Hi all,

I don't really know where to start, but I'd like to first say thank you to everyone on this forum that has posted their stories and advice. It has been a massive help to me to read through and I feel like I am now able to share my own story and contribute to the forum.

Firstly a little about myself, I'm a 24 year old male from Melbourne, Australia. Before my accident I was completing a degree in songwriting and music production, hoping to progress into a masters of music therapy.

On June 22nd this year I was in a car accident, I was turning into a car park through traffic that was stopped at a red light and was T-Boned by another vehicle that came flying around a corner and we didn't see each other, they collided head on with my passenger door/front left wheel, and I was pushed into a pole head on.

Initially the only injuries I suffered were severe bruising of the shoulder, hip and in between my ribs, and a very tight neck from the whiplash, but I counted myself very lucky that I didn't hit my head..

That was until around 2 weeks after the accident. Through my doctor I was referred to a physiotherapist who was treating me for the bruising, when I mentioned to her that I had developed a lot more symptoms, including headaches, fuzziness, trouble sleeping, bad memory etc. She mentioned the possibility of Post Concussion Syndrome, and it turned out she had gone through this herself.

I looked up what PCS was and could check off practically every symptom, headaches, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, bad memory, pressure and tension in my head, trouble sleeping, blurry vision, trouble concentrating, sensitivity to light and sound.


At first we struggled at times to even do any treatment as my body (I assume my subconscious) would pulse and twitch especially around my neck and my eyes, not relaxing enough to let my head fall into her hands for light massage of the pressure, but the treatment was the only relief I was getting for the pain. This was up until about 4-6 weeks ago when my twitching started to get much worse again, and my hands had started visibly shaking, since then I have not been seeing her.

Since around the same time I have been taking multiple supplements a day:
Zinc, Magnesium, Vitamin D, Fish Oil, Turmeric. I have also been using the App Headspace to meditate, once to twice a day which definitely helps me feel calmer.

There has been periods where I have gone to sit in the Spa daily, and even times where I got to go play a couple of rounds of golf, but for the past month or so I have pulled everything right back as I felt I was trying to do to much and life was just happening without focusing on recovery.

I have also been seeing a Psychologist who although doesn't specialise in PCS has worked with brain injuries before and has taken it upon herself to learn a lot about the injury, which has been very helpful. She recommended Neuropsych assessment.

I also have seen a specialist who is a Consultant Physician in Rehabilitation medicine, and has worked with PCS before. He agreed with the diagnosis and prescribed me a low dose of an antidepressant to help with the twitching/anxiety as well recommended Neuropsych assessment as the next step as to determine what other treatment I will need, so currently I am waiting to hear from the Neuropsych about when my first appointment will be.


As far as how I am feeling, I feel like every day is different, but I am constantly battling with these symptoms still, I have headaches, emotional outbursts, trouble remembering things, sensitivity to light and sounds trouble sleeping etc.

I used to be obsessed with music, always having something on in the background, and now I can't listen to anything, I haven't played or made music for over 4 months and I don't know if I will be able to again, or if I even want to. It's such a strange feeling.

But I think one of the hardest parts of all of this is being so bored all of the time, I can't work, I had to defer my studies. And honestly I spend the majority of my day being bored out of my brain. I don't know what else I can do to spend my time doing.

There is a couple of Xbox games I can play for short periods of time without causing too much to flare up, I have planted a small herb garden and tend to those every second day, I have tried to cook every meal as to give me something to do (prepare, cook, clean up). I walk my dog if my head is feeling up to it, I have bought a couple of Lego sets to keep my mind active whilst being away from screens, but even with these few activities, the frequency of my symptoms ends up with most of my day consisting of me sitting around with nothing to do that won't make me feel worse.


I apologise if this post is just a wall of information, doesn't make any sense or just isn't interesting. If there is anything I can elaborate on, please let me know. I don't really know what I'd like to get out of it, maybe someone to talk with, maybe someone has been through similar things or maybe I can help someone make sense of something, anyway I hope to be a positive and helpful addition to the forum, and my door is always open.

Thanks,

Nathan

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Hi Nathan

Welcome to NeuroTalk .

It sounds to me that you have set up some excellent care options for your PCS.

If you haven't found it yet, the TBI/PCS forum here is very active. If you share your story there I am confident that you will get lots of support and suggestions from other members.

Best wishes.

Hi Nate, I'm new here as well. And, struggling a bit with my recovery, too.

My accident was 6/5 and was also T-boned by a gal who went thru an intersection, hit me and sent me cross-traffic, up a curb and into a yard, just missing the house. Things could have been so much worse and I try to remember that when I get discouraged with my rehab.

I did not have symptoms until two days after my accident - when I went to get a rental car and realized that I shouldn't be driving. I saw my primary care doctor and began a crazy summer of doctors and therapies and with little recollection of any of it.

This summer, I used Peak app on my ipad to help with the cognitive issues. I started the "games" and it tagged me as the cognitive equivalent of a 70 yo! (i'm in my 50s,) Well, that was very upsetting as I'm viewed by most as intelligent, youthful and generally younger than my years. (My career is in IT) Anyway, through the app, and improvements in my vision therapy, I'm now playing games as well as one in their 20s... and really believe the program was helpful in that. You might want to check it out! (i'm less enamored with Lumosity app, though I also paid for that to play on a quiet evening).

I'm struggling with light and noises as well. Blinking anything will drive me nuts. And, I also have issues with floors if there is a transition in color or surface. I've fallen a few times when I think there's a "step" when there is none, or worse, when I think I'm at the bottom of the stairs, and there are really two more to go!

I started cognitive therapy but the doctor dismissed me when she said my "executive function" was impacted and I couldn't retain the lessons/tips we'd discussed. It's great that you have a therapist who's experienced with TBI. It's incredibly frustrating for me to not address all of the aspects of brain healing. I'm hoping to get back to it when my short term memory improves.

I just started mindfulness/biofeedback therapy to help with insomnia & anxiety~ I'm incredibly hard on myself, I just want to be better, healthy, quick and back to "normal"! While I'm back at work full time, I'm working at 60% effectiveness ~ and worry that at some point, it will be acknowledged.

I'm sorry this is so long, but I wanted to reassure you, newbie to newbie! You're doing the right thing. Keep it up, don't skip on any appointments, you're young and will recover faster than I will! Put everything you've got into it~ and think positive. Trust me, I'm doing the same!

(FWIW~ I am taking DHA, Mg, Ca, VitB, GABA supplements - and for my lack of initiative or boredom, I simply take a short walk...that actually helps a bit! Working on Peak on the iPad is helpful too. Try to keep moving, keep active, physically or mentally. And, when symptoms come, back off a bit.)