Welcome to the forum. You are not alone. I will relate some of my experiences in the hope that they help.

I am also female, early 40s. My accident happened over a year ago. I was rushing to a meeting and fell due to a loose paver. Like you, I too landed on my head.

For me, I spent the first few months in denial and trying to push through the injury. Pushing though is not an option: I found that out the hard way. You are already one step ahead by actively dealing with the injury. It took me over six months to come to the conclusion that I had a severe injury.

I had and have many of the same symptoms. For me, getting associated with a good medical team (neurologist, TBI specialist, and TBI rehab team) has helped. I live near a major city and am lucky to have one of the nation's best hopsital systems available to me. Searching out the specialists and working with the insurance companies is very exhausting. Unfortunately it is something that must be done. Hopefully, you have a partner to help you with this process.

From your description of your symptoms, some of your problem might be vestibular. An ENT might be able to diagnosis this issue. I'll let others weigh in this one.

Large groups/crowds are unbearable for me too. Wearing sunglasses and earplugs has helped. If too much stimuli is added to my environment, I suffer from extreme overload and horrible headaches.

The emotions are hard to handle. Read the TBI Guide as it is part of the process I have done my share of crying and expect more to come in the future. Now, every day, I thank God I am alive and try to cope with this new life. Humour helps. Familiy and friends help. This forum helps.

Best wishes,