Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho

islesftw,

What made you think you needed to go to a walk-in clinic and further, to a neuro ?

If you are thinking, "I bumped my head. I must have caused a brain injury. I need a doctor to tell me how bad. " it sounds like you have developed an obsession with head contacts. It is not uncommon but the concern is misplaced. The treatment of concussion is based on the symptoms, not the impact. And, only some symptoms can be treated, headache, vestibular, etc.

I have lived with the symptoms you describe for 40 years. About 20 years ago, they became strong enough that I decided to make a career change and simplify my life. I went from a situation with employees and lots of balls in the air at the same time with limited opportunity to 'stop and think' to no employees and freedom to 'stop and think' when I needed to.

I learned to use 'stop and think' in many situations. I am slower to speak because I stop and think before I speak in a group when the subject is complex. You comment about processing being off and learning and comprehending seeming slower suggest you need to learn to stop and think. That means clearing your thoughts of the multiple stimuli so you can focus on just one.

The ability to multi-tasking may be considered a strength but research shows that multitasking takes a toll on the brain. We keep our brain healthier when we do not multitask. We limit fatigue, depression, anxiety, etc. and increase accuracy. Simplifying your environment and thought processes will help your memory. You are likely not focusing on them so what they say is not storing in memory. In other words, you are not stopping to think about what they are saying.

The common caffeine driven culture of communicating tends to be this way. Plus, smart phones have changed the way we track our friends. The overwhelming amount of communication 'clutter' that comes in texts and 'social networking' create a change in the social fabric. The intimacy of face to face gets lost. If this is happening to you, some of your social struggles may not be just PCS but rather a change in how people communicate. There are many who have never had a concussion who struggle to sort through and keep track of friends with current trends of communicating.

We used to communicate on the phone where it was one on one or in person where we see the other person's lips as they talked. This greatly enhances our ability to process what is being communicated. Now, people tend to use anonymous communicating. Emails, texts, tweets, Facebook updates, and such have taken the place of more intimate, face to face contacts.

We end up with far more superficial communications to sort though. This cluttered communicating is difficult for healthy brains to follow. PCS brains have an even tougher time.

So, try to look at how you may have changed communicating. Maybe you can adjust that and encourage your friends to do the same. Many have found they need to disconnect from electronic communicating.

btw, For context with your struggles, Are you a male or female ? There are differences with how males and females experience PCS.

Just a thought and observation.

My best to you.