PCS help!
 

Hi, I had a head injury 6 weeks ago stunting in Cheerleading, a girl fell on my head from the air and knocked me to the ground from standing, landing sat on my head and neck. I lost vision in both eyes for a few minutes but did not lose consciousness. I regained vision in my right eye but had loss of peripheral vision and general visual disturbance in my left eye for the next three weeks. I was seen at eye clinic twice where I was told that my vitreous had come away from my retina but that it would heal. My vision has gotten better but still have occasional problems. 10 days after my head injury, whilst tumbling, I started to get intense head pain, like I was being stabbed in the head just behind my left eye. I have had a constant headache since then, which is about a month now, and been to A&E today where they did a CT scan which came back normal. In the first two weeks I managed taking paracetamol, but now I can't take it as it makes me worse, the pain increases, I feel nauseous and become more confused and struggle with speech. I feel a bit hopeless as this has been a long time to be in so much pain, it's really affecting my university work, I'm struggling with daily life, apparently there is nothing wrong, and I feel like there is nothing I can do about it. Does anyone have any suggestions? Any help would be much appreciated!

Hi Melissa,

It is still quite early. Even though 6 weeks feels like such a long time when you're suffering like this, in terms of recovery from brain injury, it is not that long.

Most people with post-concussion syndrome have clear CT scans and MRIs. It doesn't mean there's nothing wrong with you; it means that those tests are not nearly sensitive enough to pick up on microscopic damage such as axonal shearing.

Allow yourself plenty of rest, especially now that you are in between semesters. It's even worth thinking about taking medical leave from school for a semester. Your body need lots of rest, care, and time to properly heal. Avoid highly stimulating environments and activities, take frequent breaks throughout the day, and try to eat a healthy diet. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and artificial food additives.

Your body and brain are not going to tolerate your normal level of activity. You'll have to find ways of breaking up your day and limiting your activity level for the foreseeable future. For awhile at least, you'll need to work on adjusting to a new "normal" and being very patient with yourself.

If you have more specific questions along the way, there are many knowledgeable people on this forum who can likely answer them.

Hang in there and take care of yourself.

thanks so much for your help and reassurance.
I don't think I can realistically take a semester out because I go on my year abroad to Spain next year so effectively this is my last year with the people I started at uni with, so I keep feeling that "final year" feeling of not wanting to miss out on anything and wanting to get involved in everything. I also train for Cheerleading and tumbling pretty intensively when I'm at uni, and usually go to the gym at least twice a week to do normal workouts to keep up stamina and fitness, but the past week I've found this really difficult because I've been feeling so bad and whenever I sprint or on the treadmill do too much I get stabbing head pain. I've had type 1 diabetes and loads of health problems since I was little, so I usually ignore things and get on and live life to the full, I've never been very good at "rest" so I'm guessing this is going to be a problem for me haha! I'm getting a letter from my GP to give to uni for mitigating circumstances for my three essays due in in January (which I'm pretty sure are incoherent due to my concussed state over the past 6 weeks), but I'm also thinking of making an appointment with my GP to see what pain relief I could get, or whether preventative migraine treatment could take the edge off my headaches?

I understand the difficulty in allowing yourself rest, as well as the urge to try to push through your normal activities. However, in trying to keep up with your normal schedule, you are putting yourself at serious risk of making your condition worse and prolonging your recovery. Doing sprints is a very, very bad idea, and it sounds like your body is telling you this.

There are a number of meds out there for migraines, and hopefully your doctor can offer you some good suggestions--or refer you to someone who can.

Melissa,

It sounds like you are setting yourself up for a long roller coaster and delayed recovery. Post Concussion Syndrome does not tolerate the level of activity you have planned. Many here have tried to continue on with their usually activity levels and after a year or two, realized they were not getting better. When they took time for quiet rest, they started recovering.

Continuing with your cheerleading activities puts you at great risk of more serious injury and even lifelong struggles. Your next concussion will have more devastating results.

With your diabetes and other health problems, you should consider a much more comprehensive approach to your recovery. The concussed brain often struggles with proper glucose metabolism. I hope you are conscientious with your glucose testing. The lows many experience will be very rough on your brain.

How many previous concussion do you think you have suffered? Please understand that a concussion does not need a doctor's diagnosis. Any head impact that causes a head ache or any other symptoms is a concussion. I bet you have had many previous concussions.

I hope you do well but expect you will continue to struggle until you take some time for quiet rest.

My best to you.

All of this information is really helpful and good to know that it's not just me making it up in my head!
Mark, I guess I will have had a few, I was knocked to the ground again about two weeks ago, and had another few seconds of blindness. I suppose I will have been hit in the head many times before the bad head injury, as I won't have been as aware of it.
I hadn't thought of the effects of my diabetes on my brain, the fluctuating glucose levels can't be great for it. I try hard not to eat carbohydrates so my glucose levels won't be affected, but I will try to be more strict with myself from now on! I suppose my year abroad will give me a good chance at rest, and I will have a year out from cheer then as they don't have it in Spain.

Hello Melissa sorry to meet you under these circumstances. Hopefully your injury will not have a long recovery. If you are not feeling a sense of getting better you need to discuss the possibility of PCS with your GP. It would be wise to review some of the post here as many have made very similar posts as yours.

Because of the effects of PCS and how hard some struggle with what many would consider simple daily tasks you may want to carefully consider what Xanadau and Mark have said. PCS is not to be taken lightly.

For warned is for armed. Some careful planning now can save you a ton of frustration and pain later. Keep us informed and ask any questions you may have we are here to help. We really know what you are dealing with as we live it everyday.

Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks to everyone for your advice.
I can't deal with this pain, it's really bad today, the slightest movement of my head sends shooting pain all over my head and down my neck and back. I decided to try cocodamol but I don't have high expectations because paracetamol makes me feel so bad when I've tried to take it for these headaches. I'm going to go to the doctor tomorrow to discuss migraine preventative treatment so will update tomorrow as I will probably have questions then!
Happy new year to everyone :)

I am going to make two separate posts.... one for headache treatment and one for natural lifestyle things I learned to optimize my brain health. Hope they will be helpful.

First, for immediate natural headache relief, you can put your feet in hot water (as hot as you can stand) while icing your head and neck. Do this in a dark quiet place for 20 minutes or so.

What helped long-term with my headaches was a combination of things.

The first thing that helped was vision therapy. To find a provider, check out http://www.braininjuries.org or http://www.nora.cc

I got on a headache preventive medication. The first one I tried was elavil (amitriptyline), and then I switched to topamax (topiramate), which I still take.

I had therapy to strengthen and align my neck.

I stopped taking painkiller medications including tylenol, hydrocodone, and imitrex, all of which can cause rebound headaches.

Finally, I switched to a whole foods vegan diet high in omega-3s and tryptophan. This reduced inflammation throughout my body. I also helped kick-start the reduced inflammation with hydrotherapy and algal DHA/EPA. At this point, my headaches finally disappeared for good. I still eat vegan but no longer do hydrotherapy or the algal supplements.

I have been headache free for eight months now, after nearly 18 months with serious migraine-like headaches.

Here are some natural things you can do to strengthen the brain:

- Eat a whole foods (clean eating) diet high in omega-3s and tryptophan. Take 3 tbsp of ground flax seed in juice every morning for a complete daily dose of both and then whatever you eat during the day is bonus. I also switched to a vegan diet, which is optimal for getting the nutrients you need across the blood-brain barrier.

- Be sure to stay well hydrated. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily (i.e. if you weigh 100lbs, drink 50 oz. of water).

- There are also hot and cold water treatments you can do to increase circulation to the brain. In the shower, alternate 3 minutes of hot water with 1 minute of cold for at least 3 cycles. The greater the temperature contrast, the greater the benefit (just be sure not to scald yourself). Don't get the very hot water on your head, but do get it on your shoulders. Cold water is okay to get on your head. Always end on cold.

- Sunlight through the skin is good for vitamin D and through the eyes is good for melatonin (sleeping at night).

- Listening to baroque music (such as Bach) can help strengthen frontal lobe function (provided it does not increase symptoms).

- Exercise (even light exercise such as walking) can reduce harmful biochemicals and release endorphins. Again, be sure you are keeping it gentle enough to avoid symptoms.

- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and other non-prescribed drugs.

- Avoid or strictly limit television, video games, smart phone, and computer usage.

- Get fresh air daily and take 10-20 minutes specifically to do deep diaphragmatic breathing.

- Try to have regular times for sleeping and waking.

- Connect with spiritual practice, even something as small as making a list of 3-5 things you are grateful for.

These things will strengthen the brain naturally and shouldn't interfere with any medications or treatments your doctors want to use.

Medically speaking, the most helpful person I saw was a physiatrist. You can find a provider in your area at the following link, but there may also be others who are not listed here (my doctor is not on this list).

http://www.aapmr.org/patients/findph...s/default.aspx

Hi Melissa
 

I am glad you wrote into Neuro Talk. You will get compassion and some very good advice. I know just enough about PCS to tell you to listen to Mark from Ihaho. He is correct on ever point and he knows from experience. I hope you heal soon. ginnie

Happy New Year's Eve to everyone! Best wishes from England :)
GP prescribed me amitriptyline 10mg and nefopam as an analgesic. Took some of the nefopam to deal with my usual 1pm increase in pain and seems to have worked quite well as I had a nap and now I feel quite good, if a little drowsy and faint. Won't take the amitriptyline today as they recommend taking it 12 hours before you want to wake up, but I don't want to be falling asleep halfway through new year celebrations! So will try tomorrow and see how it helps. Will try the other things too to improve my condition, apart from diet, which is very healthy anyway and can't really change because of the diabetes.

Thank you for all the suggestions!
Melissa

Keep in mind that, because amitriptyline is a preventive, it will take a couple of weeks to reach maximum effectiveness. You won't feel complete relief after the first dose. Also, it made me INCREDIBLY sleepy at first. This did get better over time.

I'm not familiar with nefopam. One important question to ask about any analgesic is whether or not it can cause rebound headaches and, if so, at what dosages or after how much/how frequent usage.

Good luck! Hope this is your answer and gives you some relief!

Hi Eowyn,

How long did it take to lose the sleepy feeling with amitriptyline? I tried it once amd hated feeling drugged....but still suffer from daily headaches. Just came through a three day doozer. Horrible. Wanted to cut off my head!
My docter wants me to try it again. But i need to feel alert for my own self esteem and belief in the future. I have two young kids and they need me to have some energy!
Thanks,

The worst of the sleepiness wore off in a couple of weeks for me. I still needed to be sure I took it at bedtime and that I had PLENTY of time to sleep, but I was able to function in the daytime after that.

The trick is to take it 2-3 hours before you want to go to sleep then it wears off in time and you don't wake up drowsy. Also, you want to find the lowest dose that works so don't be afraid to cut them in half. I take 10mg. It's really helped with my headaches and sleep once I realised I needed to take them early in the evening and not right when I'm going to bed. Good luck!

CC