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Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho
Shane,
Welcome to NeuroTalk. You can to the right place for good information.
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Thanks Mark - it's good to be here.
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Yes, a concussion can have lasting symptoms. Wiki is dead wrong but that is common for most of the medical establishment when concussion is the issue.
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OK, thanks. Here is something else I just read on Wikipedia: "Even a mild injury can sometimes result in a serious disability that will interfere with a person’s daily functioning and personal activities for the rest of their life."
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"Even a mild incident can have long term effects or cause symptoms to appear years later."
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You ongoing symptoms may be all from your concussion or they may be due to a combination of causes.
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I (and my doctors) have ruled out just about everything else. My blood work was normal and I do not have a thyroid problem or sleep disorder. Aside from the "head symptoms", I am quite healthy.
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You need for sleep may mean you are not sleeping properly. By that I mean, your brain does not get the full cycles of sleep including REM sleep. It is only during REM sleep that true brain rest and rejuvenation occurs.
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This was an angle my doctor and I considered. In fact, I was even prescribed a low dose of an antidepressant for its sleep-aiding qualities. It turns out that no matter the duration and quality of my sleep, my problems remain.
From Wikipedia:
"Mental fatigue is a common debilitating experience and may not be linked by the patient to the original (minor) incident. Narcolepsy and sleep disorders are common misdiagnoses."
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Tell us about your sleep. Do you have dreams? Are they pleasant or stressful? Do you wake up refreshed, ready to take on the day? Or do you wake up with tired eyes and need caffeine to keep them open?
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Objectively speaking, my sleep is fine. I dream plenty, and I would say the majority of my dreams are neutral or pleasant. However, I wake up feeling lousy and that feeling doesn't really fade as the day progresses.
Btw, I don't drink caffeine because I heard it's not good for people like us.
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Have you ever had a neuro-psychological assessment? You might benefit from one to help you understand your symptoms and brain dysfunctions. Then you will be better able to plan your life. High intelligence is rarely severely impacted by concussion. Instead, the person just needs to learn new ways of using that intelligence.
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I would see a neuropsychologist if I thought it would be worth it. But based on the phone consultation I had, there is not much that can be done about the mental fatigue which is my single biggest problem.
In recent years I've come to acquire much more insight into the subtleties of my condition. Experience has taught me just what my abilities and limitations are.
Thanks again...