Tampa,Fl doctors and what type doctor????
 

I'm fourteen months post injury. So much attention was paid to my physical injury the post concession or TBI received little attention. Family realized I wasn't myself but all I had done was a ct scan, a test where they check for seizures,and a few questions from a neurologist. His take was if I still had the memory issues and emotional issues after six months, learn to live with it and don't expect it to get better. I'm receiving private disability. Thank God I'd bought the coverage but I think they are going to require more testing to document all this. I don't know what type doctor nor do I have much confidence in those I've been exposed. If you have found a good doctor in the Tampa area please share. Thanks

Delaine,

Are you looking for a doctor to support your disability claim or to seek further treatment for further recovery?

A Neuro Psychological Assessment will likely be used to determine your disability. Expect a push into Voc Rehab, at least for a short term test.

You may find a good referral for a doctor at Give Back Orlando at www.givebackorlando.com

Your neuro sounds out of date on concussion knowledge. There are many ways to continue improving, even if many are learning work-arounds and coping skills.

Please feel free to tell us more about your struggles. We often have more to offer than the doctors.

My best to you.

Issues. Lol
 

Memory is a mess, Multi task results in burnt food or clothes left in the washer, easily distracted, emotions are often irrational, so easily exhausted. I thought most of this was due to the drugs I was taking for pain. They have my pain much better controlled by steroid injections. The fewer drugs I took the more I realized this had nothing to do with my pain meds. I had two concussions as a child. Both of those I was unconscience. This time I didn't go out but I hit hard enough to rupture three disc in my neck and fracture my lower back. All resulted in fusions. I get glimpses of "me" if you will but they don't last long. I can't figure out what triggers the really bad days where I cry all day or wish I'd hit harder. Just trying to learn my new normal so I can live and find joy and not be a burden on my husband.

Re doctor in Tampa.
I saw a Dr Coris at the university of southern florida concussion clinic. He was very nice and seemed to know a lot. Did not follow up with him as I don't live there. He may be a good place to start. Good luck!

Delaine,

The symptoms your describe are the most common of PCS. The multitasking is the easiest to deal with. Stop trying to multitask. I know this is difficult as a wife and mother. Trying to keep a household going without depending on multitasking takes serious discipline.

It may help for you to understand that multitasking is not a normal skill. It is an attempt to be super mom/wife/employee/ etc. Studies show that multitasking causes noticeable damage to even healthy brains.

There are a variety of ways to break up multitasking into individual tasks. Buy a bunch of timers with alarms that will continue to sound until turned off. When you are cooking and know you will be tempted to leave the kitchen, set a timer to 3 or 5 minutes, depending on what is cooking. You can put the timer in a pocket if you will be walking out of ear shot of the kitchen. You can even label the timer "stove." Set another timer for the clothes washer. Or, bring the laundry basket into where you are going to be while the wash is going. It can be a reminder of an unfinished task.

I have had these same difficulties for 12 years. These work-arounds will make a big difference for you. When we give up trying to rely on our faulty memories by using these work-arounds, we free our minds to function in less stressful environments. A white board at various locations in the house can help. Laundry area, kitchen/refrigerator, bathroom, door to and from garage, etc .

As you reduce the stress loads of daily life, you will give your brain a better chance to recover. It will not recover when it is under stress. And, the stress will exacerbate depression and irritability.

There are three valuable resources for you to check out.
The TBI Survival Guide at www.tbiguide.com.
Print it out (84 pages)
The TBI Lost and Found List at
http://www.brainline.org/content/201...u-to-know.html
and You Look Great on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Xso...ature=youtu.be
The YouTube is a 6 part series that takes about an hour total.

Share these with your husband. And, try to find a TBI support group to attend with your husband. They can be a great source of support and understanding.

Personally, I do not put a lot of faith in doctors, even concussion specialists. They tend to be oriented toward sports and return to play issues.

Always remember we are here for you.

My best to you.

I agree with Mark that good doctors are few and far between. Very discouraging. But I have found that with a lot of digging, one can find a few nuggets of good information from a doctor from time to time. And unfortunately, employers and insurers and the courts require doctors as their experts, more often than not. Sick leave notes fo example. So finding one that does not make you break down in tears because of their rudeness or ignorance feels like you have won the lottery.

:idea: Mark knows more about PCS than most doctors.... wouldn't it be great if they would let him write out our sick leave notes! Judging from all the sick people here though it might be a lot of work for Mark......


do any of you find that the day or two after you've overdone it you feel hungover and also silly, childish almost.... having one of those days :o

someone should take the computer away from me and maybe my phone too...

Take my phone please
 

There were so many times I wish the family had realized the severity of my injury and taken my phone. It's funny now but God Bless all those I called. Lol

I visited those websites.
 

I visited the websites you offered. Makes me feel a bit empowered. Thanks so much. Every time you help another like me it heals a little more of you. God bless.

When my husband is feeling good and overdoes it (mTBI 12/22/12), the next day is usually very difficult. Take yesterday--he exercised his lower back, requiring raising and lowering his head. I was very tired and crashed early (note to self- take those energy pills!) leaving him alone to channel surf for 5 hours. This morning he could hardly stand or walk without support, was scared and depressed. I gave him 1mg of Ativan and he has slept most of the day. I know that's a no-no, but without Drs care yet I did what I felt was right. What a tough way to set limits. I watched "You Look Great" this morning and it helped me a lot.

PT,

You'd be better off giving him Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) 50 mgs. It is Over the Counter. If he needed medical care while on the Ativan, you could get in trouble. Plus, the Ativan is a benzo and not so good. The Diphenhydramine is still not a good drug for continued use but it is easier on the brain that benzos.

My best to you.

I have an appointment at the Morsani Center dept. of neurology in Tampa on the 14th of this month, they're suppose to be one of the best around here but we'll see lol I'll update you on their quality and knowledge about TBI's after I've seen them and let you know which doc I saw.

I've been on the hunt for about 7 years and somehow keep turning up clueless doctors who know less than I do about brain injury, it's frustrating to say the least and down right infuriating when they act like I'm just a drug seeker who exaggerates my symptoms HA! I've walked out of several doctor appointments telling them "let me hit you with a freaking bus and see how you feel afterwards", makes me want to hit em in the face with my medical records, the pile is so thick it'd probably give them brain bleeds too!

good luck!

Hope it is productive.

The TYPE of doctor that was most helpful for me was a physiatrist -- a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation. She knew the most about what kinds of things I could do to get better and referred me to them. The other doctors knew more about diagnostics and prescribing meds, but that was not particularly helpful in this case.

You can locate a physiatrist here: http://www.aapmr.org/patients/findph...s/default.aspx but the listing is incomplete -- my doctor is not on it, for instance -- so there may be others who are not listed here.

The doc im seeing Monday is Dr. Kavita Kalidas, she specializes in headaches including ones from TBI's and other neurological issues etc... I'll report back with my personal experience monday night

Here's a link to her, she's at USF in Tampa.... http://health.usf.edu/medicine/neuro...ty/kalidas.htm

Best of luck to you, Kristara! Monty is seeing Dr Vickers down here in Naples on 1/22. We see his partner for our grumpy lower backs and friends have recommended Dr V. Just wish the wait wasn't sooooo long! Please let us know how things go tomorrow. Peg

well..... i suppose she's just another neuro.... appointment was at 1:40, i was taken back within 5-10min, although did not see her til about 3:15.... yea you read that right, an hour and thirty five minutes of seeing a nurse, 3rd year student and waiting in that tiny room on top of oodles of paperwork specific to headaches but geared toward migraines, how long do your headaches last -min -hours... lets try 2-15+ days at a time along with a zillion other questions that my range is so broad its not even possible to put an "average"... needless to say by the time she got in there my head was killing me, i was so freaking irritated, then she asks a few questions wrote 2 scripts (only one will be filled but she wants my pysch to choose and approve it first which is absurd, i'm only occasionally on zanex now so theres no interaction and my psych is in residency so yea whatever)

Then she suggested i go to this post traumatic chronic pain out-patient clinic thing that is suppose to teach me ways of coping and etc etc blah blah... IDK who the heck is paying for that but I sure can't without insurance, disability or a job.... I am beyond frustrated with this freaking circle of trial and error with drugs it's been 7yrs 1mo and 4 days of hell (and sorry for venting but) the only med that has ever gotten rid of my headaches is hydromorphone, not morphine not fentanyl patches, not fentanyl citrates, not lyrica, neurontin, topamax, treximet, depacote, amitriptyline, nortriptyline, or any of the other 100 meds i've guinea pigged, i'm exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally, i cant handle this any longer. I've previously been on hydromorphone, ive proved i do not abuse it nor do i distribute it i can not understand WTF the problem is, I can not work or go to school or do anything remotely productive when i have a headache half the dang month, I feel i'm doomed to be either an in-patient or end up some FN "drug addict" on the street cause thats the only place i can get anything that helps me feel functional.

It's absurd yea they save my life when it wasn't thought to be possible but then what? just dumped me out the doors with no follow up care, no health care, no medications no nothing, it'd be different if any of this was my fault, if i was some dumb kid who went around saying YOLO and doing stupid things ok, but i was college bound top 5% with a scholarship and this is a result of someone elses driving not mine i was a passenger. So to these people who say God bless America I ask why... I feel like St. Joesph Hospitals Frankenstein, they stitch me up and throw me away some days I wish they would of just let me go, heaven, hell or in the dirt at least it wouldnt be this. I wish for one day these freakin doctors who deal with severe TBI patients spent one day in our life maybe then they could see why we're so irritable, have so much anger and anxiety, its not the head injury its from the lack of receiving any adequate care for the injury and pain. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR :mad:

So here I go, back on the drug trials, bring on the psycotic episodes, suicidal thoughts/ attempts, the neurotic, manic, and depressive moods, the zombie state, the uncontrollable emotions, the weight gain, all the craziness that goes with poisoning my body on a daily basis by the absurd amount of drugs cause everyone here knows you're never on one med they always add more, my memory is so bad i cant even remember to take birth control daily, lets just throw several pills at me to try and remember good thinking there doc
and we'll finish with a huge FML- Kristara
(sorry not looking to be consoled just beyond frustrated with life right now)

Kristara,

Is it possible for you to get off BC pills and let your system get normal ? You may be surprised how much effect the hormone pressures can cause.

If you have no job or health insurance, you should qualify for Medicaid. If you can get approved for Social Security Disability Income, you will get Medicare health care coverage. Have you tried to get signed up for either one?

im not on BC right now, i forgot to take it so much that it was useless, and i think medicaid is only for people who are preggo or have children from what i understand. I would assume one of my counselors, psychiatrist, doctor, or VR counselor would of had me sign up if that weren't the case but i'll look into right now... just woke up from an awful awful nightmare so no more sleeping for me tonight anyway. i'm trying to sign up for disability but i don't even understand what its saying and feel like i have no one who wants to help me, I'm just so freakin fed up with life sorry
thanks but i'll double check right now

Medicaid is for those with no income or assets. It would be worth trying to apply. You may qualify for SSI also. Get to the Social Security office and they will help you determine what you qualify for.

How are you supporting yourself?

my mom does what she can but i have no license, no money, very very few friends etc etc