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Member
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Columbus
Posts: 304
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Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Columbus
Posts: 304
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It will get better!
I know you must feel frustrated. I remember feeling that way myself. I have ADHD, so a lot of my symptoms did seem like a worsening of what I already had (which is part of why it took so long for me to get diagnosed) but then there were others that were totally new. I read more slowly, couldn't process more than one thing at a time, and couldn't concentrate with any amount of background noise. Before PCS, I was a really fast and avid reader, and I couldn't concentrate without background noise! In grad school, I used to go to bars or loud coffee shops to study, and I got straight As. When my cognitive function was restored, that was how I knew for sure that I was back to my normal. I found myself on Lumosity.com playing memory games with the tv on and did just as well as with the tv off!
That brings me to how I feel I recovered. I think Lumosity was key. I was able to track my progress and see myself getting better, which was really encouraging. I cant say whether or not the games themselves caused my improvement. It feels like it did, but i dont know that there are scientific studies to back this up yet. That said, you have to be very careful with how much time you spend on the computer. I overdid it and set myself back to worse than right after my August 28th car accident. If you're doing any vision therapy, I would talk to them about it before doing any of the games. Some of the games might be too much to handle while doing vision therapy. I know I couldn't do them right now!
Journal writing also helped me monitor my progress. I know you say writing is hard for you, but I can't tell that from your posts. As my own harshest critic, I know it's easy to see the worst in yourself sometimes, but honestly, you are being too hard on yourself!
I also think rest was essential to my recovery, but you probably know that! Any way you can lower your stress level, do it! I found i would get super anxious if i tried to meditate, but found an hour and a half of tv in the afternoon to be very relaxing. I know others will think this counterproductive, but it wasn't for me, at least at that time.
I also think that the headaches I endured exaggerated my cognitive symptoms, and once I got those under control, my cognitive symptoms started to improve rapidly!
Good luck to you!
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I have recovered my cognitive function, and I've overcome severe vertigo through sensory integration therapy. Wellbutrin has helped me escape depression. I have recently had a few stress-related migraines, as well as headaches stemming from eye strain. I'm also dealing with tinnitus, lack of stamina, extreme light sensitivity, and eye pain. Diagnosed with 9 different vision issues: convergence insufficiency, pursuit eye movement deficit, egocentric visual midline shift, photophobia, visual information processing delays, accommodative insufficiency, saccadic eye movement deficit, lack of coordination, and central peripheral visual integration deficit.
*First concussion: October 2010. I was pregnant and got rear ended. I associated my mild PCS symptoms with baby brain and blamed my light sensitivity on allergies and dry eyes.
*Second concussion: December 2011. I hit my head on a wooden beam, saw stars but did not lose consciousness, and I had very disturbing PCS symptoms but didn't go to the doctor.
*Third concussion: August 2012. I caused a car accident as a result of PCS symptoms. Thankfully no one was injured but me. My husband confronted me, and I finally sought help and took medical leave from work. My symptoms worsened, and I developed severe vertigo.
*Fourth concussion: November 2012. I was riding in a car with a friend and we were hit head on by a driver who lost control of her car. I didn't have a big increase in PCS symptoms.
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