Frustrated and lost
 

Hello everyone, sorry for the following "dear diaryish" thread.

I bonked my head on a sink on December 14th 2012 and have been experiencing brain fog as my primary symptom. It gradually escalated from a 'oh wait, do i feel something funny in my brain" to a all day fog.

Unlike many of the posters here, I have no problem with watching tv, browsing the internet, short term memory, or my reflexes. Which leads me to believe it could be something else. But, i get more foggy if i drink energy drinks (which i stopped), get more than 8-10 hours of sleep, and headaches when working out ( was working out fine from December 2012- March) is a very recent symptom. Which seems to be consistent with PCS.

I cant judge weather if im getting better or not because my only symptom is the detached, spacey, brain foggish feeling thats always there. I feel lost and am anxious of the possible unknowns. Anyone with similar symptom that actually got rid of the fog??

My "fog" and light and noise intolerance all seem much better (gone?) since I started taking anti anxiety medication, Effexor. If you are "lost and anxious" with no other symptoms perhaps you should try that. Your symptoms could very well be anxiety. Or you could try meditating or other ways to ease the anxiety. Whatever works for you! Just don't worry about everything because that makes it worse.

I believe others here have also had similar results with medications.

Good luck
CC

What medical treatment have you had if any? I've lived with brain fog my whole life, as it seems to be a primary symptom of my ADHD. That said, PCS made it a lot worse, but I have recovered from that. I know that Adderall has helped me with my ADD brain fog and that my doctor would've prescribed it for me for my PCS if I hadn't already been taking it. You might want to discuss that option with your doctor, as well as the possibility of an anti-depressant. They can really help with PCS symptoms as well.

I agree, being prescribed the SNRI Cymbalta turned things around for me, all my PCS symptoms have vitually gone. I still need to be careful I don't do too much still as this will unsettle my progress. However I am moving in the right direction.

I have done kidney panel, liver panel, blood count, tsh, fasting glucose test, saw an ENT, just saw a neurologist and said i was fine, went to accupuncture, and will be getting a MRi this Saturday.

When getting anxiety medicine do I just tell them I might be having anxiety?? My primary physician seems to be tired of me asking for blood tests and referrals :(. And would anxiety medicine harm you if I don't have anxiety??

The MRI is very likely a waste of time and money. If the neuro did a basic neuro exam, he would know if you have any symptoms that suggest an MRI.

Did your blood work include D3, B-12, and folate ?

What are you doing to reduce stress and anxiety ?

Anxiety meds are not a crutch so you can continue with a stressful life. Most common anxiolytics are benzodiazepines. Benzos are known to cause memory dysfunction.

Why do you want an anxiety med ?

btw, Anxiety meds effect you the same whether you have anxiety or not. They are sedatives unless they are of the anti-depressant form like SSRI's, SNRI's, or Tri-cyclics. They do not get consumed by the symptoms they are treating.

I don't feel as if I'm under stress, just unsure if this is issue is caused by the head trauma or not. The blood tests did not include any vitamin tests but I following your vitamin regimen. Someone mentioned they got rid of their fog through anti-depressants, so just considering that as well. I'm at my wits with his fog.

What are your usually daily activities ?

How do you feel when you wake up in the morning ?

Do you feel tired/sleepy during the day ?

btw, benzos will likely cause brain fog from the sedating effect.

We aren't referring to benzos. Effexor and Cymbalta are both SNRI's. Personally, I say it's worth a shot because the effects are quite dramatic. I have a post somewhere here that explains in more length WHY my neuro psychologist believed the Effexor would be able to help me and she was right.

Again, I'm not saying my concussion symptoms are all gone but the brain fog, light and sound sensitivities and energy levels are all better. I do not have as much issue in stimulating environments. I still have to take it easy because I have to let my brain heal for the other issues to get better. Calming all the anxiety physical reactions is allowing the brain to heal better plus by being able to go places I am fighting off depression and learning accommodations for my other concerns.

There can be some side effects, don't get me wrong, but you can try a different one if the side effects are too bothersome. You have to stick with it a bit though because some of the side effects will go away as you continue to take it. Look up anxiety online and see if the side effects make sense to you. You don't have to have all of them but you might have some.

Good luck,
CC

My daily activity used to be wake up, workout, and then work. Work being a valet. I used to workout fine even with he fog but once I stopped for 2 weeks I began getting headaches.

My routine is now wake up, work and rest (tv, computer included) with no diff in symptom.

If I sleep more than 8 hours my fog is real bad, without being too tired or refreshed. If I sleep 5-6 hours, he fog is there but not as bad.

I don't feel tired at all during the day, if I slip into my bed, I can fall asleep but nothing dragging sleepiness.

When I say fog, I feel like I just held my breath for a while and let it out.

Cyclecrash is right, SNRI's can really reduce your symptoms if you have PCS, and I have no side effects. My doctor told me you can fly a plane if you want on Cymbalta! They have really helped reduce a lot of symptoms like noise/light sensitivity, overload, insomnia, irritability, as well as stress about having PCS.

Like you I have no problem watching tv or browsing the Internet. I noticed the other weekend when I got approximately 10 hours of sleep I felt like crap the whole next day. I think its too much sleep for those of us suffering with PCS. In my experience 7-8 is sufficient per night with a possible short nap during the day, although I rarely nap.

Working out is another story. If you knew me before my concussion, I was the poster child for living a fit healthy lifestyle. I went to the gym everyday at lunch to lift weights, ate healthy, and lived a healthy lifestyle. My real escape was the gym; I loved it. While I still continue to eat healthy and live as healthy a lifestyle as I can, I found out that working out (lifting weights specifically) caused me to relapse three, yes THREE times. It took 3 relapses before I finally learned that it just isn't worth it. I completely stopped all physical activity other than light walking, which absolutely kills me because exercising and weight lifting is something I look forward to everyday. It was like a drug, but a good drug.

In my experience you need to lay off working out. The benefits to working out during a concussion just aren't worth it. Unfortunately the only thing to do is suck it up and give it up. Just keep in mind it's temporary, and you will get back out there! I have been feeling much better recently but I am still continuing to walk only because I need at least a few weeks symptom free at my current activity level before I try to amp it up even just a little.

Good luck I wish you the best.

Just to echo what Tpont21 says because he is also right. Lay off the gym or other strenuous exercise as it isn't good if you have PCS, just stick to walking until all symptoms have gone.

I remember in the beginning stages of my concussion I had extreme anxiety. I even had full blown panic attacks. I think it was mostly because I didn't know I had a concussion and I was wondering why I was so messed up. Once I accepted that fact that I had a concussion and the symptoms I was experiencing were normal, my anxiety began to ease. Now I barely have any anxiety anymore; I learned to reduce the stressors in my life. It really took a lot for me to realize one day I will return to normal again. I was stuck with this crazy thought that I was going to be like this for the rest of my life. Once I realized with time things do get better, I experienced less anxiety. Hope this helps.

I am glad this worked for you, but sometimes it isn't that simple because PCS affects different people in different ways. For example I had severe light and noise sensitivity, hypercusis, low mood, insomnia, pain, fatigue, concentration problems, and tension waves through my body which I could feel. I thought Cymbalta was just for my mood, little did I know what it could do.

The first thing that stopped was the tension waves and then the pain in my neck. Within 3 days I was sleeping properly and with this the fatigue and concentration improved. Within a week my mood was better. Over the next few weeks my other symptoms reduced. I still have the odd headache and things like ear pressure with too much activity, or sore eyes with light. I needed medication to help me get better.

hi
 

I feel for you and wish I could say the fogginess has disappeared. It has been 3 months since my concussion - major headaches and fogginess:(