hubajube25,
Welcome to NeuroTalk.
At first glance, I don't think these events are related to your J/V concussion. Did you continue to play football and hit/tackle hard after your freshman year ?
I did play football through my junior year, but turned in my pads for lacrosse pads, not much better, I know. I don't recall too many other bell ringers, but not to say they didn't happen.
Regarding the cognitive/memory issues, in many cases, when these are temporary manifestations of symptoms, they are related to anxiety. But, you don't note anything that would point that direction. They could be 'silent migraines.' These are migraines that have no or minimal pain but cause other neurological symptoms. The ability to speak correctly yet sense thought struggles is very odd. Usually, speech is impacted by thinking and the first symptom to manifest. In my case, I can know what I am trying to say but can't get the words to come out correctly.
The hydration issue may be valid.
Thanks for that. Confession time: I drink Diet Dr. Pepper like water. Truth be told that most water I get is in the form of the ice I use in my drink of choice. No denial here. I got a problem with this one.
My wife gets on me and I acknowledge I need to right this ship.
I doubt you will get much interest from most doctors. They may do a Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) to check memory function. Maybe a CT Scan to rule out things that could be serious but are very unlikely. Docs like to over-use CT Scans to protect themselves from liability.
Something that may be worth doing would be a treadmill stress test with a MMSE before and after.
It might be worthwhile to take an aspirin 325 mgs, twice a day to see if thinning your blood makes a difference. Dehydration and other issues can make blood thick and reduce brain blood flow. But, that would usually be chronic, not sporadic.
Good tip. I have popped some aspirin, but getting over 40 should begin making this more of a daily regimen.
A NeuroPsych Assessment could give you a thorough idea of your cognitive abilities. They are expensive and would usually require an MD to refer to the Neuro Psychologist.
The sporadic nature of these events is a challenge. Post Concussion Syndrome symptoms can be triggered by moments of anxiety.
Some would suggest keeping a journal with diet, sleep, stress events and exertion tracked. Journal keeping can backfire by causing too much focus on every little symptom. One can start to obsess over symptoms that may have been sporadic for years. Once we start focusing on these issues and even looking for them, they are bound to be noted.
So, now you have even more questions to consider. Nothing sounds serious so please do not obsess on these issues. You would be surprised to know how many of us live with these same symptoms and have for years without them being a major problem.
My best to you.