Long story, here it goes.

I suffered a concussion exactly six years ago. I got hit on the top of the head by a cell phone that was thrown in the air. I never lost consciousness or felt dizzy or anything like that but in the days following I showed classic concussion symptoms.

I went to a neurologist who officially diagnosed me with a mild concussion.

The initial symptoms took about a month to clear and within six months I would say I was fully recovered.

That’s where the real problems began.

I became hyper sensitive to any touch to the head or startle in general. If I didn’t get a full nights sleep I couldn’t function because I felt like my brain was going to be compromised.

I saw a different neurologist and she passed these off as anxiety. I said alright and went about my life, still trying to navigate around these symptoms.

This continued for about 2-3 years until a particular incident where I got into a loud argument with a relative. The argument lasted about 30 minutes and afterward I felt like I was on another planet. The startle response was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Usually it would resolve itself within a few hours, this time it took me literally a month to start feeling like myself again.

Ever since, the slightest bit of startle has caused me worlds of difficulty. The most minute thing sets me off.

After about a year of this, I finally had enough and said F it, whatever happens happens. I stopped being so cautious about everything and got two jobs, including one as a summer camp counselor. Everything was pretty good up until the very end of the summer when a co worker went to yell at a child and ended up doing so right in my ear.

I got the same exact feeling I had with the argument with the relative, only this time it was worse. I tried to fight through for about two days until it was absolutely unbearable. It was at this point my brain “shut down” and I had trouble communicating for almost a week. I could think of words to say but as soon as I attempted to actually dictate them I could never get more than a sentence out at a time. Thank goodness this eventually subsided but I was again stuck in the cycle of avoidance.

Fast forward to October, right before my birthday. I had started feeling better again when one day in the shower I poked myself in the head while washing my hair. This had happened before and I had trained myself not to overreact. Sounds were my main problem, not actual touches.

So I went to bed and felt fine the next day. However, the following day I had a searing headache right in the spot I poked, and it was immensely exacerbated by any use of my right hand. Throughout my PCS, headaches were something I had never gotten, oddly enough.

After a few days of laying in bed unable to do anything, I set up an appointment with another neurologists, this time one in Manhattan. Manhattan is home to some of the best doctors in the world and this guy was considered top class. I explained to him my situation and he said it’s highly unlikely that all these symptoms are actually related to the concussion and most likely they’re all anxiety related.

He ordered a wide array of test. CAT Scan, MRI with contrast, EEG, EKG, ultrasound, blood and urine. They all came back clean, exemplary in fact. So he diagnosed it as general anxiety disorder and advised me to see a shrink.

It was around this time that the headaches started to subside. I felt better and was excited about the holidays. Until a week ago.

I was walking home from my local mall carrying a bag of Christmas presents when about halfway through I got that headache again. Furthermore, when I got home my relatives were playing very loud music, something that initially was a trigger but I had learned to deal with.

The combination of the two sent me back to a shell. Luckily, it subsided within about two days until after helping someone move some chairs, it returned.

It seems like carrying things is a trigger.

What I simply cannot understands is if all this is indeed startle response, why the headache? The headache was not a symptom of the initial concussion so why would it present itself now? And why in the exact spot that I poked myself?

I’m having great difficulty even typing this, as the trigger with my hands, specially my right is back in full force. The headache is also concentrated on the right side of my head.

The only relief I can seem to get is when I press down on the area outside my ear that connects the ear to the jaw. A nerve is located here which leads me to believe it may be a nerve issue, but then why would it be triggered by a poke and lifting?

The whole thing makes little sense and is incredibly frustrating. The intitial impact was mild and so long ago, why do these things keep happening?

I just want to get on with my life. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.