Quote:
Originally Posted by copper
I posted several months ago now and appreciate everyones support and responses to my first post. I wanted to update my condition and see if others have experienced similiar personality changes.
My car accident occurred in Jan 2008 and I was diagnosed with PTSD and PCS shortly afterward. My headaches continue to be ongoing and havent really improved since the accident. Always an ache behind my rt eye which seems to now get worse thru the day, likely a function of the 30mg Elavil I take at bedtime wearing off. I tried Topamax for a few months but recently went off it as it was all side effects and no headache relief.....my hair fell out like crazy, weight loss, and a problem with nervousness also.
I went thru Neuropsych Testing in June which revealed mild impairments in Attention and Memory. My neurologist just referred me to a Acquired Brain Injury clinic so I am very excited to be going somewhere with doctors who are specialists in this area.
Over the last several months I have been experiencing some personality changes. I am angry a lot of the time and if not angry then at the very least confrontational. When the anger does come it feels like I have no control over it. My wife says that I am like a different person since the accident. The neurologist said it is a symptom and will go away with time. I worry about the impact it is having on my wife and kids.
It is probably the scariest thing for me. I am wondering if it is a product of the head injury or merely a result of having all my normal routines taken from me + an almost constant headache......
Before the accident I exercised a lot. Running, martial arts, weights, calisthenics, and competed as a martial artist in submission grappling. Now I am unable to exercise, or even have sex, without making the headache worse.
I wonder if I had my normal life back if the personality changes would still be there?
Anyone with similiar experiences with extreme anger?
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I don't know if my experience will help you or frustrate you. I was involved in a car accident in Sept 03 and substained serious TBI. They said I was about a 7 of 10 at the time. It has been 5 years now and I am still helaing. Many things have healed over time but many things have not. My memory loss got a lot better. I used to would start up town and find myself on the side of the road trying to figure out why I left the house in the first place. That has completly passed after about 16-18 months. Personality changes are a given. I to find myself often easily angered for very minor reasons. My 2 biggest complaints have been severe Migraines and Insomnia. I have found a doctor that specializes in Migraines and TBI induced migraines. I am on several medicines and though at times I feel like I am living out of a pharmacy but the migraines are for the most part controlable with a strict diet. The key that I have found out is that you must get sleep to avoid the migraines. I am on the following meds if this helps anyone. 1st Zoloft for the depression. Verapamil as a migraine preventative. Ativan for anziety attacks. We swaped the elavil for trazadone to help with sleep. But i am also taking Ambien when needed and seroquel on a nightly basis. For the first time since the wreck I am sleeoing 8-9 hours a night and rarely have a migraine. I still have hope that I am going to get better since I have seen improvement over time. The best advice that I can give is take your doctor's estimate on healing and double if your case was severe.