This is my first posting of a new thread, so I'm hoping I am doing it right. It's taken me several sessions to write this as I can only work for a short bit at a time. I'll explain everything that happened to me....my main question is when does this all go away? Will it really take a whole year? I'm so over it and ready to move on with my life. I'm an active work all day- activities every evening and every weekend person...and it's all come to a complete halt!

Does laying flat help everyone? (My aunt is an RN and suspects a CSF leak because laying flat alleviates my symptoms)...Doc said it's possible, but hard to test and hard to treat.

I've had several concussion and they weren't like this at all. I can shake off concussions. I was hospitalized when I was 4 and was unconscious for several hours....and I fully recovered. Thrown off a horse at 8, concussion, and fully recovered. Large heavy box fell out of attic onto my head at 18, concussion, and fully recovered. Car accident at 21, concussion, and fully recovered. Wakeboarding accident at 35, concussion, and fully recovered (Puking and headache lasted a little longer than the others). I was raised that you "Suck it up" and get on. Thus, I was able to do all these times.

Now....40.....someone got behind my heels....fell over them backwards....landed on the back of my head on a concrete floor. Out for a bit...come to confused...difficulty walking and talking, but whatever- I'm fine. Friends call husband who takes me to ER....ER says concussion, follow up with Primary Care Doctor. No big deal. In bed, puking starts through the night and the next morning...go to primary care. Neurological tests not so good....can't pinch right fingers together, problems with speech and gait, confusion, headache, nausea, vommitted in doctor office, blurry vision, dizziness. Doc says should go away in a couple weeks.

A couple weeks?? I shrug these things off in a couple days. Tried painkillers, amitriptiline prescribed....all meds make me sicker and dizzier...side effects not worth it. Laying flat and advil help. Went back to doc 2 weeks later, insisted on going back to work. Yes all symptoms are still there, but I'm not puking any more and I can pinch my fingers, so let me get on with life. At work- holding onto walls to walk. Every light hurts, every sound hurts, every conversation hurts...soon co-worker says somehting's wrong....slurring speech, can't walk, don't remember names of relatives to call. Can't remember what street I live on when they drive me home.

Back to doc. Doc says yes something's wrong- you've had a brain injury. Diagnosed with post Concussive syndrom. Doc orders MRI- shows "leisions in white matter that may be related to brain truama"...Doc tries to get me to in patient facility for brain injury. They say no because it's not severe injury.

Friend is chiropractor- adjusts neck and brings me fish oil (1,000 DHA, 500 EPA), B-complex (50 mg Thiamine, 50 mg Riboflavin, 50 mg Niacin, 25 mg B-6, 165 mcg Folate, 50 mcg B-12, 50 mcg Biotin, 50 mg Pantothenic Acid, 49 mg Choline), 4,000IU D3, and Curcumin with bioperine.

Nerologist referall 2 months after fall. Still haven't been able to leave house due to overstimulation. Everything makes symptoms worse, sounds, lights, conversation, thinking, standing up.....having overstimulation issues, headache, dizziness, nausea, blurry vision, ear pain and pressure, neck pain, short term memory loss, confusion, insomnia, inability to multi task, slow processing and talking. Neurologist spends 10 minutes with me- said he didn't have time to look over medical records or read daily journal, but has treated concussion many times, even for football players and knows exactly what I need. All symptoms due to anxiety and magic pill called Cymbalta will make all symtoms go away and I'll be healed in 6 months. If I don't take Cymbalta, it will heal but more like one year. Sends referrral for Physical Therapy for upper neck injury, Cognitive Therapy, Neuro-Psychologist, Neur-Opthomologist. Cymbalta makes me worse feeling- like I was on chemo....or how people describe chemo....achy, didn't care to get out of bed, dizzy. Stop taking Cymbalta.

We are now 4 months out....

Neuro-ophthamologist confirms blurry vision- all other tests okay. Currently making me temporary glasses for the blurry vision with a rose colored tint for the light sensitivity. Says blurry vision will go away in 6-12 months when brain heals.

Neuro-pscyhologist test test validity "normal effort", Overall low-average range 13th percentile. WHAT????? I have a master's degree and had straight A's all through high school, college, and graduate school!!!!!!!! Working memory "Severely Impaired range". Average range for auditory comprehension, NAB Memory test moderately impaired range 4th percentile. Visual Spacial and Executive Functions average.

Physical Therapy twice a week for upper neck issues. Exercises daily.

Cognitive therapy test results impaired range 21/30 on the MoCA. Cognitive therapy twice a week.

Besides the vitamins, I do my neck exercises, light yoga stretches, and am up to walking 1/4 mile a day on the treadmill in 10 minutes (before symptoms get too bad and I can't go on), I sleep 7 hours a night. With melatonin, I can sleep 8 hours, but it gives me a headache. I have always eaten Paleo and am trying to switch to Keto.

Yes, I've seen small improvements, but not like I can go back to work and back to my life....URG!!!

So- does this really take a year to get better? I want my life back!!! I can't leave the house or my brain shuts down and I have difficulty walking, talking, processing, headache, nausea, dizziness. I go to appointments and that's all and even that takes everything out of me and I have to rest. Is there anything else I can be doing? This WILL ALL go away, RIGHT??????