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Old 11-27-2013, 10:15 PM
concussedlawyer concussedlawyer is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Chicago, Il
Posts: 91
10 yr Member
concussedlawyer concussedlawyer is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Chicago, Il
Posts: 91
10 yr Member
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Thanks for posting and I hope you find support, encouragement and some helpful ideas on this site.
I'm glad you have time off, it will be interesting to see how you feel. I suggest you keep a daily journal which really helps to track the multitude of symptoms. I think it also helps my psychologically to move on from the symptom.
Every concussion is different, but I can let you know what helped me. If you are waking up with a concussion hang-over it could be that you are not getting good sleep. There is a very high correlation between concussions and sleep disturbances such as central sleep apnea. My Neurologist who is wonderful and really understands PCS, made a point of telling me that sleep is critical to recovery. I had a sleep study and have been working with sleep docs, also neurologists, to deal with this issue. For me the treatment is a Cpap machine and meds.
I also had minor face and neck injuries with my concussion that I didn't figure out were contributing to my headaches and morning hangover for over a year. I am in PT for neck issues and I have been diagnosed with TMJ so I am working with a dentist to realign my jaw. Some mornings I wake up without the hangover, but often I still have a slight hangover but nothing like the first year. I have 2-3 cups of coffee and that helps and then I meditate which really helps to rid myself of the hangover and start concentrating-the strattera also helps with the concentration!
There are definitely things you can do to improve the condition, I keep a list of those things for when I despair. For me it is religiously taking my meds, using my C-pap machine,physical therapy/massage, limiting sugar, light exercise, vitamins, gentle stretching, meditating, cold compresses on my face, wearing sunglasses and noise cancelling headphones, limiting triggers-music, big box stores, airports, alcohol, parties, movies, excess computer time. I try to have fewer plans and first do what I need to do in a day, and constantly pare down my expectations of how much I will do in a day. I also build in recovery time. Everyone's concussion is different, but for me, life is more peaceful if I accept the reality of my health condition. I'm three years in and recovering but at a snails pace. Your recovery may be much quicker. But on my good days I have stopped waiting for the day when I am back to the old me. I now try to accept that I have a chronic health condition that limits some activity but is basically manageable if I spend enough time managing it.
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