I had 2 unconscious + concussive episodes in 2008. One I fell out of a tree putting the kids swing up - lost consciousness for less then 20 seconds - they withnessed it, and then 3 months later I was in a violent roll over accident on rainy roads. I lost consciousness for seconds according to my teenage son who was also there, but other than a deep cut to the top of my head and neck pain I thought I was fine. I started having increased headaches, insomnia that was way more than an inconvenience as I would lay awake for days, literally without so much as a yawn. I also had about that time developed a critical high blood -usually 160/110-120(I have never smoked, done drugs, nor do i drink). I had at least 3 concussions within 5 years. One an angry samoan fella about 10 times my size got angry and slammed my head to the basketball floor, knocking me unconscious for over a minute. I refused the hospital being a stubborn man. Another in basketball and one in softball (what can I say, I go all out?). Then the 2 in 2008.

I fainted once in the bathroom about 1 month after the 2008 auto accident, but never again that I know of. Maybe had a seizure. My wife heard me fall, I was against the door, and she couldn't wake me or move the door, small town medics put me IN BED and left me at home. I woke up about 6 hours later with no recollection of anything. Seizure? Don't know. No history of anything.

I am a PA-C and from a medical point of view, my wife describes some kind of post-ictal like phase after the fainting.

More importantly my personality dramtically changed and I can almost pinpoint it. Very impulsive, very poor decision making, quick to anger (but never violent) and argumentive, and incredible fatigue at times. This has lasted a until now, when in March I was diagnosed also with hyperthyroidism. I have some residual heart issues as they think it went on too long. I still have incredible, incredible insomnia. I also have the most wicked incredible sense of smell since the accident (I even called Dr Billy Goldberg on XM talk radio once at is was driving me - and my family crazy).

My family teases me as I can smell a dirty towel even before the front door is open and know there is one SOMEWHERE in the house. This makes me really crazy as I think it adds to my insomnia as I smell everything even in my sleep. The hyperthyroid - which is typically worse sooner than a low thyroid, cause has not been found. Pituitary and thyroid was okay. Vision had also changed overnight, couldn't even read my credit cards suddenly. but has improved with some thyroid treatment. What about damage to the hypothalamus?

I am a bit perplexed. I also have a low cortisol, a low potassium, and a low testosterone for 2 years now. The testosterone never improves, the others sometimes.

I need to follow up on this but I do not know who would see me, who would help. Any idea, anyone? I am in AZ

My suggestion is find a good Neurologist and give him every detail. Write it all down before you go make sure that all the records from any testing or procedures you have had done. He will know what testing and procedures need to be done to find out for sure what can be done to make sure that nothing too serious is wrong with you, and can also see if there is any meds or treatments that can help you heal or at least feel better.

After 17 months I finally saw one and he gave me Fioricet which has almost completely taken away my headaches. I have not felt so good in so long!!!!!!!!!

It is worth a try! But make sure that he is a good one.

Good luck!

Margarite

Hi, and welcome to NT!. This is a great place to hang out in, with many friendly, caring and helpful people.

We're so glad you found us!

Here is a link that may help get you started:


http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum2.html

Welcome, and please post this down in the head injury forum:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum92.html

Some good folks there that may help with the concussion issues.

Best,
Jeff

endocrinologists? For your thyroid.
http://www.aace.com/resources/memsearch.php
Just click on the blue above...
I've the opposite problem and you need a truly skilled diagnostician who can take into consideration your head injuries and sort out which is causing what problems...then, ideally? GET HELP.
Another good resource is: http://www.endocrineweb.com/thyroid.html
It's short, sweet and not too much blather or run-arounds.
I keep going back to this site often as it reviews all the 'glands', fascinating they are, truly. And when just one malfunctions? Watch out!
There are other sites as well, but some tend to 'tout' particular types of treatments and/or 'cures'. We are all different.
Do a search here about 'hypothyroid' using the blue bar above. It'll show you all posts that mention it and something there might click with you.
Having one of the two is bad enough, but TWO? Sort of fries the brain, doesn't it?
Do let us know how you get to answers as you go along. It can be frustrating and then even more so as tests and diagnoses/misdiagnoses abound. But stick to your guns and get the best diagnosis you can!
's - j

So many concussions - it can't be easy. Hyperthyroidism can cause lots of problems. Going to an endocrinologist, as suggested already, is one important first step. Go through the motions, one at a time, give yourself a chance, be good to yourself. Good luck.

i think you need to step back from being a medical professional.

by that i mean don't try to come up with your own diagnoses or treatments. however, use your expertise to do 2 things. journal your own sx's with dates. that may be useful to the physician that sees you. 2nd, use your expertise (about your own body) to find a dr that can be your pcp. that dr should be willing to help you tease apart your sx's and conditions. then that dr could recommend specialists to treat those things.

it seems like you need a very good dr to oversee all that is going on. you would be the head of the team. your drs are also your team members. you need to advocate for yourself. find the 1 excellent dr who's willing to work with you.

i don't want to lecture. after all, you're an adult. but it seems like you might want to evaluate any risky behaviors you're doing so you can minimize further injuries.

i really hope you can get better. please keep in touch with us.

I don't mean to respond to you in particular, but you said it so well...

I have also had multiple concussions in the year following my fall from a horse. Including kicked with a volleyball while sitting 40 feet away reading a book. Knocking head with my brother in a pool because he was trying to catch a ball and didn't see me. Kicked in the head when I was dipped during a waltz by another girl being dipped. My chair slid out from under me and I hit my head on a stand up heater. Slipped on ice going to class twice.

One concussion makes all the little bumps that never bothered us before mean months or sometimes years of pain and suffering. The problem is those bumps can come when we are just doing normal everyday things like watch a sibling or child's soccer game, or walking in the snow and hitting a patch of ice.

The other problem is that the docs all say you will get better in 3-6 months and when that time goes by you start wondering how long it will last. Then after a little while you say "To heck with it, I don't care if I get a headache for three days, I just want to have some fun and go..." Then you hit your head and then it starts all over except worse this time and you see a doc again who still says the same thing. Then it happens again but you don't see the doc.

It is a terrible circle of events. I am going back to college in two weeks. I have had two weeks of almost no headaches because of the drugs my neurologist gave me. But I know that when I get back to school, the stress, the desire to do something fun, and the sleepless nights will make it harder to let the meds to their job and it will also make me more prone to another "bump".

Anyways, there is my little snippet for the day....sorry if I come across as grumpy, I am just having a bad PCS day (first day in two weeks with a splitting headache...Lortab here I come!).

Good Luck All!

Margarite

Been a year since injury and I am still not functional...I sleep 12 hrs a night and wake up exhausted, always spaced out and just not with it, headaches, noise/light, balance, and I don't think it will ever go away. I feel like I am on another planet. I feel brain injured for life...

seeing some good brain injury docs this week, but I am very sad as I think they will just give me advice on how to cope with the person I have become and the person I have lost...maybe prescribe antidepressant...I cant work or exercise and am goin crazy because of all that I am dealing with...this is torture...I dont think humans were made to tolerate this kind of injury emotionally or physically...it is too much too handle

after goin thru all of this who wouldn't have depression or thoughts of suicide?...

I met another guy who had a similar injury (brain trauma) and he is still not functional 3.5 years later....first months after my bad concussion I was trying to stay positive, but when you dont get better what the heck are you supposed to do???

[QUOTE=jlkbbk2003;681366]I had 2 unconscious + concussive episodes in 2008. One I fell out of a tree putting the kids swing up - lost consciousness for less then 20 seconds - they withnessed it, and then 3 months later I was in a violent roll over accident on rainy roads. I lost consciousness for seconds according to my teenage son who was also there, but other than a deep cut to the top of my head and neck pain I thought I was fine. I started having increased headaches, insomnia that was way more than an inconvenience as I would lay awake for days, literally without so much as a yawn. I also had about that time developed a critical high blood -usually 160/110-120(I have never smoked, done drugs, nor do i drink). I had at least 3 concussions within 5 years. One an angry samoan fella about 10 times my size got angry and slammed my head to the basketball floor, knocking me unconscious for over a minute. I refused the hospital being a stubborn man. Another in basketball and one in softball (what can I say, I go all out?). Then the 2 in 2008.

I fainted once in the bathroom about 1 month after the 2008 auto accident, but never again that I know of. Maybe had a seizure. My wife heard me fall, I was against the door, and she couldn't wake me or move the door, small town medics put me IN BED and left me at home. I woke up about 6 hours later with no recollection of anything. Seizure? Don't know. No history of anything.

I am a PA-C and from a medical point of view, my wife describes some kind of post-ictal like phase after the fainting.

More importantly my personality dramtically changed and I can almost pinpoint it. Very impulsive, very poor decision making, quick to anger (but never violent) and argumentive, and incredible fatigue at times. This has lasted a until now, when in March I was diagnosed also with hyperthyroidism. I have some residual heart issues as they think it went on too long. I still have incredible, incredible insomnia. I also have the most wicked incredible sense of smell since the accident (I even called Dr Billy Goldberg on XM talk radio once at is was driving me - and my family crazy).

My family teases me as I can smell a dirty towel even before the front door is open and know there is one SOMEWHERE in the house. This makes me really crazy as I think it adds to my insomnia as I smell everything even in my sleep. The hyperthyroid - which is typically worse sooner than a low thyroid, cause has not been found. Pituitary and thyroid was okay. Vision had also changed overnight, couldn't even read my credit cards suddenly. but has improved with some thyroid treatment. What about damage to the hypothalamus?

I am a bit perplexed. I also have a low cortisol, a low potassium, and a low testosterone for 2 years now. The testosterone never improves, the others sometimes.

I need to follow up on this but I do not know who would see me, who would help. Any idea, anyone? I am in AZ[/QUOTE
I am kind of in the same spot you are in.I was in a auto accident in June of 09..I felt very reclusive and depreesed the first 3 months. Then went through this apathetic phase where I just didn't give a damn about anything or really anybody .I would typically want to spend my free time alone and in my bedroom.....My problem now is my impulsive talkative behavior..My wife and kids dont know what to make of all my new bizzare talking.It seems I have no filter stopping me from saying inappropriate things.I tend to talk before I think, or really think, about what I'm about to say. Like I dont realize the reprecussions of what I am about to say..Then after it gets said I usually get someone upset and the next thing you know is we are arguing. On top of that I have this new found ability to get quickly angry and irational
which makes for a perfect prescription for an arguing machine.. I just hope I get through this phase sooner than later..

I'll say a prayer for all of us, and our families...

As for the low testosterone

I'm currently giving myself injesctions and can say feel alot more energy and my mood has improved tremendously..Se your doc for info on this