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Old 07-11-2016, 05:54 PM #1
Pedalspinner Pedalspinner is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: private message me if you need to know...ty
Posts: 28
5 yr Member
Pedalspinner Pedalspinner is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: private message me if you need to know...ty
Posts: 28
5 yr Member
Help 28month post TBI & cervical spinal nerve injury. things learned, things not learned?

First off…my history. I had never experienced a spinal injury or concussion.

I was an active person. Tennis, trail jogging, hiking, backpacking, basketball, road and xc cyclist, avid dirtbike trail rider and relaxing paced jumping on private mx tracks, home fixer upper (seriously large and physical and heavy labor hours projects. (from tree felling,removal, heavy equipment digging to woodwork or metalwork projects…to laborious landscaping…to additions…to roofing. I was also a swiss style cnc screw machinist. (I was a go get r dun kind of guy). Then a distracted driver plowed into my all but stopped car, never got to the brake pedal, sent me spinning and off a telephone pole. And my world changed forever?

Evac to hospital. Severe concussion per first neurologist. Long road ahead of physical therapy, speech therapy, cognitive therapy, life adjusting therapy, eye retraining and strengthening, etc. As time went by, improvement started to level off and certain things still had very impacting unwanted results.

First neurologist eventually became frustrated with my lack of continued progress, had me put in even more aggressive physical therapy with instructions to try to keep pushing past the symptoms that were literally forcing me lay awake, unable to sleep for up to 30hrs or so, tears streaming down my face, in bed for days at a time, barely able to crawl to a restroom, or get easy quick nourishment for myself. She eventually accused me of things in front of my wife that were blatantly false, and when I called her on it…she thought it was best I see someone new. (I later found out that same neurologist had other patients who experienced similiar treatment and had abruptly left)

Second neurologist at a WELL known facility for concussions. Dr performed same usual physical exam, did not understand why I said my responses to certian phyical stimuli and things were what they were...(but did not entertain me about these micro impacts and said he would inquire and review with colleages). Next visit, I heard the word somatoform, and he advised first with neuropsych testing and counseling. (I had to look the word up to find out…talk about WTH? moment).

Limited eye endurance, but I kept searching online for any answers, any leads, anything. Third neurologist….this one I found out about by online patient testimony on a generic forum.

First visit, within 90 seconds, he had actually foretold what he thinks had been misdiagnosed, had performed a simple hands on test (single finger tip each hand on my neck area), and I all but fell off exam table in pain.
There is a spinal nerve located near your C2 vertabrate. There is a vital spinal nerve called the: occipital spinal nerve.

If you research these two (C2 spinal nerve….and occipital neuritis…occipital neuralgia), you will see just what this spinal nerve can limit your eye use, cognitive, balance, hearing, tinnitus, and just overall ability to function in life).

When your head is thrashed in a way it should not, this vital spinal nerve can be at least one or more of the following: damaged or misplaced or face inflammation induced compression, or scar tissue build up which causes misplacement, compression, neuroma?, etc. Icing that area of your neck to the point of somewhere between burning cold to numb to touch will allow greater function and endurance, but once it “thaws” out…lol…You will pay the price as if you never iced it. (temp. survival skill…of numbing that nerve). This occipital nerve can also cause peripheral sensitivity to the upper left rear of head….like even laying still on a pillow there….will cause pain.

The neurologist performed a three round attempt of nerve blocking injections to that neck area…over 4 months…with self icing…and severe activity restrictions along with that icing. Most patients have a measurable response to clearly decide whether a likely candidate for nerve decompression surgery, etc. I regretfully only had a measurable but low response. I was warned ahead of time that due to over a years plus of approved neck therapy, scar tissue had likely formed and he did not expect similar responses to nerve blocking injections…because of it.

If twisting your neck left and right, stretching it, up down, left right, tilt left right….increases your symptoms….very good chance of possible occipital nerve issue. A hands on physical test just by fingertip pressure point locations on your neck that takes under 20 seconds…can possibly diagnose it.

I have been referred to pain management to further collect data and see if occipital nerve surgery would have a high enough likelihood of success in helping me function better in life. (not yet a candidate for the invasive surgery).

But now to my unresolved brain and head movement related issues.
I also suffer from the micro vibration, micro impact, bumps, wife moving on bed mattress, someone else moving on sofa, nephews and nieces running around on wood floor when I am sitting in a chair on the wood floor, driving, walking, rough pot holed roads or just patched pavement, road feel on a road bicycle, or just even micro impacts from riding on a railtrail, etc. and just about anything that has a more solid impact transfer. It all adds up depending on severity and duration…and has taken over 2 weeks before to settle out. Until settled out, hypersensitivity will persist.

If I introduce the stimulis, or I am in charge of the object introducing stimulis…symptomatic elevation tends to be less. (me drive vs someone else drive, me jump into the air vs just an elevator starting and stopping…even with my knees bent and ready for it, me moving around on a couch or bed vs someone else moving around on the same couch or bed, me moving my head vs someone else moving my head, me tapping on my shoulder vs someone else tapping on my shoulder, and so on and so forth). Yes as previously mentioned above, it is like my brain is unable to keep up with the outside stimuli, and fights to try to play mental catch up.

Depending on symptom levels, an elevated heart rate will proportionately increase symptoms. Other times with low level symptoms, I have reached max hr without symptom increase such as a very slow paced quatting on a linear ball bearing smith machine...or a long slow uphill bycicle climb (14-15 degree pitch)

These symptoms may include at least one or more of the following: eye soreness, light sensitivity, cognitive loss, ability to react, balance, brain area pain and burning, tinnitus, left eye shutting, mentally glazing over like world is around me, but I am just somewhere between reality and what’s going on.
I can temporarily run a weed trimmer, with limited walking, but walking gets me. I can spin at slower cadence on a fat tire xc full suspension mt bike on a paved and smooth rail trail, but have it turn to crusher run stone and I start feeling it instantaneously…sometime slowly, sometimes faster.
I know that the 15minute drive to my local lake and back bothers me more than paddling my kayak the 10 miles over a 2 hour period. It is like the water acts as a cushion to the impacts of my paddle going into the water and my body movements as I paddle. Now if you add in choppy water from other boats or wind, symptoms will increase. (I prefer nighttime flatwater paddling when maybe 2-3 boats are on the entire lake). Smooth water, but a way for me to get exercise and feel kinda normal again…as close as I can right now.

To avoid micro impacts on the bicycle, I try to spin on an indoor trainer. But session to session, it varies, and once my cadence reaches a point where the small rhythmic movements of my head barely moving in response to my not so perfect spin….lol…symptoms elevate. so lower pace cadence (yuck) and holding onto something to steady my upper body...limits symptom onset...sometimes.

I have also experimented with a metronome in use. Free standing squatting, once the pace of up and down motion get too fast, (vertical head movements), symptoms elevate. I have done the same with my linear ball bearing smith machine. (truly trying to limit head movements….with and without a snug Velcro padded cervical neck collar…just to try to isolate g forces vs possible neck movements. At a certain pace, varying day to day, the G forces on my head of up and down movements…elevates my symptoms.

I have proven that if on a very long slower cadence climb on my mtn bike (full suspension, paved road) low symptom day, I can reach max hr without symptom increase...or I can do slow paced linear ball bearing smith machine squats until i tire out...and high heart rate...without elevating symptoms...and stand there in be okay...but start to walk...and the impact viabrations can elevate rather fast and hard.

There is also a condition called Intracranial hypotension. thank you Nurotalk for allowing people to seek out and discuss things!

Around our brains we have a fluid called cerebrospinal fluid that works like a cushion for our brains. Sometimes if a person hurts his neck, back or cranium he/she can get a tear in the dura (sack) that contains this cerebrospinal fluid and it can start to leak. This will cause less volume of fluid around his/her brain and lower than normal pressure inside the cranium. This in turn will make the brain more sensitive to vibrations or impacts.

You can check if you are suffering from intracranial hypotension by holding your breath and increase your abdominal pressure (this increases your intracranial pressure momentarily), while you drive over a bump. If this maneuver helps you take the bump, then you know that you are suffering from too low intracranial pressure.

You typically diagnose this with a MRI with contrast of your skull.
It is treatable, but it will typically not go away without treatment.

I have just began to intermittently try the: hold breath and what not procedure as above…and plan to continue trying that out. May some of my story maybe help some of the readers.

Btw, I have over 2400.00 in safety gear that I wore when I use to recreational ride the dirtbike. (only missing work once in 17 yrs was a good thing). My last neurologist stated that if I had indeed been wearing my 550.00 neck protection/brace and my helmet….yes…lol…when driving…my outcome likely not have had the same outcome. (like we leave our homes everyday wearing that stuff). Double edged sword? If I had been on the dual sport, that and my body armor would have been on…but a SUV hitting you at excessive speed, no brakes, with you on a dualsport…just might be worse….just a tad.

I look forward to any leads and responses.

Pre injury, I had never done more than 150 miles in one day on the bike. I was 16 months away from attempting (completing a respectable timed ) double century in one day. That may now turn into a bucket list that may never be reached...like I said..."may"...at this rate...It will not happen...so something has to change. I must keep a promise I made to a friend who tragically was killed in an auto accident before we could do it together. We may not do it together...but I hope to do it for him.

NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER GIVE IN. I AINT ABOUT TO QUIT.
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Old 07-12-2016, 04:42 AM #2
Resetpram Resetpram is offline
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Default EXACT same issues

Wowwwwww!! I cannot believe what I am reading. These are literally the exact same issues I am having. When you mentioned girlfriend getting on the bed and laying down on a pillow and having a setback. Wow. Unreal. Same here. I too was extremely active, always there for my friends and family, positive, upbeat. That is all a challenge now, but still grinding and trying to find a way to recover.

I first want to say I am very sorry to hear about your accident, and I hope that we may find ways to heal, cope and eventually recover fully.

I just signed up and randomly clicked your post before creating my own to tell my story. I will repost this elsewhere as well.. Unless we can get the famous Mark from Idaho to join in as I would love to hear his thoughts.

My story is:[LIST][*]I played football from ages 10-17, I also played baseball and basketball until ages 17. I had major bumps along the way, but never truly diagnosed with a concussion or had any major symptoms.[*]Fast forward to Sophomore year in College, head on collision. I was a passenger in my friend's car when a woman in a large Truck didn't correctly merge when turning left. We were going speed limit at 45mph. Airbag exploded in my face. Felt dizzy, flu like like symptoms that left after a few days. Sciatic pain ever since.[*]Then.. In July of 2014 I was rear ended on the freeway. My car was completely stopped but the woman was eating a hamburger and hit the back of my car going roughly 10-20mph. We all thought it was extremely minor but this was the beginning of my downfall. When we we were struck, I was turned to my right, speaking to my friend in the passenger seat, which I think also was a major problem, along with whiplash, as it stretched the ligaments severely in the left side of my neck. I had minor cognitive symptoms, but mostly just chocked it up to having whiplash pain. Which I have dealt with ever since. Neck MRI shows osteoarthritis on the left side, but no other major issues beyond muscle spasms and pain throughout left side. [*]Then in September of 2015 the MAJOR problems began. I was working out at the gym and it was extremely crowded. I was doing 'wall sits' in a tiny little area and didn't realize what was above me. I was resting on the floor, breathing heavily, when I got up very quickly and stuck the back of my head, just above the brain stem on the right side. I struck the thickest part of the steel squat bar at a fairly accelerated rate. Ahhhh how horrible it has been since then. My neck pain returned immediately and I felt like I had a knife split down the left side of my head. I instantly felt 'off' but did not become unconscious. The entire right side of my brain felt fine while the left side felt full of pressure and I felt extremely tired. I slept for 14 hours that night and felt somewhat better the next morning. But the following day, and every day since then, has been a nightmare. My first major symptoms were slurred speech, extreme pressure all through my left side, not able to work or talk for more than 30 minutes, walking around the block would result in extreme light headedness, dizzy spells, 'gray' outs, etc. I also immediately began dealing with severe emotional issues. Major anxiety and depression began to sink in when I realized how much head trauma I have actually had in my past, plus what recent study suggests about repetitive head trauma, plus never having these symptoms before in my life and basically becoming mostly non-functional after always going 110% in everything I did, plus the actual, real damaged and excited pathways that were beginning to take root in my mind. I also began to have a weird numbness feeling running down the left side of my body and extending into my toes. I must have some kind of nerve damage.

Then a few months later, after minor improvement with vestibular therapy, CBT and nutrition, I had my first major setback. I was getting into my friends car as slowly and as carefully as I possibly could, paying 100% attention to not bumping my head. The problem was the car was parked along a pothole and slightly higher than normal curb and I misjudged it completely (plus still concussed from previous accident) and barely knicked the back of my head, this time on the left side. This did not hurt in anyway and prior to the injury I would have not even thought twice about it, but it caused my situation to become much worse.. Within a few hours my symptoms reset to the first week mark and the pain and pressure 'spread' to the right side of my brain and neck. Since then the setbacks have become astronomical and nearly impossible to avoid. Car rides, bus rides, touching my face too quickly, literally laying down on the best possible cervical pillow, any wind that hits the left side of my body that is over 3-4mph will all set me back at various degrees. It sounds out of this world. It must be psycho somatic they say, maladaptive response. And in some ways I do think it is partially tied to to this - but I know there has to be something else going on.

Since my original concussion I have gotten somewhat better. I would say roughly 40% - 50% better. This has come from time, rest, learning my triggers, various therapies and supplements, but ultimately I cannot get over these setbacks, which in turn has never given my brain the opportunity to even try to heal fully and properly. Just commuting or going outside is like an obstacle course for me. It's absurd.

I am so thankful that I read your post. I am all set to meet a new doc this coming Wednesday who specializes in concussion recovery. I have seen the works of doctors.. All that you can imagine. I will bring this up to him and see if he can give me an accurate diagnosis... Would be happy to answer any questions I can for you.. You have already answered so many for me.


Here are my current symptoms: constant intracranial pressure, tension type headaches, minor gait and balance issues on the left side, minor numbness like feeling on left side of body, scalp pain, neck pain and spams, particularly on the left side, eye twitching, pressure behind the eyes, constantly watery eyes, difficulty concentrating, especially after a setback, anxiety (much more in control w this now), constant ringing in the ears, difficulty expressing my self through emotions. The emotions are there but there is a physical barrier on the left side that 'dampens' my level of feeling and emotion and state of consciousness. I went to a cognitive rehabilitation program and it did help quite a bit. I feel less foggy, more clear headed and my memory is almost back to normal, or seemingly normal. But they could not quite help with the physical symptoms, although they did provide other vestibular therapy and suggestions, along with pointing me in the right direction of something nerve related that was likely causing the majority of my physical symptoms. Which I now feel almost certainly to be true after reading your story.

Thanks again for posting, if you're interested, I'll let you know how my doc visit goes. Would be happy to answer any questions as well.. The biggest question I want answered is what the hell should I actually be doing about it - resting, powering through, somewhere in between, taking pain meds, shots??? Where to spend my time and resources...

Thanks, D



Quote:
Originally Posted by Pedalspinner View Post
First off…my history. I had never experienced a spinal injury or concussion.

I was an active person. Tennis, trail jogging, hiking, backpacking, basketball, road and xc cyclist, avid dirtbike trail rider and relaxing paced jumping on private mx tracks, home fixer upper (seriously large and physical and heavy labor hours projects. (from tree felling,removal, heavy equipment digging to woodwork or metalwork projects…to laborious landscaping…to additions…to roofing. I was also a swiss style cnc screw machinist. (I was a go get r dun kind of guy). Then a distracted driver plowed into my all but stopped car, never got to the brake pedal, sent me spinning and off a telephone pole. And my world changed forever?

Evac to hospital. Severe concussion per first neurologist. Long road ahead of physical therapy, speech therapy, cognitive therapy, life adjusting therapy, eye retraining and strengthening, etc. As time went by, improvement started to level off and certain things still had very impacting unwanted results.

First neurologist eventually became frustrated with my lack of continued progress, had me put in even more aggressive physical therapy with instructions to try to keep pushing past the symptoms that were literally forcing me lay awake, unable to sleep for up to 30hrs or so, tears streaming down my face, in bed for days at a time, barely able to crawl to a restroom, or get easy quick nourishment for myself. She eventually accused me of things in front of my wife that were blatantly false, and when I called her on it…she thought it was best I see someone new. (I later found out that same neurologist had other patients who experienced similiar treatment and had abruptly left)

Second neurologist at a WELL known facility for concussions. Dr performed same usual physical exam, did not understand why I said my responses to certian phyical stimuli and things were what they were...(but did not entertain me about these micro impacts and said he would inquire and review with colleages). Next visit, I heard the word somatoform, and he advised first with neuropsych testing and counseling. (I had to look the word up to find out…talk about WTH? moment).

Limited eye endurance, but I kept searching online for any answers, any leads, anything. Third neurologist….this one I found out about by online patient testimony on a generic forum.

First visit, within 90 seconds, he had actually foretold what he thinks had been misdiagnosed, had performed a simple hands on test (single finger tip each hand on my neck area), and I all but fell off exam table in pain.
There is a spinal nerve located near your C2 vertabrate. There is a vital spinal nerve called the: occipital spinal nerve.

If you research these two (C2 spinal nerve….and occipital neuritis…occipital neuralgia), you will see just what this spinal nerve can limit your eye use, cognitive, balance, hearing, tinnitus, and just overall ability to function in life).

When your head is thrashed in a way it should not, this vital spinal nerve can be at least one or more of the following: damaged or misplaced or face inflammation induced compression, or scar tissue build up which causes misplacement, compression, neuroma?, etc. Icing that area of your neck to the point of somewhere between burning cold to numb to touch will allow greater function and endurance, but once it “thaws” out…lol…You will pay the price as if you never iced it. (temp. survival skill…of numbing that nerve). This occipital nerve can also cause peripheral sensitivity to the upper left rear of head….like even laying still on a pillow there….will cause pain.

The neurologist performed a three round attempt of nerve blocking injections to that neck area…over 4 months…with self icing…and severe activity restrictions along with that icing. Most patients have a measurable response to clearly decide whether a likely candidate for nerve decompression surgery, etc. I regretfully only had a measurable but low response. I was warned ahead of time that due to over a years plus of approved neck therapy, scar tissue had likely formed and he did not expect similar responses to nerve blocking injections…because of it.

If twisting your neck left and right, stretching it, up down, left right, tilt left right….increases your symptoms….very good chance of possible occipital nerve issue. A hands on physical test just by fingertip pressure point locations on your neck that takes under 20 seconds…can possibly diagnose it.

I have been referred to pain management to further collect data and see if occipital nerve surgery would have a high enough likelihood of success in helping me function better in life. (not yet a candidate for the invasive surgery).

But now to my unresolved brain and head movement related issues.
I also suffer from the micro vibration, micro impact, bumps, wife moving on bed mattress, someone else moving on sofa, nephews and nieces running around on wood floor when I am sitting in a chair on the wood floor, driving, walking, rough pot holed roads or just patched pavement, road feel on a road bicycle, or just even micro impacts from riding on a railtrail, etc. and just about anything that has a more solid impact transfer. It all adds up depending on severity and duration…and has taken over 2 weeks before to settle out. Until settled out, hypersensitivity will persist.

If I introduce the stimulis, or I am in charge of the object introducing stimulis…symptomatic elevation tends to be less. (me drive vs someone else drive, me jump into the air vs just an elevator starting and stopping…even with my knees bent and ready for it, me moving around on a couch or bed vs someone else moving around on the same couch or bed, me moving my head vs someone else moving my head, me tapping on my shoulder vs someone else tapping on my shoulder, and so on and so forth). Yes as previously mentioned above, it is like my brain is unable to keep up with the outside stimuli, and fights to try to play mental catch up.

Depending on symptom levels, an elevated heart rate will proportionately increase symptoms. Other times with low level symptoms, I have reached max hr without symptom increase such as a very slow paced quatting on a linear ball bearing smith machine...or a long slow uphill bycicle climb (14-15 degree pitch)

These symptoms may include at least one or more of the following: eye soreness, light sensitivity, cognitive loss, ability to react, balance, brain area pain and burning, tinnitus, left eye shutting, mentally glazing over like world is around me, but I am just somewhere between reality and what’s going on.
I can temporarily run a weed trimmer, with limited walking, but walking gets me. I can spin at slower cadence on a fat tire xc full suspension mt bike on a paved and smooth rail trail, but have it turn to crusher run stone and I start feeling it instantaneously…sometime slowly, sometimes faster.
I know that the 15minute drive to my local lake and back bothers me more than paddling my kayak the 10 miles over a 2 hour period. It is like the water acts as a cushion to the impacts of my paddle going into the water and my body movements as I paddle. Now if you add in choppy water from other boats or wind, symptoms will increase. (I prefer nighttime flatwater paddling when maybe 2-3 boats are on the entire lake). Smooth water, but a way for me to get exercise and feel kinda normal again…as close as I can right now.

To avoid micro impacts on the bicycle, I try to spin on an indoor trainer. But session to session, it varies, and once my cadence reaches a point where the small rhythmic movements of my head barely moving in response to my not so perfect spin….lol…symptoms elevate. so lower pace cadence (yuck) and holding onto something to steady my upper body...limits symptom onset...sometimes.

I have also experimented with a metronome in use. Free standing squatting, once the pace of up and down motion get too fast, (vertical head movements), symptoms elevate. I have done the same with my linear ball bearing smith machine. (truly trying to limit head movements….with and without a snug Velcro padded cervical neck collar…just to try to isolate g forces vs possible neck movements. At a certain pace, varying day to day, the G forces on my head of up and down movements…elevates my symptoms.

I have proven that if on a very long slower cadence climb on my mtn bike (full suspension, paved road) low symptom day, I can reach max hr without symptom increase...or I can do slow paced linear ball bearing smith machine squats until i tire out...and high heart rate...without elevating symptoms...and stand there in be okay...but start to walk...and the impact viabrations can elevate rather fast and hard.

There is also a condition called Intracranial hypotension. thank you Nurotalk for allowing people to seek out and discuss things!

Around our brains we have a fluid called cerebrospinal fluid that works like a cushion for our brains. Sometimes if a person hurts his neck, back or cranium he/she can get a tear in the dura (sack) that contains this cerebrospinal fluid and it can start to leak. This will cause less volume of fluid around his/her brain and lower than normal pressure inside the cranium. This in turn will make the brain more sensitive to vibrations or impacts.

You can check if you are suffering from intracranial hypotension by holding your breath and increase your abdominal pressure (this increases your intracranial pressure momentarily), while you drive over a bump. If this maneuver helps you take the bump, then you know that you are suffering from too low intracranial pressure.

You typically diagnose this with a MRI with contrast of your skull.
It is treatable, but it will typically not go away without treatment.

I have just began to intermittently try the: hold breath and what not procedure as above…and plan to continue trying that out. May some of my story maybe help some of the readers.

Btw, I have over 2400.00 in safety gear that I wore when I use to recreational ride the dirtbike. (only missing work once in 17 yrs was a good thing). My last neurologist stated that if I had indeed been wearing my 550.00 neck protection/brace and my helmet….yes…lol…when driving…my outcome likely not have had the same outcome. (like we leave our homes everyday wearing that stuff). Double edged sword? If I had been on the dual sport, that and my body armor would have been on…but a SUV hitting you at excessive speed, no brakes, with you on a dualsport…just might be worse….just a tad.

I look forward to any leads and responses.

Pre injury, I had never done more than 150 miles in one day on the bike. I was 16 months away from attempting (completing a respectable timed ) double century in one day. That may now turn into a bucket list that may never be reached...like I said..."may"...at this rate...It will not happen...so something has to change. I must keep a promise I made to a friend who tragically was killed in an auto accident before we could do it together. We may not do it together...but I hope to do it for him.

NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER GIVE IN. I AINT ABOUT TO QUIT.
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Old 07-12-2016, 04:03 PM #3
Pedalspinner Pedalspinner is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: private message me if you need to know...ty
Posts: 28
5 yr Member
Pedalspinner Pedalspinner is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: private message me if you need to know...ty
Posts: 28
5 yr Member
Default

if stretching your neck to the left or right, tilt left or right, tilt up or down increases symptoms. limit neck movements, make three homemade flexible icepacks of 5 oz rubbing alcohol to 3 oz of water, double ziplock bag it. (qt size is nice) freeze all, single hankerchief, place one in it, tie around your neck so flexible ice area is covering from your hairline to about 3" downward of back of neck. keep swapping out for colder ones until it is actually starting to burn with cold. if it gets to the point of ur fingertip touching that back area of your neck is almost numb to the touch, then back off icing...once you reach that burning cold point..(hankerchief as single layer between)...see if your tolerance to do more increases. hankerchief allows tightening of flexible ice pack as it thaws...and as it thaws...with both hands just swish cold fluid back and forth to mix up warming fluid with the cold fluid still in it. if this helps at all...be forewarned...once that neck area warms up...sooner or later...symptoms will likely increase...this is just a half arsed delay tactic that works for me...just numbing with cold that occipital nerve area.

I want to follow ur progress..may we learn from each other.
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Old 07-12-2016, 04:13 PM #4
Pedalspinner Pedalspinner is offline
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Location: private message me if you need to know...ty
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Pedalspinner Pedalspinner is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: private message me if you need to know...ty
Posts: 28
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Default mental health

if you have access to see one...trust me...find a phsychologist that specializes in TBI and or post concussive patients... if not just has a lot of them as their majority. the wrong one will do you nothing good mentally. (i found out). "learning the new you" that is your new part time job. no one can better learn what triggers, what elevates, what burns you out mentally...then yourself. their job is to help you get through it and maybe find the doc or therapist that can help you adjust. Downtime with boredom can be your nemesis. find something to preoccupy your mind depending on what u r able to do each day. even if that means that you are just laying down and just resting while listening to an audio book. if sleep is an issue...restful sleep. try librivox app on a smart phone or tablet. find a free online audio book that you might like, download it, listen to it with earbuds...even as you sleep. it will help to subconsciously keep ur brain distracted to maybe help get a more restful sleep or just pass downtime. I hope this helps.
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