Quote:
Originally Posted by Canadoc
Your right, we sound like a pair of book-ends! Thanks for sharing your story. If this stuff sounds like group therapy, it's because it is! There is clearly something therapeutic about this site when personal struggles are so easily understood by others.
In my little world of medicine, there are many symptoms I can push through or medicate when I'm having a bad day(s)...which usually follows that wee bump to the head. However the one that I find tough is the reduced cognitive stamina.....feeling mentally exhausted by noon but knowing I have a full afternoon of patients to see. The only thing that helps is a few weeks of healing. Drugs don't seem to have a great place here.
I've been fortunate to be able to work knowing full well that things could have turned out very different. I am humbled when I read people's daily struggles on this blog. When I'm discouraged about not being able to exercise (as I once could), I'm quickly reminded of the many PCS sufferers who barely to make it through a day. Getting discouraged is effortless when you see your career path face, what seems, so many insurmountable hurdles. I'm sorry to hear that your semester has been derailed by a trivial head bump (I completely relate to your story and symptoms). With regards to your law degree though, sometimes seeing the finish line is not the immediate priority. It's like the spiral staircase of a house. You don't have to see the second floor to know you're going to get there. You just have to see the next step and trust you are going in the right direction. We both live day to day with the uncertainty of when the next minor bump will turn our lives upside down again. I constantly remind myself that things always improve with time. Hopefully, your symptoms will settle quickly. But it is what it is. Something as important as being patient during the recovery from the physical and cognitive symptoms is maintaining a hopeful and positive mental attitude in the wake of disappointment. All too often, that little voice in our head gravitates to the "dark side". Tonto once explained to the Lone Ranger that there were two barking dogs in his head. The one he fed the most barked the loudest.
Although I've spent a lot of time researching PCS and consulting with colleagues, the effort has been more to understand my symptoms as opposed to find a solutions. Thus far, accelerating the return of cognitive stamina after an injury remains elusive. Stay tuned and keep in touch. Canadoc
|
Thanks for the encouraging note, Canadoc. I know that staying positive is paramount in order to recover, and I am fortunate to be experiencing slow and steady improvement. I have found that woodworking is a great activity that I can pursue in between vestibular and vision therapies. I can get my heart rate up to 165 now on the elliptical machine without bringing on excessive symptoms, although I went to an NBA playoff game last week and felt on overload of stimulation. I also felt like I was going to pass out on a walk the following evening after a long day of doing stuff, so I guess it depends on the day and circumstances.
A couple interesting developments have been revealed by my blood work recently. My vitamin B, vitamin D, and cholesterol are all extraordinarily low (Total Cholesterol is 101; Triglycerides: 30; HDL (good): 74; LDL (bad): 21). Do you know if having too low cholesterol can affect brain health? I forget the exact vitamin B and vitamin D numbers, but they are well below the typical range. One doctor thinks my bloodwork in conjunction with my PCS symptoms could actually be an indication of Lyme disease, so I got tested for Lyme disease but I am still awaiting the results.
Regarding alternative treatments, I am considering trying hyperbaric oxygen. I am reading Dr. Harch's book, "The Oxygen Revolution," about using hyperbaric oxygen to treat PCS. It reviews some fascinating studies on the effectiveness of HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen treatment). HBOT appeals to me because I have always said that my PCS symptoms make my brain feel like it's not getting enough oxygen. I know that traditional, old-school neurologists belittle HBOT treatment as a snake oil solution with no evidence behind it, but I think recent studies that implement SPECT brain imaging can objectively show an improvement in oxygenating the brain and seem to have a real effect in helping the symptoms for combat veterans. Do you have any thoughts or experience with HBOT?