[roadrunner63]

Anniversaries aren't all good. April 13 - 1 year anniversary of the car wreck that left me with pcs.

[wtrpk]

what are your symptoms? what got better? Sorry its so long...i'm on 7 1/2 months myself and still can't leave the house for more than an hour without stabbing pain.
can't watch tv more than a few mins, read or computer either! going stir crazy.

how are you handling it??

[roadrunner63]

Originally Posted by wtrpk

what are your symptoms? what got better? Sorry its so long...i'm on 7 1/2 months myself and still can't leave the house for more than an hour without stabbing pain.
can't watch tv more than a few mins, read or computer either! going stir crazy.

how are you handling it??

Continuing symptoms: noise sensitivity, short/long term memory, unable to concentrate, impulsive, easily aggravated/angered, headaches, muscle spasms (sometimes feel like electric shocks), hard to find words sometimes. Anything that requires thinking for more than a few minutes makes my head a jumbled mess. It all makes my business (website design) extremely difficult.

I accept that for the most part it is permanent. Sometimes frustration gets the best of me. I'm just doing what I have to do and dealing moment by moment with the symptoms. My ENTIRE life has changed. As hard as it is for me I think it's harder for those around me to deal with the changes.

[wtrpk]

mine too...and i'm so bored -- then overstimulated when everyone comes home from school/work.

i wish i could just watch some tv and zone out.

how are you managing your computer work?? i can barely go on or read for more than a few mins..same thing a jumbled mess. I get a lot of weird feelings in my head

how do you manage daily? are you taking frequent naps/rests??

[Mark in Idaho]

What kind of reading are you two trying to do that is causing you to crash?

What kind of environment do you try to work in?

What have you done to avoid the outbursts?

When you watch or see TV, how is it impacting you?
What are your first senses before you crash?
Do you have high definition TVs?
Do you have 5.1 Surround sound?
Have you tried watching TV with head phones?

When you try to concentrate, do you do anything to set the environment to help with your concentration?

How do you know you have long term memory dysfunctions?

How are your immediate and short term (intermediate) memory functions?

Are they different for visual memory versus auditory memory?

From what you describe, I have had all of the same problems. My long term memory requires extra work to get it to be reliable.

I have overcome many of these symptoms even though they still manifest if I do not take precautions.

I have learned to not fight my memory problems. It only causes me more problems.

As I have rebuilt my life around my symptoms, they have become less of a problem. They are not recovered. They just do not impact my daily life near as much.

Maybe we can find some solutions for you two and others.

My outbursts were intense and destructive. I know how to avoid getting to the point where the outbursts become uncontrollable.

Hope we can find some solutions. The effort is well worth it.

My best to you.

[roadrunner63]

What kind of reading are you two trying to do that is causing you to crash?

Technical stuff required for my business. Website design is continually changing. If I don't keep up my business will not continue.

What kind of environment do you try to work in?

Alone with no background noise.

What have you done to avoid the outbursts?

I have learned to recognize and physically remove myself from the triggers. I just take off and go somewhere by myself. This works the majority of the time.

When you watch or see TV, how is it impacting you?
What are your first senses before you crash?
Do you have high definition TVs?
Do you have 5.1 Surround sound?
Have you tried watching TV with head phones?

TV isn't really a concern for me.

When you try to concentrate, do you do anything to set the environment to help with your concentration?

I avoid all distractions (noise, people, gadgets, etc). My mind still wonders to other things.

How do you know you have long term memory dysfunctions?

Large pieces of pre-mva memory gone. Neuro-psych test verifies.

How are your immediate and short term (intermediate) memory functions?

There is a big variance with short term memory. I use lots of sticky notes, phone reminders, marker board, etc to help with this. The memory deficits makes everything so much more difficult for me.

Are they different for visual memory versus auditory memory?

Auditory memory is worse for me.

[Mark in Idaho]

Regarding reading,

Is the information in books or online?

If it is available online or on a CD, you might try cutting and pasting the information into MSWord and reformatting it to shorter paragraphs, larger font size, with minimum background graphics. I need to do this to get access to the information I need. I may take quite some time doing the reformatting but it is like night and day. Before reformatting, I am totally overloaded. After reformatting, I can read almost with ease.

Memorizing into long term memory takes effort. Repetition with the time between refresh cycles getting longer. Often, the brain's indexing of the location of information is dysfunctional. The repetition with lengthening time give the brain the opportunity to get the indexing better.

Your concentration problems are likely due to a high level of distractability. I have the same problem. If I am trying to put a complex written presentation together, I need multiple monitors. Separating pages or displays of information onto a different monitor helps me stay on task. If I try to have too much on the same monitor, my brain will flit between the different windows and eventually crash.

Having the subject matter isolated from distractions can make a big difference. I learned this as I was trying to put together a Workers Comp Claim and Appeal. I did so well that the judge considered my presentation as evidence against my claim. He disregarded the fact that it took me 100 plus hours over two weeks to put a 45 minute testimony together.

I have to use similar work-arounds to do the car repair work I have kept busy with since last June. If I have to read manuals, I have to break the tasks down to simpler steps.

Hope these ideas help you. Of course, you will need to customize these ideas to fix your particular situation.

My best to you.