PCS opinion- 20yr old
 

Hello, I am 20year old male having PCS for 8 months now. My symptoms arent so hard now, but I had a hard time in the beggining. Had migraines for a month and a half in the beggining, nausea at the end of the day, was very confused and fatigued for a long time. I was also depressed, and demotivated, depersonalized.

Now most of the symptoms I described are gone most of the time, still I have problems communicating with others, especially listening to others, and talking in large groups,listening to multiple people at the same time. I still have some trouble also with confusion, and disorientation in space and time a bit.

When this all started I was doing Thai Boxing, but I didnt lose consciousness, only got multiple hits to the head. I also had multiple more concussions in the past. At the time I was taking glutamine, maybe that made things worse.

It took me time to realize it is PCS, because migraines started a week after my last boxing training. Even today I still cannot believe sometimes that it is PCS, sometimes I ask myself "Is it maybe only in my head?", and a lot of time I was searching for other causes that might cause my problems and was in denial. I had a MR and CT and they are OK.

ADVICES:

1) after the concussion REST whenever you are fatigued, but gradually return to normal activities

2) FORGET ALCOHOL for the rest of your life, it still makes me horrible and I think it will stay that way. I think PCS is caused by messed up blood vessels in brain. Wikipedia says brain blood circulation is not normal even 2-3 years after the concussion in case of PCS.

3) AVOID drugs, like MARIHUANA. It wont help you, it will only make things much much worse.

3) AVOID CAFFEINE and cigaretes, avoid MSG.

4) DONT EXERCISE or run or do anything that is increasing your HEART RATE after the concussion, I did - I am still afraid to exercise

5) WALK outside on a FRESH AIR - this one is very important, because of oxygen. This helped most to me.

6) from the beginning take as much as you can of B vitamins, D vitamine, DHA and EPA omega 3, magnesium. Have a good diet, take supplements

7) I avoided milk and diary products. I connected it to calcium that could be damaging to brain cells that are in recovery - probably I am wrong with this one

8) Now I read about fetal hand position, TV static noise and BCAA. I will try that.

9) Dont expect that anyone will understand you.Most people never heard of PCS. It was only harder to me when I tried to explain what PCS is.

One thing I hate right now is my hands are shaking sometimes.

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, everyone can recover, because God exists. Just stay away from alcohol. :)

It sounds like you have a good start at understanding PCS. You line 8 is new to me. BCAA is easy to get in meats, especially pork.

The fetal hand position is a term I have never heard before. I did a quick google. It appears to be simply a relaxation position. I use a similar position when I want to get good sleep. I used to hold a small softly stuffed animal in my grip so my grip was relaxed. Soft and soothing sensations on your hands with your hands in a relaxed position like across your chest will likely be helpful for good relaxing rest and sleep.

The TV static noise is interesting. It likely hides other sounds. I find I do better with sounds that my brain understands. My mind will create dreams to go along with the music lyrics or such. The static does not enhance my depth of sleep.

I hope you have given up the boxing. You have already proven that your brain will not tolerate it any more. Don't consider boxing a normal activity. The sub-concussive impacts your brain has already received has likely left you with permanent damage and sensitivity. The addition of the glutamine to the boxing impacts has put you at further risk.

I found this information online at a respected source. <In two recent studies it was found that the amount of glutamine in the brain could predict the brain damage seen both in pediatric brain injuries and brain damage secondary to seizures. Adding large amounts of glutamine to the diet increases significantly brain levels of glutamine and, hence, glutamate. Another study found that by adding glutamine to the diet of animals exposed to another powerful excitotoxin called quinolinic acid, brain cell damage was increased significantly.>

btw, Welcome to NeuroTalk.

My best to you.

I can relate. I had an particularly tough trainer that spent months getting his certification in Thailand. He put me through hellish sparring. He put me up against a former amateur who was 30 lbs over me. He did NOT hold back, and took full 100% swings to my head. eventually, my lights went out. 3 months later, and I'm still feeling the impacts...best lesson is...IF you decide to take on these dangerous combat sports...please make sure you have a GOOD trainer...not a HARD trainer...cuz sometimes hard trainers are not good trainers...at least not for your well-being.

I disagree. If you are going to take on these sports, make sure you have prepaid years of health insurance. Have made out your will and have a living will/life directive in case you become a vegetable.

Then accept the FACT that any hits to your head will decrease not only your life expectancy but also you quality of life, especially by the time you reach your late 30's to early 40's. You will be increasing your odds of developing dementia and/or Alzheimer's Disease by a factor of 18.

After accepting this information, expect to need the help of others as your brain and body functions deteriorate. Can you spell "Depends"?

My best to you.

You know what, Mark? I'm gonna go ahead and agree with you lol. Kickboxing was perhaps the stupidest thing I could ever have done to myself.

I am glad that I found someone who can understand me. I agree too that boxing and thaiboxing was the stupidest thing I did in my whole life, because it changed it for a lot. And I was just doing it for recreation, not professionaly.

I also had a bad luck, I had to work with guys that were a lot heavier than me (I have 63kg)...

Mark, I know that I am at much higher risk for dementia now, I learned it the harder way. But it doesnt help when you talk about factor 18, permanent damage and stuff, we all got our lessons.

Im now at month 10. During the past 2 months I felt major progress, my concentrating abilities and apetite got better (Im studying on a computing university). I even went out two nights in a row, didnt drink of course. I still hope for a full recovery.

But this week I went cycling 1h on a bike 3 days in a row, and felt weird and exhausted for the last 3 days. Maybe its too early? Or should I push it through?

Also was thinking about color doppler of a neck... Can it be usefull if I already did an MRI of neck and brain?

Thanks in advance...

Oh, Mark says alcohol is OK once in a while. No more than one drink during a day.
I believe some sites on the internet say this as well. I have no idea what a doctor thinks since I don't have one.

What would you be looking for with a doppler of the neck?

I am sorry if I was over the top with the factor of 18. I can get reactive to people who who ask for advice as to how and when to return to dangerous activities.

We face enough risk of further head injuries by just living an active life.

Yes I agree with you on this.

Well, every morning when I wake up I have many weird crackling sounds in my neck, ever since my problems started. Now, I read that crackling sounds can be a result of tense neck muscles, and tense neck muscles are a result of PCS. Crackling intensity isnt the same every day, it varies greatly.

Also It seems to me that my symptoms are connected to my neck movements. If I do the wrong movement or extend my neck too much maybe that is causing problems? Or maybe it is just a bad blood circulation from PCS... Its hard for me to notice what is causing what...

But, I was thinking, maybe MRI didnt show up some injury to the arteries in spine? Thats why I ask about color doppler...Dont know just guessing...

Anyway im almost sure that my problems arent only PCS, some whiplash injury must have occured...That crackling sounds cant be normal.

I have been to the twist and pop chiropractor 3x some 5 months ago, wouldnt recommend it to anyone. Didnt help me, only took my money. Also have been to the atlas adjustion in July 2011. They also wasted my money,didnt get better.

This atlas adjustion is a fraud seems to me. One doctor once said that moving atlas would cause instant death to a human, and that it is nonsense. I believe him. Yet I dont know why medicine science doesnt speek up publicly against these adjustions if they know that they are scams.

Jeffrey, regarding alcohol... Even before PCS I was very sensitive to alcohol, so now I dont drink even one cup of alcohol, or coffee. I just didnt feel good from it.

One cup of alcohol cant do much harm, but I avoid it, at least for now.

I had some neck rehab & strengthening at a neck & back clinic last summer using Med-X weight machines and other stretching & strengthening exercises. I had some crackling as you describe but over time it improved. You might look for a rehab/physical therapy place that does this type of work?

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Yeah you can always try out physical therapy, got the same cracking every morning, CT, MRI showed nothing, probably a whiplash injury.

In my case my left necks muscle is badly damaged and strained as hell, that muscle is connected to head....

The claim that any moving of Atlas would cause instant death is a sign of ignorance. Yes, too much movement would. That is what killed Nascar's Dale Earnheart. It is called an internal decapitation.

Upper cervical chiros only cause very small movements. It is not a scam. Some people do not respond to the small movements but many do.

One can have an out of position Atlas without any symptoms just as much as reducing the out of alignment of Atlas can result in no improvements.

The spine surgeons often lead this crusade against the chiros.

Can that muscle be repaired or the damage is permanent?

I will try physical therapy, tomorrow ill go to my doctor. It cant do no harm...

Regarding atlas discussion... The atlas practitioner i went to had no education about human anatomy seems to me, he only had some posters about it, lol. I guess NUCCA is something different.

"The spine surgeons often lead this crusade against the chiros." - I think this says it all. Who knows more about human anatomy, spine surgeons or chiros?

Do you know anyone personally who had significant improvements after neck adjustment?

One needs to put spine surgeon in perspective. For someone with lower back pain who goes to a spine surgeon, there are statistically three outcomes. the stats show that at 12 months post surgery, one-third will feel better. One-third will feel the same. And one-third will feel worse.

There is also research about imaging the spine. There are just as many who are asymptomatic who show an injury to their spine as there are those who show no injury to their spine yet have serious symptoms.

The spine is difficult to treat. Spine surgeons have no better track record than chiropractors. In fact, chiropractors very rarely make the patient's spine worse.

But, not all chiropractors are equal in their skills. A NUCCA chiro is vastly different that a twist and pop chiropractor.

But, this does not mean there are not plenty of incompetent chiros or at least, chiros who are more focused on the business of making money that healing.

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Its not permanent.

Tell therapist about it, she will exercise you, and you will get hes/her opinion about it, i hope my neck wont have problems for so long time as you, feel sorry for you.

With your neck, just a thought, you might want to look into going to a physical therapist or a pain management clinic. I'm currently going to a clinic, and I know what you mean about the tight muscles. I've had post concussive syndrome for a year and I have tight neck, facial and jaw muscles, though I didn't know it until I had my first appointment. I was clenching everything subconsciously. According to my doctor it's what's prolonging my post-concussive syndrome. I'm currently at a clinic, and I'm seeing a doctor, psychologist, dentist (for the jaw) and physical therapist together. They all communicate with each other to outline the best treatment for me, and are trying to teach me how to relax these muscles. So far I'm weaning off my medication and my headaches are doing better. I also know what you mean about the alcohol. I can't have any without aggravating my headaches, but if I have a glass of wine I can keep it under control. I'm hoping it goes away with time, because before I couldn't even have a glass, but we'll see.

Good call on cutting out glutamine. I've read that it plays a big role in the damage being done during concussion.

The fresh air is spot on too. I've found the more time I spent outside in the fresh air, the quicker my recovery.

I don't think milk is a problem. I've been drinking plenty with no problem.

I'll add a couple of things: Acetyl-L-Carnitine available at Vitamin Shoppe (I've taken 500mg off and on for the past few months and noticed I had a massive improvement when I started).

BCAAs are something I'm going to try.

Resveratrol is apparently real good as well. I've been reading about its use in boxing and how it seemed to help fighters after a bout. It's in red wine, so if you want to drink anything alcohol...or just buy it in supplement form.

Oh, and keep your protein intake high.

Looks like you're well sussed on what's going on.