Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho
ProAgonist,
Welcome to NeuroTalk.
No, you did not get a concussion from chewing the popcorn kernels. Your dentist will tell you to not chew the 'old maids,' as the unpopped kernels are often called.
You sound very anxious. That is not good for your recovery. It sounds like you read a bit about Second Impact Syndrome online. Although Second Impact Syndrome can be dangerous, it is highly unlikely you are at risk for it. It does not sound like your first concussion was severe enough to put you at risk of Second Impact Syndrome.
Stay away from video games. They are too stressful on a concussed brain. On a 1-10 scale, how bad are your head aches ? Do you take anything to relieve the pain ? Is your neck stiff or tender at all ?
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Hi, and thank you for the reply!
Yes, I am very anxious. I suffer from OCD and also health OCD (hypochondria). My OCD is genetic and wasn't caused by the concussion, but after the concussion I'm very gentle with touching my head and sometimes afraid I might use too much force and concuss myself.
On a 1-10 scale, my headaches are about 4 (decreasing gradually since the concussion). 1 week after the concussion it was 8. That's nice to know the headaches are going away, but sadly my inability to focus hasn't changed at all since the second concussion and I feel dazed and confused. I take Advil to reduce the pain and it works wonders! But I don't think taking Advil on a regular basis is a good idea, so I hope there's a decrease in the headaches soon.
Yes, I have read online about Second Impact Syndrome. My second concussion was much milder than the first, but I still felt really bad after it for a few hours.
The second concussion was when I stood at the side of a basketball field, and someone missed with the ball and accidentally threw it very strong to the wall. I moved quickly and it didn't hit me, but a few seconds later it fell on my head (bad luck, so much bad luck...). It wasn't as strong as the first one, but I've still heard that a second concussion significantly increases the chance you'll never heal. I think about it every day and it bugs me - I didn't play basketball to avoid a concussion, stood at the side and still got hit - how did I have such bad luck? I'm really afraid that the second concussion means I'll never recover, since I've read that second/third concussions greatly reduce your chances to ever heal.
And when I ate the kernels and they broke between my teeth and my head had shaken, I felt bad and dizzy afterwards, kind of similar to what I felt after my second concussion.
Also, what do you think about my second concussion? Will it really mean I'll never heal? I still get depressed thinking about how much bad luck I had when a basketball hit my head just 10 days after having a concussion!
And about the other symptoms - my working memory is slowly improving as well as the headaches that are reducing. Sadly, the confusion, daze and inability to focus stayed exactly as they were after the concussion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CovertBlack
I'm new here, but I can let you know a little about how I sustained second impact injury. I received three concussions in close succession, but each were very hard hits that alone would have caused a concussion. In the beginning my symptoms were very pronounced, but improved over time. The neurologist I saw told me time was the best available healing method. Give it some time, and go from there. Try not to stress too much about it until your brain has had time to heal.
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Thank you for you reply.
I'm glad to hear your symptoms were improving after 3 concussions (gives me hope because I've had 2 concussions, the second being milder than the first). Improvement is a good thing, but even though I have hope that things can improve, I'm seriously worried it'll not fully improve and I'll never return to be the same person I was. I'll be happy even if the recovery takes a year and a bit, but I want to at least eventually recover. My hopes to recover went down a lot after my second concussion, though.
So do you think my second concussion is serious (a basketball falling on my head from about 2-2.5 meters height)? Do you think it'll strongly impair my chances to fully recover?