Hi... My name is Sara, I am 38... On August 7th, I went down an alpine slide ride, had severe whiplash and also tore up my knee on the same ride. I was feeling much better but went under general anesthesia to repair my knee on Sept 17th and have not been the same since. My major struggles are dizziness/nausea and sensitivity to fluorescent lighting. Going into a Target or Best Buy makes me feel sick. I also feel like I am always off balance. I have no cognitive deficits...just all physical. I used to be an exercise instructor and am an attorney. Based on what I am feeling and getting NO improvement from day to day, I am assuming the general anesthesia caused permanent brain damage. I am on 20 mg of Amitriptyline because I was having trouble sleeping. The Amitriptyline also keeps headaches at bay. Because of all the nausea and dizziness I have lost about 20 pounds in 3 months. I honestly can not imagine living "sick" like this for the rest of my life. Does the nausea and dizziness ever end? I am in complete despair and break down every day. Before this happened, I was never a crier. I hope there is someone out there who can give me hope

Welcome to NT!

You've certainly found a wonderful place for support and understanding! I'm so very sorry about your accident and these symptoms you now face. People here are very caring and it's such a down-to-earth atmosphere. You'll get some good input and there's a lot of information available here at NT.

Check out the different forums and post anywhere you feel inclined. There's a friendly soul around every corner.
There's a 'search' feature in the bar that runs across the top of the page. While you wait for responses, this might help you pin down some previous posts on some of these symptoms you have.
Just holler if you need help finding your way around or if you have any questions.

It's great to have you!

Caring,
Rae

Rae... I am having some trouble trying to figure out how this all works... so thank you! I would love to do some searching on threads about dizziness/nausea???

Hello, and welcome to NeuroTalk! We're so glad you found us.

You will find the people here to be friendly, helpful, and caring.

Headaches:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum32.html

Multiple Chemical Sensitivities:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum90.html

Chronic Pain:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum10.html

I hope that you can find some answers in the above forums. If not, feel free to look around and ask questions. My best to you.

Sara,

It is great to have you come and be with us. You will fine a great number of dear friends to listen when you are in need of ears. Please, just let us know how we can help you out. You will find out we are supportive and relaxing place.

Please keep us up to date on your condition. Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Hi Sara and welcome. Regarding the "PCS" part of your post, were you diagnosed with a concussion as a part of your injury? Sensitivity to light and discomfort from overstimulation in busy environments (e.g., Target) are common symptoms of PCS. If your symptoms are due to PCS, you are still relatively early in recovery and improvement would be expected. If you have not done so you may want to have an evaluation by a neurologist.

Best to you.