[wtrpk]

I finally have energy and I try to increase activity a tiny bit and wham..i'm a mess for the next day.

I just don't know how to occupy my day without overstimulating myself.

I want to get out tonight with my husband...but he's going out to lunch with a bunch of his friends....so the last thing he will want to do is go to dinner.

does anyone have a suggestion...where can he take me? I can't go to a movie, its still cold here in nj...

what can we do that isn't too stimulating??

I'm sooo sick of this!

[Kelly50179]

Don't force yourself into activity as soon as you feel decent. I know it can drive you crazy to sit inside the house, but there's no point in rushing into things if it leaves you feeling worse than before.

I was an extremely active 19 year old athlete and when I wake up feeling decent I tend to think I can conquer the world.. I usually push myself beyond my limits also, which leaves me feeling miserable.

My advice is when you finally have energy, cherish it, but don't act on it.. What's the point of increasing activity if the end result is backwards progress? It's been hard for me to put limits on myself but I just remind myself that my top priority is to get better and let my brain heal. Every time your symptoms are exacerbated, think of it as your brain telling you that it simply can't handle what you're putting it through. Give yourself a solid week of rest.. see where that takes you.

Baby steps!! Play card games or board games with family members, read (as much as you can handle), paint, organize some old photos, or take up a hobby you've always wanted to try. Hope this helps!! I'm 19 and currently living the lifestyle of a 90 year old.. but it's worth it! I've made tons of progress and hopefully you will too. Just remind yourself that there's no point in rushing into things.. Your main responsibility should be to get YOURSELF back, and the more you listen to your brain, the quicker that will happen.

[wtrpk]

I need to get out of this house for my sanity. I'm going sooo stir crazy.

Wouldn't a card game be too much thinking?

I feel all this weird tingling when I do anything that requires thinking...like going on the computer etc.

what progress have you made? when was your accident? Mine was 6 months ago from hitting my head at a waterpark with the kids!

And yes...so far as of today (its 2pm here) all I did was make lunch for the boys and read 15 pages in my book. ...oh..and drove to drop off one of the boys at the baseball field

I'm soooo bored and I just can't take it anymore. I just want to get out and socialize but that even leaves me with a blasted headache. I'm wondering what will happen when I go to the baseball games!!

[Kelly50179]

I know what you mean with that stir crazy feeling.. It's like a frustrated/energized/restless feeling all piled into one. I had that feeling the other day and drove 10 minutes and walked in a nice park I have nearby.. It helped. I almost prefer the exhausted fatigue/drowsy feeling over the restless feeling.

I also know that tingling you're referring to.. I would say avoid anything that triggers that. It's tough for me to think of things for you to do because almost anything seems to be too stimulating for your brain, yet you're having to deal with that restless feeling.

Maybe some friends could come over and visit.. I know I always love visitors. I understand your frustration and desire to socialize. Put on some relaxing music and meditate even though your brain is telling you otherwise.

My situation is a little different and my "concussion" was atypical. I play collegiate soccer and around mid-October I kept playing on a moderate concussion for a week (huge mistake) and my brain just couldn't take it anymore. My 'concussion' was actually a series of concussive and sub-concussive impacts, which can have the effect of receiving multiple concussions. I was released to run/workout in December because I was itching to train again (another huge mistake) and I relapsed completely. I had to take the semester off because I couldn't function in society, crying for hours at a time, among other things.

So I've been completely inactive since January, and I've made a lot of progress. A day in January consisted of waking up and feeling suicidal, crying for hours a day, that constant pressure feeling in my head, anxiety (a few panic attacks), drowsiness, sleep disturbances (waking up at 4 A.M some days and not being able to fall asleep until 6 A.M other days), cognitive issues (I scored around 40% worse than my baseline test), and attention/focus issues.

Progress: I took the ImpACT test and scored very similar to my baseline, so my cognitive issues are almost resolved completely. No panic attacks anymore. Anxiety only comes in certain situations. Depression and constant pressure feeling only come on bad days, and they are nowhere near the degree they were before. I've learned my limits that bring on that drowsiness and results in bad days, and do not push myself beyond them. The only things I still constantly struggle with are sleep disturbances and attention/focus issues but melatonin seems to help sometimes and I'm taking baby steps towards conquering my attention issues.

My progress came from resting. I remember how hard my days were in January, still cannot believe I got through it. What helps me is visualizing the person I would like to become, which is someone who can enjoy daily activities without feeling like complete sh** and then feeling completely miserable for the next few days.. which will only come from letting my brain heal through rest. I know your pain and frustration and I hope that rest will help you make progress as well. Don't be so hard on yourself!

[wtrpk]

you did nothing but lay in bed or couch? I couldn't do it again. I did that in Oct and Nov and didn't get very far ....I think the depression made me worse!!

I can't stand to be on the computer more than a few mins at a time...head just gets a weird tingly feeling

I even feel that way when I walk outside....say half mile.

Talking on the phone brings it on...even conversations with my family at the dinner table.

I can't do anything without bringing this weird feeling on.

[Kelly50179]

Yes, it was basically like being on bed rest. I usually sit outside in the sun on days I can't stand being inside. I never got bored though because it was all my brain could handle. But now that I'm starting to feel better I do a bit more but still never past my limit to where I feel that feeling in my head.

I want to get back to the person I was, and although people say that it's nearly impossible.. I am going to do it. As hard as it may be to rest, your brain needs it from what you are saying. I guess you have to be willing to force yourself to rest even if it's the last thing you want to do if you want to make progress quicker.