Very Worried about PCS
 

A month back I got a concussion from playing hockey. Didn't loose conciousness but I finished the game. About two weeks later I relapsed because of exercise (High Intensity Interval Training). Now when I play video games or watch TV my brain starts to fog up and I feel dizzy. I never had this before throughout the concussion. Is this a bad sign or a good sign? What is the best course of action?
I need to get back quickly into the flow of things because I don't want to miss too much school.

Note: I have been to the ER twice and they refused to a CT scan saying that it wont show a concussion.

Rest rest rest! It is normal to have changes in concussion symptoms, especially in the months right after. An injury to the brain sets in motion many changes...a chemical cascade which can take many different turns. I think you need to take it very seriously, find a good doctor or clinic which has some knowledge of concussion (brain injury) and make sure you don't overdo things. Stay below the level of triggering symptoms.
There are other Canadians on this board so if you want to let people know what province you are in, maybe you can get some recommendations.

Hope things improve quickly for you!

Concussed Canuk,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. What you are experiencing is a normal concussion experience. How many concussions have you had previously ? How often do you suffer a 'dinger' from a hard check ?

The TV and video game problems are a sign that your brain is struggling. It sounds like your school and team are not offering any concussion information. There is NO WAY to speed up recovery. In fact, usually when one tries to speed up recovery, they end up making their recovery take much longer. The main focus for recover is QUIET REST. This means no working out, no video games, minimal TV and other screen time, minimal visual and sound stimulation.

Basically, you need to try to live a very boring life for at least a few weeks.

A few facts for you to consider for the future. Losing consciousness has little bearing on the severity of a concussion. Playing through a concussion can be extremely dangerous to the point of deadly. Even a concussion that does not manifest any symptoms beyond the first few hours needs to be treated as a dangerous concussion. A minimum time off from play is suggested at 2 weeks. Some research is suggesting this needs to be extended to 6 weeks before considering a return to play decision.

The brain is not like a bruised muscle. It can not tolerate injury upon injury.

Read the thread Vitamins. It has some good information.

Tell us more about your injury, your age, living situation, school endeavors, etc. It will help us point you to the best ways to
recover.

The ER was right. Unless you have severe symptoms, a CT or MRI will not show anything. There is nothing an ER can do to help unless you have lost muscle control on one side or the other or have vision changes, etc.


My best to you.

ConcussedCanuk,

You need to take a step back, get as much quiet rest as possible, avoid TV, computers, video games and busy places, and definately no sports. The less pressure you put on yourself the better, doing the right things at the start will improve your chance of getting better faster. I am coming through the other side of PCS but it has taken me nearly 5 months to do it. I would say this is because I was still trying to do things for the first 2 months which I shouldn't have, I am only gradually increasing activity now.

Im almost 17 and this was my first concussion. I never had this experience before and that's the reason I messed up. I have a full week off from school so that should help.
I was given a return to play sheet from the doctor. It just told me to rest and follow steps to full contact play.
I'm worried because the symptoms right now are different from the ones before. They seem to hurt less and go away when I'm not watching a screen.

If I were you . . .
 

I wouldn't play yet, under any circumstances. I would wait until you aren't having any symptoms before even considering any strenuous physical exertion, let alone one that could result in another head injury. You're young! Your brain is going to repair itself if you rest and take care of yourself. Did the doctor who released you to play know of your symptoms? I find it hard to believe that any conscientious doctor would release you to play! Take care of yourself and good luck!

They gave me a sheet with 5 steps and told me to follow it. The steps were rest-light aerobic exercise-drills-Contact drills-Full contact play. They also signed me up for a research clinic for concussions. I'm going to look for a concussion specialist to talk to in the near future.

I would definitely recommend seeing a specialist because they'll be able to more accurately assess your symptoms and make you feel a little more at home/comfortable with the possible rest/treatment your brain needs. i know it's a frustrating process - I too had my first concussion this year and needed desperately to get back to school and my sport (which I was on a scholarship to play at my college), and the last thing I wanted to hear was that I needed to rest/take the time my brain needs to heal. I cried for weeks about it, to be honest. But I soon found that whether I wanted to or not, rest was the only option to stop the pain. I think also you should listen to your body, what you said about screens is interesting and probably pertinent - if you get headaches when you look at screens, try to limit or shot down all computer/tv time if possible. If you require a computer for school, maybe try to explain to your teachers/professors what's going on and see if they can work with you. There are (hopefully) ways that you can still move on with your day-to-day life with modifications for now. I wish the very best for you

Its been nearly a full week of rest. The symptoms have gotten a bit better. But now I'm getting these weird tingling feelings in my head. Its been a full month since the concussion how much longer do you think these symptoms will last? How long did your PCS symptoms last?

There is no way to predict how long concussion symptoms will last. Some suggest waiting a minimum of 6 weeks before even considering returning to play.

The ACE or SCAT sheet they gave you are of limited value. You need to be more concerned for your brain that the authors of those papers are. It is your brain. I guarantee that you have suffered previous concussions. The others just did not cause lasting symptoms. Many concussions clear of symptoms within a few hours, especially if they are one the first few concussion.

The tingling may be due to neck inflammation. Try icing the back of your neck.

Please do not be in a hurry to return to play. You only get one brain.

My best to you.

The visual issues you are experiencing, having trouble with things related to screen time, etc may mean you need to get your vision check by a neuro-opthomaologist.

They can test for issues related to your vision that would arise from a brain injury: blurry vision, your eyes not working together, dizziness, headaches (especially after screen time, etc).

When you see a concussion specialist, you can talk about these symptoms and ask them if you need a referral to have your eyes and your brain's taking in visual information checked out by a neuro-opth or a behavioral optho.

Hope you continue to feel better!

The best way to do this is continue to rest! Return to play should not even be considered until you are symptom free. Look around the NHL. Crosby was out for months. Listen to your brain!

I have been taking B100 complex with vitamin B12 for the last 4 days. It changed my energy levels completely. I read that protiens and vitamin B12 are needed to repair the brain. How much truth is there to this? Do they fix all the problems?

You need animal proteins to get the amino acids the brain needs to heal properly. It is not likely that everything damaged will heal completely. There is a limit to how bad the tissue injury can be and still heal. This is why some symptoms increase after a week or more. The brain cells finally give up trying to repair and are triggered to die and be absorbed.

If you eat pork, it is the best source of BCAA, Broken Chain Amino Acids, an group of essential fatty acids. Unmodified animal fats are important to neural tissue health. Vegans have been found to have less brain matter that non-vegetarians.

Is there any way to get animal proteins from another source? I am a vegetarian so that causes a big problem. Do the brain cells regrow and how fast?

I am uncertain how important animal proteins are. You have a concussion so this means you need to get plenty of quiet rest. Avoid overstimulation from TV, radio, computers and other people. Massage and reflexology are two things I found helpful, along with other things that helped me relax. When you start to feel better try a gentle walk or read. Try not to worry about your symptoms as this only makes things worse, take care of yourself and above all listen to what your body is telling you.

If you're vegetarian you're probably getting more than enough protein from dairy and if you're eating eggs. You can make sure you're eating lots of beans and add flax seeds to your diet but the general population is getting too much protein so you're probably fine. Make sure you take your b12 supplement though.

Mouse is right, the most important thing is ovoid the tv, radio, computer, and other causes of overstimulation and you will recover just fine. It's very important to relax and not worry about getting better. You will get better it just takes time!

Take care,

CC

concussions
 

Mark In Idaho,

I noticed you have a lot of knowledge with concussions. i wanted to ask you a few things. I just turned 21.

I currently play football and have had many concussions. the last one I've had i was out cold for a while just laying on the field. everyone thought i was dead. My first concussion i can ever remember was in elemntary school when i smashed the back of my head while trying to sled down from a bunk bed. I couldn't see and just remember crawling into bed and falling asleep for 6 hours. I have had many other concussions in between these. There have been to many to count. Every time I get hit i black out and see stars. This happens atleast 2-4 times a game. One time I lost all balance and they carried me out of the game. Another time I was running around like a wild man without any idea what was going on or what planet i was on. But usually i can kind of shake it off and keep going. Lately I have looked up all the symptoms of long term concussion effects. I feel like i can't connect with people most of the time, and i usuallly want to be alone. I get real agitated and angry and feel like im in a dream or fog almost every day and my vision doesnt feel right alot of the time. I don't really know what im doing anymore. maybe im just making these things up in my mind? I recently had an mri done on my neck and spinal cord because of nerve issues on my left side. They found a syrinx (syringomyelia in my spinal cord) it is very small. It has to be from trauma. I also have arthritis in my neck. I just thought Id talk to you about it because no one else really understands. I have just 1 yr of football left and have to make it through.

thanks for reading mark

Sounds like you should avoid any possibility of another hit to your head. I'll let Mark explain why. Take care of your brain. You are your brain and you need it to work well for the next 70 years or so!

I have been experiencing memory problems. I cant remember what I was thinking 10 seconds ago. I used to be able to think about multiple things very fast. Does this change over time?

You will get better!
 

I had memory problems, and they did get better after about 6 months of rest. I am still recovering, but as you can see in my signature, I've come a long way. Originally, I had cognitive problems, daily headaches, frequent migraines, severe dizziness, extreme lethargy, lack of stamina, poor balance, and light sensitivity, but since my diagnosis, I have had most of these symptoms resolve--some gradually, some more abruptly. Be patient. Take care of yourself. Don't do anything that might cause you to hit your head again! Good luck!

ConcussedCanuck,

There are some essental amino acids that are only available in meat protein. Eggs and milk will help if you consume enough. If you are a vegetarian from an animal abuse perspective, eggs and milk/cheese are your source.

The issue is not quantity of protein but the kind of essential amino acids available in the protein you eat. The studies show a markedly smaller brain mass in vegetarian and vegan diet people.

I was eating a very hard piece of food. When the pressure inside my skull builds up even a little bit I get this sleepy tired feeling immediately. Whats this a sign of?

I haven't a clue. Maybe you are causing a Blood Pressure spike. Or, the muscle strain may be exasperating a neck inflammation. Muscle strain can reach far beyond the active muscles.

Use the Post Reply button at the lower left and the post will not be quoted.

I know this was addressed to Mark but . . .
 

You should not be playing football! Your brain and your future are more important than playing next year! Please take good care of yourself, and good luck!

I have this weird crackling sound in my neck. How much do neck problems affect concussion symptoms and blood flow to brain? I'm so frustrated because just by eating and biting hard my symptoms have returned.

There is something called a cervicogenic concussion....which can go along with a brain concussion and a lanyrinthian (inner ear) concussion. I have all three :(. The major nerves, etc. all go through the neck area so that can definitely make you suffer. Myneck cracks too. Yuck.
I have seen some improvement since treating the neck...whiplash type of injury from the fall. Acvupuncture. Stretching, buidling up muscles, ice.
Hope that helps. Lots of others have good advice.

The affect of exerting any kind of pressure (even minimal) in the skull is immediate fatigue. Out of nowhere I feel like I haven't slept in 2 days. Is this a blood flow issue?

Very likely.

Reassessing Cncussion
 

I thought about my concussion a bit more the last week. I know realize that I initially got hurt in practice during a hitting drill (finished the drill getting hit about 25 more times) . And that was start of practice so i did hard conditioning after that. I got hit in a game the next day and finished it. so i pretty much suffered 5 concussions in a period of 3 days. So how do repetitive concussions affect the recovery time.

Nobody can tie repeated concussion to recovery time. My concern is that an injury on top of an existing injury increases the risk of symptoms that may be prolonged or permanent.

That ship sailed long ago so it is of little importance because you can not determine the intensity of the impacts.