[EsthersDoll]

Hi All,

I'm new here. I'm a 33 year old lady living in Los Angeles. I'm glad I finally found this forum because I think I will be able to talk to people to whom I can relate to about this stuff and that's going to be valuable for me right now.

I got a concussion at the end of July in a bad car accident and was diagnosed with PCS midway through August.

The MRI and CT Scans came back negative.

I had a slew of symptoms, including vertigo, slurred speech, and feeling like a heavy fog filled my brain - like I was trying to push my neurons through jell-o one at a time for months.

But the worst was that I had severely debilitating headaches that put me on bed rest for about five months with intense sensitivity to light and sound. It caused me to degrade slowly over those months until I was living in a dark studio, not able to speak or hear a voice at a normal volume, even whispering would incite an increase in the horrible pain, I was not able to be touched or walk without assistance until my second neurologist figured out I had increased intracranial pressure caused from the head injury which was relieved in mid January via spinal tap. Complications from the procedure hospitalized me for almost two weeks, but since I've been released my symptoms have improved greatly.

Once the pressure was relieved, I became aware that my body was in some pretty horrible pain too. They discovered I have bulging disks and pinched nerves in my neck from the whiplash I suffered in the accident. I've been going to Physical Therapy and that's reduced the pain in my body a great deal.

The dizziness and headaches have pretty much gone away at this point, but I'm still thinking, reacting, speaking and listening to others very slowly compared to my normal. My brain processes information so slowly that it's not safe for me to drive yet and I haven't worked since the accident as well. (I am a manager in a fast paced, multi-tasking environment.) I still have trouble accessing information I should know and finding words.

Also, I've lived in Southern CA most of my life and I should't have an accent whatsoever, but I have had an accent since shortly after the accident. I even had a speech therapist not believe that English wasn't my first language -when it's my only language! The newly acquired accent used to sound very Slavic, and has transformed over time, just yesterday I was told it sounded like I was from Scandinavia.

The bed rest made me lose a lot of physical strength and stamina and I am fatigued much of the time to the point I need to take many rest breaks. I've always been high energy before, so learning how to pace myself has been an ongoing lesson. I'm getting better at it and the fatigue has been diminishing, but I'm still not able to be doing a minimal activity for even an hour without getting exhausted.

My PCP thinks the increased pressure that was in my skull pressed on my brain and caused further damage and a psychiatrist that my neurologist wanted me to see is recommending some neuropsychological testing to see what areas of my brain were affected so I can get some specific treatment to help it heal faster.

I get the impression from speaking to the occasional befuddled doctor that iicp rarely accompanies mTBI but, I've read online that it occurs in about 3% of cases. My general impression is that many doctors are just befuddled by a head injury.

The six months of being in very severe pain was very traumatic and I would really like to talk to someone else who knows what I'm talking about in regards to it. Does anyone else have experience with iicp and mTBI? Or can anyone just add some insight to my case?

I've read a lot about this stuff online over the months, but I'm open to learning more and hopeful that you can shed some more light on these subjects for me.


Thanks,

~Kim

[Mark in Idaho]

Kim,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear of your ordeal. Sounds like you had a miserable time.

Thank you for your formatting of your post. The many paragraph breaks is very helpful for many of us to read.

I can't speak to the iicp nor the intense head aches you speak of. I have head aches often but no to a degree than disables me.

I agree that a neuro-psychological assessment would be a good idea. Read what Gordon Johnson Brain injury attorney says about them. Depending on the battery, they can be a great help or problematic. His web site is www.tbilaw.com

Some neuro-psychs have a bias against mTBI/concussion and try to point every symptom at depression and anxiety, etc.

vini may have some insights for you about iicp. Hope he has a chance to read this.

You said <My general impression is that many doctors are just befuddled by a head injury.> You are so right. Welcome to the club. When you find a doctor who understands, grab on and don't let go. They are priceless.

I wish I could help you more. Sounds like you have discovered a lot about helping yourself with work-arounds and accommodations. The signs of an intelligent mind.

The slowed processing will not prevent a full and functional life. I have processing speed in the bottom 10%. It just helps me be a bit less impulsive and more thoughtful. I have to 'stop' to think. It would be a better world if every one did.

My best to you as you endure your ordeal.

[EsthersDoll]

Thanks for the link, advice and the kind words Mark in Idaho.

[BeccaP]

Hi Kim,

I was glad to read your post, you're almost the only other person I've heard of who has increased intracranial pressure that started after an mTBI.

Before the injury I didn't have any of these issues so I am convinced it is from the accident. I have many of the same symptoms you describe, except the "accent" and thankfully, my headaches aren't as severe as what you're describing. Bad enough though. I also hear pulsing in my ears, have stiffness in my spine and visual issues (blurring, uncomfortable to move my eyes around).

It's been over 18 months since my accident. I also had damage to my inner ear from the injury and when the surgeon was in there doing repairs he saw areas bulging and pulsing that should be stationary and flat, told me I have raised pressure in my skull and referred me to some other doctors who ordered some more tests. I'm waiting for appts now, the pace of it all is an exercise in patience to say the least!

Anyhow, once they relieved the pressure in your head via Lumbar Puncture, did they say if it should stay down or if it was likely to come back?

I've been nervous about the LP coming my way, but if it would help, maybe even make some of this stuff go away, well, that just puts me on cloud nine! I'm sorry you had complications after yours, but glad it helped some of your symptoms.

Without the surgeon seeing it with his own eyes, I don't know if anyone else would have figured it out, makes me wonder if others have this issue and no one ever checks...

Best wishes,

Becca

[Soccergal]

That's a good point Becca - I wonder if others do have it. Mark, do you know if a MRI or CT scan would show intracranial pressure? Best of luck with your LP Becca.

Kim, your ordeal sounds terrible. Although I get some bad headaches that go on for days, they are not as bad as what you went through. Sounds like the experience is very much like a bad migraine (staying in dark room, needing assistance to walk, can't be touched). I'm very fortunate in that my migraines have improved greatly over the years. I cannot imagine how you went through that level of pain for such an extended time. So glad you have some releif from that!

Like you, I was very active and worked as mgr in a fast paced, multi-tasking environment and since my TBI, I've been a couch potatoe. Even walking makes me dizzy.

I recently started going to the swimming pool. I'm not very active there, but simply dog-paddling in the water and floating on my back soothe my senses/brain a lot and it gives me a little exercise that is not too strenuous. You might want to try that (with a buddy in case you don't feel well). You also will not have to worry about any jarring to your brain and body.

Tammy

[MelodyL]

Originally Posted by EsthersDoll

Hi All,

I'm new here. I'm a 33 year old lady living in Los Angeles. I'm glad I finally found this forum because I think I will be able to talk to people to whom I can relate to about this stuff and that's going to be valuable for me right now.

I got a concussion at the end of July in a bad car accident and was diagnosed with PCS midway through August.

The MRI and CT Scans came back negative.

I had a slew of symptoms, including vertigo, slurred speech, and feeling like a heavy fog filled my brain - like I was trying to push my neurons through jell-o one at a time for months.

But the worst was that I had severely debilitating headaches that put me on bed rest for about five months with intense sensitivity to light and sound. It caused me to degrade slowly over those months until I was living in a dark studio, not able to speak or hear a voice at a normal volume, even whispering would incite an increase in the horrible pain, I was not able to be touched or walk without assistance until my second neurologist figured out I had increased intracranial pressure caused from the head injury which was relieved in mid January via spinal tap. Complications from the procedure hospitalized me for almost two weeks, but since I've been released my symptoms have improved greatly.

Once the pressure was relieved, I became aware that my body was in some pretty horrible pain too. They discovered I have bulging disks and pinched nerves in my neck from the whiplash I suffered in the accident. I've been going to Physical Therapy and that's reduced the pain in my body a great deal.

The dizziness and headaches have pretty much gone away at this point, but I'm still thinking, reacting, speaking and listening to others very slowly compared to my normal. My brain processes information so slowly that it's not safe for me to drive yet and I haven't worked since the accident as well. (I am a manager in a fast paced, multi-tasking environment.) I still have trouble accessing information I should know and finding words.

Also, I've lived in Southern CA most of my life and I should't have an accent whatsoever, but I have had an accent since shortly after the accident. I even had a speech therapist not believe that English wasn't my first language -when it's my only language! The newly acquired accent used to sound very Slavic, and has transformed over time, just yesterday I was told it sounded like I was from Scandinavia.

The bed rest made me lose a lot of physical strength and stamina and I am fatigued much of the time to the point I need to take many rest breaks. I've always been high energy before, so learning how to pace myself has been an ongoing lesson. I'm getting better at it and the fatigue has been diminishing, but I'm still not able to be doing a minimal activity for even an hour without getting exhausted.

My PCP thinks the increased pressure that was in my skull pressed on my brain and caused further damage and a psychiatrist that my neurologist wanted me to see is recommending some neuropsychological testing to see what areas of my brain were affected so I can get some specific treatment to help it heal faster.

I get the impression from speaking to the occasional befuddled doctor that iicp rarely accompanies mTBI but, I've read online that it occurs in about 3% of cases. My general impression is that many doctors are just befuddled by a head injury.

The six months of being in very severe pain was very traumatic and I would really like to talk to someone else who knows what I'm talking about in regards to it. Does anyone else have experience with iicp and mTBI? Or can anyone just add some insight to my case?

I've read a lot about this stuff online over the months, but I'm open to learning more and hopeful that you can shed some more light on these subjects for me.


Thanks,

~Kim

Kim:

I googled your new phenomenon (speaking with an accent) and there is actually a name for this syndrome. It's called Foreign Accent Syndrome. I found this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_accent_syndrome

You probably know all about this already but for those here on these forums who might not have heard of this, they can click on the link and read all about it.


The brain is amazing. And you have been through quite a bit.

I hope you continue to recover and that you get some answers.

I wish you well.

And before I forget ...Welcome to Neurotalks.

Melody

[EsthersDoll]

Thank you all for the responses.

I'm sorry for the delay in responding, but I forgot I had posted this thread.

The spinal tap did the trick and relieved me of most of the debilitating and severe physical symptoms.

Still the biggest challenge I've had since that point is recovering from the five months of bed rest I had to live through while I was in that horrible and severe pain.

More recently I've been diagnosed with a fatigue disorder that I guess accompanies mTBI which certainly doesn't help me to exercise in order to build up more strength and stamina from losing it while on bed rest, but I'm doing much better than I was.

Immediately after spinal tap, I had a lot of pinched nerve pain radiating down my arms from my cervical spine. They gave me MRI's and said I had bulging disks most likely caused by the whiplash from the accident I was in. I dealt with that pain for a few months, which was bad, but not nearly as bad as the pain was from the iicp and thanks to physical therapy it's now all gone and just comes back as discomfort or numbness every once in a while. I've done a lot of reading online about the variety of things I went through and I'm not quite sure if the pain from the iicp was so bad that I barley felt the pain in my neck and body or if it literally stopped allowing many of the pain messages from going to my brain by constricting the nerves.

My neurologist was concerned it might come back so she still sees me every couple of months to see how I'm doing. She also keeps prescribing me with meds to help with the fatigue, but so far their various side effects have been too significant for me to want to take any of them for more than a trial period.

I'm actually going to return to work part time on August 1 and I'm very excited and happy about it.

My processing speed and cognitive functioning is still not as fast or as good as it was before the accident, but I'm hoping with time I will make more improvements and that returning to work might even help with my rehabilitation process.

My speech has even been slowly improving; the accent is now mostly or all gone, but I speak in a deeper tone at a clipped and unpredictable rhythm that is sometimes accompanied with a rasp. I'm going to speech therapy to learn how I can make it sound closer to what it was like before the accident.

And yeah, Melody, I've read about that syndrome, it's pretty rare and I'm just glad I'm sounding more like myself these days so a diagnosis of that isn't necessary for me. Thanks for the welcome!

[nightnurse30]

There can be some evidence on MRI or CT scan of some degree of Increased ICP and it can manifest itself as hydrocephalus (where the pressure and increased CSF fluid sort of squishes the brain) or by other structures becoming constricted where CSF would normally flow freely but now as no outflow. Over time, it can again build up....but its not as common for it to continue to happen with a mTBI as opposed to a subarachnoid hemorrhage or other severe TBI. You sound like you are doing well and making great progress. Good luck with the return to work!