Weyhey,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. You have been given some good comments to start. You really need to read the sticky at the top about Vitamins. Check out the links at the bottom. They will be useful for your family and friends to understand what is happening to you.

Anxiety is probably the most common symptoms of PCS other than the pain/head aches.

The anxiety comes from your brain's inability to process the many sensory stimuli that a healthy brain can process without even trying. Our brains get easily overwhelmed. The filtering mechanism that stops the extraneous stimuli from needing to be processed often stops working.

Read the TBI survival guide at www.tbiguide.com to get a better understanding. When you understand your injury, you can better explain it to others.

The simple solution is quiet rest. This means seriously limiting stimuli, sound, visual, tactile, smells, etc. You want to do just enough activity to keep a good supply of blood flowing through your brain. A good rule of thumb for activities is activities and tasks you do with your hands, except keyboards. Playing solitaire with real cards. Knitting and crocheting. Other manual crafts or tasks.

Walking a dog in a quiet area can be OK. Get some ear plugs. I like the yellow foam cylinders that you twist until they fit in your ears. They then swell back to fit your ears. They will help you block a lot of ambient sounds. they will also help you hear your foot plant . It is amazing how hard a foot plant can be. It resonates into your head. For some of us, this pounding only makes our symptoms worse.

btw, the pounding you hear is likely your heart beat / pulse. It was always there but you brain was able to ignore it. Your blood pressure may rise from over-stimulation. This can make the pounding louder and even cause a head ache.

Please feel free to tell us about your struggles.

My best to you.