up in a fetal position in the car. I don't even remember watching the road, as I was staring at him the whole way thinking at any minute he might stop breathing or something.

We got to the hospital, and they took him right away - this had never happened before. Typically, its the heart attacks, gunshot wounds and drug overdoses that get first dibs. They did an MRI to make sure he didn't have a massive bleed somewhere (he did not). By this time, he was unconscious again and could not be woken up, no matter how hard they tried, so he was whisked off to the emergency room equivalent of the intensive care unit. I sat with him and they had a nurse checking on him about every ten minutes.

Almost 12 hours later, he opened his eyes, said he was thirsty, and asked if he could have some KFC (yuck) - my boy was back! We had to stay another hour while he was observed, drank apple juice and saltines (sorry, Liam, no KFC post concussion - they thought he wouldn't be able to keep it down). When we left, in the dark of night, Liam was confused because it was dark out and he thought it was still early morning. He remembered only getting hit and nothing more.

I observed that even the slightest touch seemed to bring back his extreme headache. He said he was shaky for a few weeks and felt not as coordinated - like his body wasn't quite in synch with this mental orders to move. Also, he tired easily.

When he was cleared to play again (three or four weeks later), he went back, was tackled again, hit his head again, repeated many symptoms above: headache, nausea, fatigue. His doctor said it would take months for his brain to heal. Liam wisely quit the team. He had gone from the fast, light nimble guy who could outrun many, to being afraid of every looming player who came his way. Moi, his mother, was very relieved.

Bottom line: he is a kid and his symptoms have lasted. As has been explained to us, until it heals, it will not take much for it to come on again. Headaches and fatigue are still sometimes in the picture, though his physical abilities and coordination are fine now. Please do not underestimate the effects - and do not shrug them off.

I am so sorry this happened to you and wish you the best and healing thoughts.

 

[risingsun]

Every time I think I'm past this, I discover that I'm not. It is not as severe as it was, but overexertion, lack of rest, or even turning around too quickly can trigger the symptoms. I don't know that there is anything else I can do, at this point, except rest and wait it out. I am so sorry about what happened to your son, minousbijoux. I'm glad he's taking a time out from sports. I hope he has a full recovery.

Thank you for your kind words.

 

[minousbijoux]

You should also know, and I'm sure you do, that you must be very careful now, because the trauma to the brain has left damage that will take a while to heal and in the interim, your brain is much more easily injured. Its like having a tiny fracture in a bone in your foot and not having a cast; run too fast, kick something hard, and you may just have that tiny fracture turn into a big honking crack!

I joked with my son that I wanted to wrap his head in rolls and rolls of the softest toilet paper around, just to protect it from impact...

Please be careful and really treat yourself well.

Hugs to you,

-Minou

 

[Novel]

Every time I think I'm past this, I discover that I'm not. It is not as severe as it was, but overexertion, lack of rest, or even turning around too quickly can trigger the symptoms. I don't know that there is anything else I can do, at this point, except rest and wait it out. I am so sorry about what happened to your son, minousbijoux. I'm glad he's taking a time out from sports. I hope he has a full recovery.

Thank you for your kind words.

I know what you mean. Last night I missed a step and landed really had (on my feet) on the sidewalk, and a few hours later was headachey and exhausted, fading much more quickly than normal. It took me months and months of functioning at 30% before I could get back to functioning at even 80%, where I am now. Good luck, and take it easy. How are you feeling emotionally?

Minousbijoux, that is terrifying! I sometimes think these things are scarier for the loved ones than they are from inside it. I'm so, so glad he quit the team! A Marine I know told me that it was the subsequent concussions that did the most damage for him, and urged me to stop riding. It's really frightening... I hope he'll be ok.

 

[allycat0303]

Hi Novel,

I had a serious head injury a while back. It's something I prefer not to talk a lot about, because I feel like it changed my life. Most of the time, I feel like I was a different person before it happened and after. I have never quite felt like *myself* since then. I didn't have post concussion syndrome per say. There's things that have permenently changed, which I can't attribute directly to the injury, but happened after. My sense of taste is altered. I get headaches often, which I never had before (EVER). There's other subtle differences in personality that other people have noticed.

I think the most important thing is that you are patient with yourself. Listen to you body and your symptoms. I hope you get well soon!

 

[risingsun]

Every time I think I'm past this, I discover that I'm not. It is not as severe as it was, but overexertion, lack of rest, or even turning around too quickly can trigger the symptoms. I don't know that there is anything else I can do, at this point, except rest and wait it out. I am so sorry about what happened to your son, minousbijoux. I'm glad he's taking a time out from sports. I hope he has a full recovery.

Thank you for your kind words.

I know what you mean. Last night I missed a step and landed really had (on my feet) on the sidewalk, and a few hours later was headachey and exhausted, fading much more quickly than normal. It took me months and months of functioning at 30% before I could get back to functioning at even 80%, where I am now. Good luck, and take it easy. How are you feeling emotionally?

Minousbijoux, that is terrifying! I sometimes think these things are scarier for the loved ones than they are from inside it. I'm so, so glad he quit the team! A Marine I know told me that it was the subsequent concussions that did the most damage for him, and urged me to stop riding. It's really frightening... I hope he'll be ok.

I'm experiencing some anxiety and depression. I was doing well on my meds and then there was a warning from the drug company and my doctor needed me to reduce my dosage in half, over the period of a month. I can really feel the difference and it's not good. There is also a problem between two of my meds, so I've asked two of my doctors to talk with each other and figure it out. This PCS keeps catching me by surprise. I'm doing my best to take care of myself, but it's very frustrating.