I used to be very active before I sustained a concussion in an auto accident. That was 20 months ago. I experienced a serious complication from the concussion called increased intracranial pressure, iicp, which forced me to be on about 6 months of bed rest. The bed rest caused most of my muscles to atrophy.

Ever since the iicp was relieved with a spinal tap in Jan '11, I have been trying to increase my strength and stamina.

When I physically exert myself, sometimes doing the most banal things, like unloading the dishwasher, my cognitive functioning, speech and grammar will all degrade. I can also feel a little dizzy and/or lightheaded as well.

I included my history to just let you know that what's happening to me might not be related to what's happening to you, because my case might be considered more medically complex... but it's some of the same symptoms regardless.

I've tried to figure out what's going on and some of the research I've done has indicated that brains that are recovering from a concussion must work harder to think and therefore take more energy to do the same tasks as before... everything takes more energy. And that lightheadedness and dizziness can be caused by fatigue that is caused by the concussion. So perhaps you and I are both experiencing these symptoms for the same reason after all.