Symptom relapse is pretty common, right?
 

I've been just lurking for awhile. Original injury in Jan 2012. Started feeling really good in June, stayed pretty mellow through the summer. Now school has started for the kids, things got super busy at work, having trouble keeping things under control & haven't established the new routine yet--and I feel about like I did 4-5 weeks into my PCS. Brain fog, insomnia, anxiety is ramping up, I'm forgetting appointments (standing weekly ones), struggle for words, etc. I'm trying to back off, but people seem much more unwilling to understand this go-'round. My boss gives me the "been-there-done-that" look & my friends are sort of rolling their eyes at me. In some ways, this feels worse, since I feel like I have to defend myself more right now. I'm really satisfied with my recovery thus far. The only thing I've found totally out of reach for me is that I cannot read choral music--I used to sing in a choir & cannot do that. I don't enjoy music as much anymore, either.

I know part of the relapse is a too much/too soon scenario. I've had three weekends of company, which hasn't helped.

I guess I'm not really looking for advice so much--I KNOW what I must do to return to a more functional place--but sometimes there's strength in a shared journey. So, this is "normal"? As normal as the PCS brain can be, anyway...

I had something similar happen... My injury was in february, and this summer, things were going very well... I had headaches, but it wasn't horrible, usually very manageable. WE went away to visit family, and while there, I tripped in a darkened theater. I basically erased about 3 months of recovery in one fell swoop. We had another vacation planned (late honeymoon actually), and I managed to make it through, but only by ramping up my headache med usage and sleeping several times a day.

One of my best friends then layed into me for not visiting her and her new baby... which would mean another vacation... she said that because I had been away that I no longer had any "excuses" for not coming... I wasn't thrilled with her, and landed up writing a very frank email letting her know how hard it is to have an injury that no one can see, and that her insinuating that I was now just using my injury as an excuse was hurtful... she emailed back immediately letting me know that it came off wrong, and that she was sorry...

I am now much improved, but still not where I was this summer. It's frustrating, and has led to me delaying my Masters till January instead of starting in September.... but I feel better knowing that I am taking the time I really need to heal... But I am fortunate in that I am not working, and will not be cleared to go back to work until january...

Take the time you need to heal.. If you need to get sick days, get a doctor's note... HEre in Canada we have employment insurance which will cover up to 16 weeks of sick leave at 60%... it's not great, but it IS better than nothing!

leebeemi,

This sounds like a common over-stimulation relapse. If you need help telling others about your continuing struggles, the YouTube video series, "You Look Great" may be helpful. It is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Xso...ature=youtu.be
It is 6 segments long and takes about an hour. Maybe you can email the link to your boss and others.


Try to lay low to help your brain recover.

My best to you.

Thanks, Mark. I have viewed the series & passed it on to others. I had good support earlier this year. But, time heals all wounds--except for the ones in the brain--and it's harder to get a "buy-in" this time.

I talked to my husband today, and he's VERY supportive, wants to help make things easier to let me recover further, etc. But at work, this is going to be an issue. "I thought you were better" is the way it's going. Yes, I was. I am. I will be. But today I'm not again, and might not be tomorrow.

It's harder for my boss & coworkers to understand this time around. I get that, I understand it.

I guess I mostly wanted to whine to some people that understand, as I'm not finding a lot in real life today. I have taken some meditation breaks & a walk outside, and I feel better.

I need to be mindful of taking care of myself, as I think I forgot to do that. Along with my son's dental appointment. And the laundry. And my sister's birthday. And...I'm sure a whole lot of other things!

leebeemi,

Some similarities with my setback. My injury was in November 2011. Come mid May I was feeling pretty normal and returned to work for about 6 weeks. I had in total about 10 weeks of symptom free days and they all came back.

Had a new baby in May and some insomnia issues, so likely as Mark suggested to me I exhausted my brain energy.

Been 2 months now since my setback and much better again. More cautious and wise I hope. Sounds like we may of learned the same lesson, my best to you and good luck. Take brain breaks when you can.

Good luck and take care.

I've just had a setback as well and it's so frustrating. My 13th concussion happened December 7, 2012. Fell off a six foot folding ladder getting off a trailer on a flat deck truck at work.
Played football in high school and University so got a few there as well as water skiing, motorcycles, Tae Kwon do etc. The last one I had had, was almost ten years ago and it wasn't nearly as bad as this one.

Although last time I was KO'd when my ski hit my head. So being 40 now I assumed it would take longer but it's still brutal. MRI shows some scar tissue but no bleeds...and my doc and the neurologist both have tried different meds. I guess I was just wanting to see if anyone else has had lots of PCS symptoms and if a relapse was common. I thought I was taking it easy but apparently not...

Boydo,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. You have found a good place with good people.

What you are experiencing is the difference between a serious concussion at 30 and a serious concussion at 40 years old. The brain at 40 has far less tolerance for injury and stress.

Please tell us about your symptoms and the treatments and meds that doctors have tried.

Hello Leebeemi,
I posted earlier about musical performance. If you haven't yet read the responses, please see the thread. I had good advice, and it helped me understand my current deficits. I completely understand the frustration of not being able to do what you have probably enjoyed doing for a long time, but as it was pointed out to me, just RELAX and wait to see what heals.

I used my music as a way of relaxation, and altough I cannot perform as I once did, I can still get enjoyment and relaxation from LISTENING to it. If your inability to read or sing to music is driving you to worry more, try something that is instrumental only. Your appreciation of music can be stretched to another genre without focusing on your problem right now.

Try something that has fewer instruments, so you're not processing too much info all at once, and close your eyes to reduce distractions. I think you'll soon find your love for music can exist on a different plane right now.

With all the other things going on with you, I encourage you to not make something that gives you pleasure turn into " another loss" for you. I am playing the "wait and see" game myself, but I try to be grateful that I can still listen and enjoy music, and that it still has power to speak to my heart and soul.

Wishing you steady healing and patience, Music-in-me

I'm currently having a setback and it's been 2.5 weeks (I think). In my case, just about everything causes a relapse - walking up the stairs without taking breaks, any shaking of my head, even braking aggressively when I'm driving - the list goes on.

In this particular case, me and my son bumped into each other, no consequences for him (thanks God!), but I'm on my third week of my setback.

And I know exactly what you are talking about when you wrote that people roll their eyes at you. I'm going exactly through the same thing - for people I look perfectly normal (except for my broken ankle), so they just simple do not believe me.

Well, what helps me is that I just learned to not expect people to understand - they don't. Just do what you can/need to do to recover and don't expect people to understand that. My life became a little easier when I started doing that. People will roll their eyes anyway.

You will get better, we all do eventually :grouphug:

I too have had a set-back and am on week 2 of that. Insomnia was the first sign, and I waited too long to talk to my doc about it. Now I have brain fog, extreme fatigue and difficulty reading. I know it gets better so I am just being patient :)

So another fall on some ice while carrying my son...14th Concussion! Yay...
More CT, MRI, XRay, blood tests etc...they've had me on so many different medications over the last year & a bit that I can't even remember the names. At one point I was on 5 different things and it started affecting my liver!
Right now I'm taking Celebrex every morning. Couple Tramadol during the day, Percocet at night and Zopiclone before bed so I can get a bit of sleep. After the 13th one I took all of one day off and was essentially chastised by WCB for doing that and guilted by work for not powering through it. Now this one wasn't as bad of a fall, but it's giving me troubles. Memory is foggier this time and finding the right words is a problem a lot. I've noticed my balance is off from time to time and I get dizzy/nautious if I see something on TV that's Point of View (like a video game or some commercial or anything like that) My doctor (and wife and friends) suggested taking Short Term Disability - but I'm worried that I'll get fired for doing it. I know it's illegal to do this, but my company doesn't exactly treat the employees very well. I can see my position being "absorbed" by another department or me being transferred to another department and wanting to quit because it sucks. Essentially, I know that not taking any time is affecting my recovery but it's hard. My ears ring constantly, my hands shake, my sense of smell is all but gone, I have essentially a migraine headache 24/7 and am dead *** tired because of lack of sleep. Marital life isn't exactly what it should be so to speak either because any kind of "excercise" makes my head pound...and yes, my wife says that I'm not the same person I was before the 13th hit...and am even more emotional now after the 14th. It's just so frustrating.

I've been on so many different drugs that I can't remember them all but so far not much has helped. Heck, I was to the point that by the time I had enough Tylenol 4's to make a dent in my headache...my guts sounded like a bag of marbles!

Boydo,

I hope you son is OK after your fall. Neither of you can afford another fall.

It sounds like you need to be speaking with a Work Comp attorney about protecting your job and getting disability. You don't say what state you are in so we can try to find a referral for you. You can check www.tbilaw.com . There are others who have good experience in mTBI. You sound like a walking drug factory. Are the meds just for head ache and insomnia ? Tylenol (acetaminophen) is rough on the brain besides the liver.

Have you tried the Vitamin and Supplement regimen in the sticky at the top ? Your brain needs help to be healthy besides pharmaceuticals. Omega 3 DHA should be at the top of your list.

My best to you.

Yeah I'm in Alberta, Canada...not sure if that's going to make a difference or not. My little guy was totally fine...I took all the brunt of the fall and held him up. He was upset about me laying on the ground looking dazed while he ran to Mom...
At any rate, I had a WCB claim last year and they cleared me for work (desk duty) but even after it's been a real guilt trip if I take any time off for doctor's visits etc. Now, after this other fall (which wasn't at work) I just know that somehow I'm going to get screwed over with disability. Having as many concussions on my records isn't going to help either.
The meds are all for pain. Which is funny because I have a high threshold to begin with and rarely took pain medication for anything before this. They've tried separate meds for the shaking hands and ringing ears, but they didn't help and just made other symptoms pop up.

There are no meds to help with tinnitus (ringing ears). If the shaking hands are only when you are trying to hold them still or do fine work, there are relaxation skills you can try to learn. My hands will shake the more I try to make them not shake. If I relax, they stop or lessen in their shaking.

Your prior concussions did not cause your current symptoms. It was the fall at work that did. It may have been the straw that broke the camel's back but without it, you would be doing much better. This last concussion should not be a big deal because your 13th could have contributed to it with balance and coordination deficits. Either way, it sure sounds like number 13 was the life changing impact.

Number 13 was definitely the one that did me in so to speak. I guess the most frustrating thing about it is, it just doesn't seem to be getting better. Before (when I was younger) it would be a couple weeks...then good as new.

Now, it had been just over a year since I fell off the ladder and still had a 24/7 headache. Then add to that the slip and fall last month - I tried to make it seem like it wasn't that bad - but it's just worse and worse.

The joking and ribbing I get about needing to wear a helmet and being a rough haircut away from drooling in a cup were fine the first couple times - but now it's starting to get to me.

Boydo,

Have you had any diagnostics done on your neck ? Headaches often are caused by upper neck injuries. The injuries are subtle and may not show up on MRI's or CT Scans. The common symptom is a tenderness at the bony part behind the ears. This is significant of a spasming muscle due to trauma.

Some gentle traction with gentle manipulations may help. Icing can also help. It also requires serious discipline with neck and head posture, especially when sleeping or resting.

You might ask your doctor about a short term script of Soma (carisiprodol), a muscle relaxant or something similar to see if muscle spasms are part of your problem. Be sure to use good resting posture when taking a muscle relaxant. You don't want to make things worse.

Hope you can find a way to get some relief.

My best to you.