Post-concussion related, feeling worse and worse.
 

I got a concussion about 3 weeks ago. During a hockey game, my head got checked and I smashed it into the boards, lost consciousness and then hit my shoulder and face on the ice.

All in all I got:

- a broken nose
- a broken cheekbone
- a perforated sinus
- 4 of my teeth have gone numb
- damaged shoulder ligaments + damaged rotator cuff
- concussion (loss of consciousness for 5-8 minutes)

I've been looking around on internet at stuff on post-concussion syndrome and it looks like I got one hell of a blow. I lost consciousness for about 5-8 minutes and that, according to the rankings of degrees of concussions, is pretty serious.

Now, I felt great 1-2 days after the concussion, when I was at the hospital and the first day at home, felt ok, no headache, nothing.

BUT, things have drastically changed.


So anyway I've been going to the physio, I've had 2 sessions so far, he's been working on my shoulder quite a bit.

But my head is what's getting pretty bad. At first, 1-2 weeks after the injury, I felt ok, mild headaches during the day and especially when I woke up, tired all the time even though I had been sleeping 7-8+ hours, a bit of trouble focusing in class but it was ok, it was bearable.

Now, 3 weeks later, I'm feeling worse. Went to the physio on Wednesday, told him that the symptoms were still there (headache, trouble reading long texts, everything kinda goes blurry after a few lines, etc...) and he said there's no way I can start sports again and that we'd see next week.


I hope that a month is all it'll take but I'm starting to worry now. I really feel "different", I can definitely feel something is not right.

Anyway, on friday, being the biggest ******* in the world, I decided to go to the gym. I just wanted to see how it would go. So the first few minutes of the warmup (stationary biking) went ok, I virtually put no resistance. After about 8 minutes I decided to put some resistance. 3-5 minutes later I'm feeling like shyt, huge headache, feeling not well at all. Got off the bike and I decided to do a leg workout (since I couldn't work on my upperbody cuz of the shoulder injury). I don't know why (certainly cuz I'm an idiot) but I did the whole workout and I felt like absolut ****. I felt dizzy after every set, felt very light headed, big headache, I almost fainted after my last lunge set. It felt like I was in another dimension the whole workout. I was listening to a podcast, I seriously couldn't focus on anything, I can't even remember a word from the podcast. Usually I remember everything.

I know I'm a ******* ******* and that I shouldn't even have gone to the gym in the first place. It's just that I'm sick and tired of this crap, I so badly want to return playing. What sucks is that the hospital said that after 2 weeks I can start again but the physio, who's worked a lot with hockey players that have had concussions said no way. I should have listened to him, I'm an idiot.

Since then, I've been feeling like ****.

One last point. It seems like computer screens give me a headache now. After about 15-20 minutes, I get a headache.

Also the physio asked me if my smell or my hearing had been affected and I said I didn't think so. He said that was a good sign.

Sounds pretty bad. There are people on this forum that will help you out better than I, but from the sounds of it (and by making some similar mistakes myself), I would suggest taking some time off for quiet rest (no TV), stop trying to fight the concussion, and disregard what almost all "experts" think.

Even if you think your symptoms have dissipated, wait a few more weeks to introduce yourself to your old regime through small, baby steps.

There are many other helpful tips but these are just the ones that I wish I had known initially.

Thanks man.

It'll be tough to stop TV/Computer. I have to use a computer virtually everyday for uni (papers to write, info to look up, etc...) but I'll definitely try to stay on these types of devices as little as possible.

I should also add that on some days I feel "ok", slight headache, feel a bit tired and on others I'm just useless. I find it to be a bit uneven. It's like a rollercoaster.

everyone here knows that rollercoaster quite well. PCS symptoms seem to arise a day or 2 later so it's difficult to understand what is causing them.

I would start a journal if I were you. I stared a journal to track my diet, activities, and how I felt throughout the day. In another part of my journal I also kept note of what I'm thankful for each day. It is an anxiety coping method that I use. Basically by writing these things down you force yourself to think about them longer so you're indirectly re-routing signals in your brain and strengthening these areas to make you feel better.

Anxiety was the hardest thing for me. Anxiety produced from not know if I'll get better. Anxiety from being less than I was. And Anxiety from PCS as a symptom itself.

You'll get better. Sorry but I can't promise an easy recovery. Just hang in there!


EDIT: oh and in case you haven't done so already... Stop drinking alcohol

Great idea (the journal). I haven't even thought of that.

i have the rollercoaster too. im 27 and hit the back left part of my head in February. i though i was getting better months ago but i reaggrivated myself and have been feeling like **** for months.

get ready to feel like **** with no end in sight. im not trying to be a downer but ive realized with these bad concussions that your basically screwed. im a shell of my former self. i used to be a active party animal now im only semi active and dont party

im still in good shape because i maintain but i can lift like i used to. i need to get 100% agian but the way i feel now i doubt ill ever be 100 agian. i think once you hit your head your a changed person for life

Are you serious? Man that's a downer. Did you lose consciousness? Do you also feel "different" now? I can't really describe how I feel different but it's a mix of tiredness/"unfocusness"/light headed feeling. It's like I'm in some kind of another dimension where focusing on something 100% for more than a few seconds is impossible, at least for now.

claritan wrote: " i think once you hit your head your a changed person for life "
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This is very true for many of us.
Fortunately pertiman, chris, claritan, each of you have younger-age onset of injury on your side. Which is in all of this for you a plus, a good thing going for you.

pertiman, you are wise to be mindful of your computer use re: " I have to use a computer virtually everyday for uni (papers to write, info to look up, etc...) but I'll definitely try to stay on these types of devices as little as possible.

It's an 'easy' one to 'not think about', easy to overdo it w/o knowing that we are, and to not know it until after the fact of having already overdone our capacity in one sitting. I still sometimes have to do my work in 5-10 minute sessions, walk away from it, go outside, pull weeds or rake leaves, do something entirely different that doesn't require such focus & concentration --- (although it often 'feels' like it doesn't, I know.) It's easy to feel like "It's easy for me", i.e. is not 'costing' us, when in fact it often is & we don't know it; until later, e.g. we find ourselves 'spent' or other symptoms exacerbated & can't imagine why.

It's the same with driving --- it's a skill that we take for granted.
It in fact is a very complex activity requiring great concentration, focus of attention, and brain-energy capacity.

Quote from hockey a few years ago: "I hear your frustration about working out with PCS. What helps me, and might help you, is to carefully monitor your heart rate during exercise. Over time you may be able to establish a "safe range" where you can exercise without making your headache, etc... worse. Cheers."

Good luck to you. Take it easy, Guys. Sounds like you're doing well with taking care.

You are very early in your recovery. Most people recover fully. If I were you I would hope for a 3 month recover. If that doesn't happen hope for 1 year. From what I've heard it's 3 months for a relatively bad concussion. 1 year for a really bad one. If it takes you over 3 months I would start questioning your return to hockey thereafter.

i have no idea if i lost consciousness. my concussion happened during the Superbowl and i was really hammered. i woke up the next day with my head killing me and a golf ball sized bump on it

since then ive had a lot of different symptoms. the good news is most of my symptoms have went away like anxiety and really bad fatigue but the symptoms like double flashy vison, brain fog and and overall odd feeling still are with me

i totally here you on the other dimension thing i felt like that earlier. i was out at the store and nothing seemed real and its like i was in my own world. i was driving home and thought to myself did i really just go to the store because it seemed like it didnt happen

you will get better like i have but im not 100%. some days im 90% other days im 60%. its weird because im young and healthy and should be better by now but im not. its been 9 months and im wondering if this **** is gonna take years. its looking that way

hi,

yes, it is a rollercoaster.

it´s been a rollercoaster for me for almost 10 weeks now.

i am not a doctor but from my personal experience i would recommend you to avoid any strenuous activities/sport activities. it worsen symptoms and can cause serious relapses. NO alcohol. do not party. try to relax, rest and sleep as much as possible. no stress. drink a lot of water. eat brain friendly foods. make sure you are seenig a good neurologist (other specialists) about your symptoms. as far as "the other dimension" thing - you are probably talking about derealization (feeling spaced out?) and as far as i know it´s caused by anxiety. I have been dealing with that a lot.

anyway all the best

i hope u will be ok soon

Had a 3rd physio session, told him about the symptoms (headaches, always tired, tv and computer give me headache, rollercoaster symptoms) and he said that with the hit I took and the symptoms, it'll probably take 2-3 months to recover fully.

I've had lots of trouble falling asleep lately, takes me about 1-2 hours to fall asleep, I get huge headaches at night now. Saturday night my brain felt like it was going to explode.

I'm so sad/disappointed, that's virtually the whole hockey season right there. Plus I have to start studying for a very important test (GMAT) and take it very soon, dunno how I'm gonna manage it.

you're doing pretty good if you're just worried about missing this hockey season. Most people here are just looking for ways to get better and would forego any leisurely sports to get there.

Well, I also sad because I play semi-pro and we get paid to play. It sucks. Fortunately I only have 2-3 hours of uni a day. Only on Thursdays do we have 6 hours of courses, I managed to get through them with lots of difficulty, came home, crashed on the sofa, huge headache, felt dizzy, must have been all the pressure. Outside of school time, I'm literally a zombie. I'm useless

pertiman,

You have been given some good advice and some poor information. There is a saying, "If you have seen one head injury, you have seen ONE head injury."

Nobody can predict what it will take for your recovery. The intensity of the injury and the other damage all add up to stress your body's ability to recover. Your studies need to be seriously moderated. You school may have a disability services department. They can possibly help you keep stress down as you let your brain rest.

At your level of hockey, I can say that this is not your first concussion. You also have a long history of sub-concussive impacts. These all accumulate to make your recovery more difficult. How you choose to take care of your brain from here on will greatly effect your quality of life for the rest of your life. Your first priority should be your recovery. Your second priority should be your studies. You need employment opportunities more than you need to play or stay in shape for hockey.

Quiet rest in most important. Also a brain healthy diet and nutrition is important. No alcohol, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, MSG, and intense sugar like high fructose corn syrup.

I have a vitamin and supplement regimen posted in many threads here. Do a search posts for 'magnesium.' You should find a post with the complete list.

And, ignore any time lines suggested by anybody. They are all meaningless. With your history, once your concussion symptoms last beyond a month or so, you need to plan for the long haul.

So, dig in and ask us any questions you have about dealing with your symptoms. There are lots of skills and work-arounds for dealing with PCS symptoms.

We are here for you.

you don't get paid to be on the injured reserve? It's a crappy system if they are encouraging injured players to play in order to get their paycheck.

Unfortunately you don't. I don't get paid that much so it's ok. But I'll definitely not rush my recovery just because I that. My long term health is way more important than a few bucks.

Little update:

The physio worked quite a bit on my neck/head area for quite some time on Friday. Lots of manipulations. He said that with what he did, I'd feel quite bad Friday night and Saturday.

Friday night went ok, slept 11 hours or so and Saturday has been just awful. It feels like my head is going to explode. Horrible, and I mean horrible headache. I literally can't think straight. Since all screens make it worse (TV, pc, iphone, etc...) I'm bored out of my mind. I tried reading something just to see if my headache would somehow go away but I couldn't even do that.

I hate this.

hello,

sorry to hear about your headaches.

did you have a ct scan or mri of your head done after your injury?

Re: "The physio worked quite a bit on my neck/head area for quite some time on Friday. Lots of manipulations. He said that with what he did, I'd feel quite bad Friday night and Saturday."
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Be sure also to be drinking lots of extra water.

Yeah, I had a CT scan done right when I arrived with the ambulance. Some people have been telling me to have another one done.

Hey guys, little update:

Still feeling pretty much the same, headaches have been less worse though but sensitivity to light is MUCH bigger.

I went to watch my hockey team play two days ago and for the first 2 periods I watched the game standing on the team bench. The fact that I was right "there", the ice seemed particularly white (when it never bothered me before), it was very bright for me and the fact I was close to the action and that the players were flying by left and right right in front of me really bothered me. I couldn't really focus on the game and what was happening, I was in another dimension, it was like I couldn't focus on the game, the plays that players were making, what the coach was saying, the reactions of the crowd. Essentially I was just staring.

For the 3rd period, I had to go up in the stands because I couldn't take it no more. I didn't get a headache but it was just plain uncomfortable.

Also, it's these ups and downs that's the worst. Some days I'm like 80%, and other days I'm 15-20%, I'm completely useless, no energy, I'm like a zombie.

It sucks.

It sounds like you need to take a bit easier. Going to the game is far too much stimulation for your struggling brain. Don't be surprised if you have a bad day the day after you over do it.

You want to try to string together as many good days as possible. Each time to over do it and have a bad day, you have likely lost a bit of your recovery.

So, take it easier and walk away from any environment that causes those spacy feelings.

My best to you.

Yeah I know. The players that are injured are kinda supposed to go watch the games, I'm currently not going to the ones that are away but I go to the home games.

Update:

Went to see another hockey of my team, same stuff, couldn't focus on anything for the entire game. I just stare at it. It's weird.

Even when I was talking to people there, it was bizarre. I could talk normally, have a decent conversation, you know, small talk and all but when at some point I had to explain something to somebody, I had trouble focusing on what I was going to say and it felt like my brain couldn't download everything I wanted to say, I've never felt this way in my life before. It's a bit scary.

Anyway, today (Sunday), I've been feeling like total shyt the entire day. No energy, no motivation, no ability to focus. I've been feeling like a zombie all day long. I've had huge mental fog all day, I'm literally unable to focus. I still went on a 1 hour long walk with my dog, it went ok. I walked quite slowly, I was vey calm.

Since I try to avoid tv, computer, video games and books, newspapers,... I'm trying to keep busy. I can't just sit in a chair all day doing nothing. The fact that I can't workout or play sports is already making me go crazy.

My sensitivity to light is quite high now, higher than in the beginning. Now it's like when I know there's going to be light (sun, lamp, car lights,...) my first reaction, without even thinking about it, is to protect myself against it. I protect my eyes with my hands or turn my head. It's almost as if though I'm scared of the light.

Driving home at night yesterday was quite uncomfortable. The lights seemed brighter than usual (before the concussion)

Also, the fact that I have to study for the GMAT while all this is going on is quite challenging.

Well as you can see, I'm not feeling that great, I hope it gets better.

Thanks again guys for being here, it's so helpful to have a community like this, just the simple fact of exchanging a few words with people in the same situation helps a lot.

Cheers

i know how you feel with driving at night and the lights are brighter. when im behind cars their tail lights seem to shine a red beam at me

and what sucks for me is when i look at lit up signs i see double.

here is some hope for you though. im 9 months in and the first 4-5 months during the day i couldnt stand light but now im pretty decent at standing the light it definitly gets better

Hi Chris,

I'm just posting because we're in similar situations. I'm 21 (f) and got a concussion 37 days ago playing rugby. I'm also a full time student in my last year at a rigorous college, and I should be finishing up classes and writing a thesis right now, but that's not happening.

Have you talked to your professors about taking an incomplete for this semester? I finally did that this week and it took a huge load of stress off of my shoulders. Now I'm mainly focusing on "resting" as opposed to trying to force myself through school work. I'm hoping that I'll be better come January and can get everything done then.

And yeah, this sucks. It -will- get better. After four weeks I was finally able to watch an entire rugby game. Five weeks I can use the computer for about as long as I want without a headache, but I'm still having trouble reading print for long periods of time. Driving at night still sucks.

Not working out sucks, too. I went from being the most fit player on my team to doing NOTHING all day. I suggest you take baby steps. Walking my dogs for a few hours each day seems to help. I'm going to try some light cardio this week. I think I'm going to have to quit rugby and play touch rugby with the local old men's club until I graduate.

It sucks, but at least there's another young person who knows what you're going through! :hug:

hi,

yes. that´s me right there. check out my older posts.

my concussion happened almost 12 weeks ago.

expect it to go up and down.

don´t expect no immediate recovery. be patient.

don´t do sports.

we are all different but i just read an article on Marc Savard, he suffered a hockey related concussion, now has PCS and after 21 months he is still not allowed to return to sports. Don´t want to depress you in any way, but let´s be realistic. Take it easy and avoid any strenuous acitivities.

Update:

went to do an MRI like my physio asked me to. Lasted 35-40 minutes. Went in the machine for about 25 minutes, they then pulled me out, put some kind of colorant in my blood, put me back in for about 10 minutes. Gonna call doc on Monday to get results.

Is this colorant supposed to be helpful to detect artery/vein damage in the brain area? Or what's the deal with that.

Went to see the doc before the MRI, first time I had seen him since the accident. He said that the reason it's taking a long time for me to recover is because first of all, it's personal, there's no one size fits all recovery time, and secondly, that I should have stopped at least 4-5 days after the accident before going back to school or even going out of the house. I went back to uni 2 days after the accident. Thing is I can't afford to not go to uni, I have to go to my courses and can't afford to be late with my courses/papers.

On a side note, I'm starting to think that apart from the concussion I got when I was 10-11 (also lost consciousness, have no memory whatsoever, fell from a 8 feet high double bunk bed and hit my head on a concrete-like floor, if nobody had told me the next morning that I had fallen from the bed, I would have never known) and this concussion I got at hockey, I might have got other concussions, multiple small concussions during hockey games, where you get hit in the head or you get checked head first into the boards, you feel dizzy a few seconds, get up and continue the game. You maybe get a slight headache the next day but you don't even think about it that way.

I'm starting to wonder really if this might be my 5th or 6th concussion rather than my 2nd. Mind you, the two I've had so far in my life have been the worst concussions you can get: loss of consciousness for +5 minutes, serious PCS for weeks.

hi,

did the MRI show anything? Hopefully it was clear.

Hey, sorry only saw your response today.

No, thankfully it came back negative but for some reason, they told me they could tell I got one hell of a blow. They told me this while I was in the MRI machine so I'm not quite sure how they got to that conclusion. Any ideas?


Little update:

No real improvement unfortunately. My sensitivity to light seems to have gone away, that's the only positive news. I've still got headaches and concentration problems. About a week ago I had 3-4 days where I felt relatively good, I finally thought I was finished with it all but the headaches came back on the 5th day and now, I feel exactly like before.

It's not easy, my uni exams are coming up, I'm also studying for the GMAT. I can't afford to rest or not do anything.

I had a really uncomfortable experience at the end of last week. I've been studying for the GMAT for 15-20 days. Up until now I've only been reading the theory and doing a few exercises. I've had headaches and concentration problems but it was bearable.
Last week I decided I wanted to test myself with a time constraint, to simulate test day conditions.

So I started the 35 minute simulated test. Unfortunately, after 10-15 minutes, I could feel pain slowly but surely developing in my head, something I've never felt before. At the 20 minute mark, it was bearable but I had a massive headache, it was literally thumping.

At the 30 minute mark I had to stop, the pain was seriously "hurting". Never in my life have I had that type feeling, where I could notice my headache getting bigger and bigger by the minute. Couldn't focus on what I was reading, couldn't concentrate on the text.

I don't really know what happened. Could this have been due to the stress related to the time constraint mixed with the mental focus I had to use?

This is the first time since the accident (now 2 months ago) that I really gave it my best in terms of mental focus/concentration to do a task.
It really sucks. The real GMAT test is in a bit more than 20 days so I hope I won't experience this on test day.
I'll try and take a 3 and a half hour long practise test on Friday (same amount of time than the official test) to see how things go.

I also went to see an osteopath last week. He manipulated my neck region quite a bit. He said that my neck was totally "blocked" that the "streams" weren't flowing efficiently. He said that what he did would help me.

Your continued pursuit of your classwork and prep for your GMAT will be counter to recovery. You should consider taking time off to get better rather than push through. It would be better to delay grad school than get into grad school and flunk out or have some other failure.

It is like you are a hockey player trying to skate on a broken ankle. It's not going to happen successfully.

You're right. But I really cannot afford to take time off. Trust me, I'd love to, there's nothing I'd want to do more than take 2-3 weeks off doing nothing, but I can't. I'm already taking an additional year to finish my bachelor degree (have to write my degree paper).

On top of that, I have to study like mad for the GMAT, which is in less than a month. I wanna take the test once, I can maybe afford to take it twice but it'll tight timing. This whole concussion thing has already made me have to scramble to prepare for my grad school applications (taking tests, gathering info,...).

Also, my uni exams are coming up. They are hugely important.


Fukk, I wish I could take some time off but as you can see I really can't.

Just chiming in really quickly here because I noticed that you play hockey. I was injured in a somewhat similar fashion. Despite playing in a no checking league, I was hit hard and high during a game and my head went flying into the glass. I don't believe I lost consciousness, but I really banged my head on the glass and ice.

I rode the pcs rollercoaster for many months, probably close to 11. Things finally started to level out after that and I am feeling much better now. Not perfect, but so much better than the sick mess I was for so long! I can tolerate noise, crowds, stores, even the bright lights of a rink now. I couldn't for many, many months. So hang in there and try to take it easy if you can. I think the rest really does help.

Also, 1 year after my injury I was diagnosed with a pretty bad neck injury. I new my neck was injured from the hit, but doctors didn't feel like giving me a cervical mri until 12 months after the damage was done. Not sure if you've had a neck workup yet, but it might be something to consider. Neck injuries can contribute to pcs like symptoms. Good luck in your recovery!

I guess I don't completely understand your situation, but I thought I'd add that I'm taking a medical leave from school right now. I was really scared to at first, but the doctor put it this way: you're not going to be a failure in life just because you had to take some time off from college. This is especially true when the time is used to heal. Your health is wayyyy more important than anything. You only get one brain; don't screw with it.