I've never really related my story here at NeuroTalk, so here it goes...

The year was 1972 and I was riding in a car with my parents, on our way back home from a weekend with friends. I was 13 years old, and the next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital room with my leg in a brace. They told me I had a dislocated hip and severe concussion.

Eventually, I found out that we were in a head on collision that killed both my parents. Consequently, my trauma was two fold, physical and mental, and of course at 13 I had no idea what was going on. I learned later that I had been unconscious, in a coma, for six days. I was given EEG tests and they seemed concerned about my memory for some reason, and I can remember the technician telling me that I was much better. The hip took awhile to heal, and I spent the summer in a body cast which prevented me from sitting up. I mention that because the focus of my recovery became learning to walk again. I saw neurologists for two years, but all that amounted to was interviews for 10 minutes or so, no treatment, just observation.

Fast forward 40 years and the topic of concussions was in the news because of a high profile hockey player, Sydney Crosby. His recovery issues got me wondering if I could find more information on concussions. So, I went to Google to investigate, and there was information, all kinds of info: I learned about Post Concussion Syndrome (PCS) and the symptoms associated with the condition. That's when I realized what I had endured for the entirety of my adult life.

At times I feel a little guilty because I've been lucky enough not to have many of the difficult issues that others on this board have described. My doctor at the time said I was very lucky (???) to have survived at all, and that my young age was the reason I was still alive. I accept that. What I have difficulty accepting, is that a number of doctors over the years kept telling me that there's nothing wrong. Happily, that is now in the past.

At WWW.HEADINJURY.COM is a list of various impairments that can occur with a brain injury. The reason I spell it out here is so that I do not forget when I see a neurologist, in order to get off to a running start, hopefully. Thanks Mark!

The following is cut/paste from WWW.HEADINJURY.COM, simply because two finger typing is slow. For the following list I've included every symptom I have had difficulty with at one time or another, many of the impairments come and go, and some are persistent.

Impairments:
Memory problems
Difficulty concentrating
Attention Difficulties
Easily Distracted
Misplacing or difficulty tracking things
Difficulty making decisions
Difficulty solving problems
Difficulty understanding spoken instructions
Difficulty understanding written instructions
Difficulty finding words
Difficulty communicating thoughts / feelings
Unintentionally repeating the same remarks
Unintentionally repeating same activities
Stuttering or stammering
Difficulties doing simple math
Impaired abstraction or literalness
Mental rigidity
Deficits in processing information
Deficits in sequencing information
Difficulty executing or doing things
Difficulty starting or initiating things
Difficulty handling work requirements
Difficulty handling school requirements
Having to check and re-check what you do
Disoriented by slight changes in daily routine
Unsure about things that you know well
Difficulty learning new things
Doing things slowly to insure correctness
Decreased capacity for reality testing
Impaired ability to appreciate details
Impaired ability to benefit from experience
Inappropriate responses to people & things
Difficulty taking care of your self
Difficulty taking care of children
Impaired sense of self
Easily agitated or irritated
Easily startled
Feelings of paranoia
Spells of terror or panic
Feelings of depression
Feelings of shame or guilt
Persistent anxiety
Anxiousness or feelings of fear and dread
Feelings of discouragement
Withdrawal or social isolation
Feeling others not appreciating your difficulties
Feeling everything is an effort
Feeling inept or worthless
Worrisome thoughts won't leave your mind
Making up explanations for things
Insensitive to others and social context
Diminished insight
Mood swings
Having urges to beat, injure or harm someone
Shouting or throwing things
Temper outbursts that you could not control
Ringing in ears
Easily fatigued
Numbness or tingling in parts of your body
Weakness or loss of strength
Feeling tense or keyed up
Restlessness, unable to sit still
Lessened ability to perform physically
Decreased tolerance for alcohol and drugs
Passivity, or submissiveness
Apathy, lack of interest or emotion
Overly sensitive
Discouragement or demoralization
Increased emotional distress
Chronic frustration
Childishness
Silliness
Irresponsibility
Slowed reaction time
Difficulty relaxing
Twitching
Sensitivity to sound or noise
Sensitivity to light

Having said all of that, as a final note I'll add that I have seen recent improvements in some of those areas. I am on a vitamin regimen as suggested by Mark and that has helped with the brain fog, concentration and memory somewhat too.

With hope and a lighter heart,
Jamie