Hi Joe,

I'm very sorry to hear about your current struggles.

Does the LA in your handle mean Los Angeles?

I live in Los Angeles.

I was in a car accident on the 10 FWY heading through downtown from the West Side to get to work and the concussion I sustained in the accident caused me to be home-bound for over a year. That was the first diagnosed concussion I ever had.

I also became weak from 6 months of bed rest until my second neurologist ordered a spinal tap which relieved me of having a very severe, ongoing headache that required me to live in the dark with total quiet during that 6 month period of bed rest. Her thinking was that I had an increase of intracranial pressure that wasn't able to be seen on the MRI.

Have you had an MRI yet? Have you had a CT?

What is the diagnosis of the headaches? Do they think it's migraines? Post-Traumatic Headache? Tension Headache? Anything specific?

Is there a specific location where your headaches are located?

Eventually, I was diagnosed with pituitary dysfunction. (When the pituitary glad is being pressed upon, like by an increase of intracranial pressure, it is very painful and is usually felt behind the eye.) Now that I'm taking hormone replacements I am finally getting better.

Since you have a history of concussions, I recommend that you see an endocrinologist to get your hormone levels tested. This can be problematic because most endos are not experienced with pituitary dysfunction that is caused by a concussion. My endo is on the West Side - he does not take insurance, but if you have a PPO you can be reimbursed for the visit.

Some pituitary damage can cause headaches that are often misdiagnosed for a long period of time.

I agree with Mark that you need at least light exercise if you can tolerate it.

When I returned to work, I worked a 12 hour week and increased very slowly and gradually. I am still only working 35 hours a week but I intend to increase to 37 or 38 in the next couple of months.

Does your neurologist have a lot of experience with multiple concussions?

There is a great concussion specialist program going on at UCLA that you might want to look into.

You definitely need to rest as much as possible and whenever your symptoms become exacerbated.

You are very lucky to have your mom there to help you through this.

I colored pages some and read very simple, short articles. Coloring books are made with adults in mind.

There are also some "brain injury" work books that you might be interested in working with...

After I got a little bit better, I also started watching some light TV as I could tolerate it (after enjoying a 10 year reprieve from TV for a more active lifestyle) to help keep myself entertained.

Are headaches the only symptom you are experiencing that is keeping you from living a more normal life?

What kinds of symptoms are you having that is preventing you from walking?

Do you have brain fog inside the head or physical headaches outside the head? (I hope this question makes sense...) And how painful is it? Or is it just debilitating and uncomfortable?