Fell down stairs with PCS
 

So the other day clumsy me slipped on my top stair and fell down 5 stairs on my bottom. My head never made contact with the ground and I braced myself a bit so basically just slid down. My symptoms do not appear to have gotten worse, but I was just wondering if the bumpiness could have caused some damage?

Thanks on any replies.

Poor you! I hope that if you feel ok then you will be fine!

Oh dear! So glad you didn't hit your head.

That you don't feel worse is maybe a good sign.

Keep on healing!

Sincerely,

Poetrymom

I doubt the bumpity-bump caused any damage. But you may experience an increase in symptoms. Glad you did not bump your head.

Oh the pain, the pain. ....... Dr Smith, Lost in Space

Thanks again for the feedback. I was just wondering if how long the symptoms persist for is determined by the seriousness of the concussion, and how many you have had. I have had no other known concussions yet my symptoms have been around for 6 months.

Just curious.

Also, I was also verifying that a MRI was completely safe, as I am having one in the next few days to rule out any other problems (family has a lot of history with cancer).

I have one concussion that I know of but I had a bad one and am still suffering, all injuries are unique. Lots of people here have good advice if you have concerns.
Most MRIs are negative for this type of injury. Mine was.
Hope things improve soon for you!

An MRI is safe but not necessary unless you have serious symptoms beyond those common to a concussion. Concussion symptoms can easily last 6 months or longer. The intensity of the concussion plus how you have responded to the concussion can determine how long the symptoms last. Most doctors do not give much help with instructions for recovery.

What have you been doing to help with recovery ?

I just saw you post about the physiotherapy and your exercises. It sounds like the physiotherapy may be making your condition worse. If you have an upper neck injury, it needs gentle therapy and careful posture. Many physiotherapists get too focused on range of motion and such.

The MRI should include imaging of your upper neck with your head turned sharply to each side. This may show any upper neck injuries that need to be considered.

Does your physiotherapist tell you to ice your neck and back of your head after therapy ?

Yes the physiotherapist recommended that. After the first few sessions I cancelled all of my appointments and refuse to go again. He was extremely focused on getting me, "better," extremely quickly, and wanted me to do a few intense neck exercising which made my symptoms get very bad. He also said running should not increase my symptoms at any point during my recovery, at that point I decided that he didnt know anything about concussions.

Honestly the MRI is mainly for my family because they are very concerned and are not very knowledgable about PCS, and just want to verify that it is not something else.

And do you have any suggestions for the tinnitus? I have very loud and high pitched ringing in my ears, it is like the stereotypical sound you hear in the movies after a big explosion. It especially gives me trouble falling to sleep, as it is completely quiet so I tend to focus on the sound.

I've suffered from tinnitus for as long as I can remember, so perhaps my perspective will be a little different, since I've always had it, but try these things:

1. Always have background noise, even when sleeping. Invest in a good fan or white noise machine if you don't like the air movement. During the day shouldn't be an issue, usually something as low as a computer fan or the sound of traffic outside is more than enough to mask it.

2. Don't focus on it. I know that it is startling to have a new symptom. The more you stress on it, the worse it gets. Hopefully it will go away - not all tinnitus is permanent.

3. Avoid things that can trigger worse episodes - loud noises, stress, too much salt/caffiene/sugar/MSG.

Hopefully yours will subside as it seems that many cases do. But if it doesn't, if it is any consolation, I have never been impacted by it in a substantial way my whole life - it is only mildy annoying when trying to read or concentrate in a quiet place.

mrsmith,

The best treatment for tinnitus is learning to ignore it. The PCS can cause anxiety that makes it worse and causes you to focus on it. Even in the dead quiet of night you can learn to ignore it. I have horrible tinnitus and did not even notice how loud it is right now until this subject came up.

It is annoying but since there is nothing you can do about it, you need to learn to not worry about it. The Quietus supplements sold on TV are worthless. As mentioned, avoid loud noises and especially intense bang type of noises.

Background noise can help some people but that is a crutch. Learning to ignore it gives you a skill you can use anywhere.

I have matched the pitch of my tinnitus on the piano keyboard to just above C#6/Db6. That is about 1108 hertz (vibrations per second). Some times, it sounds like a decibel level of about 70 dB or louder.

I have had it for decades. My mother has lived with tinnitus since she was a little girl and had a high fever. She lost most of her hearing in that same ear at that time. All she hears in that ear is the ringing.

Ah okay, I guess I will just learn to deal with it. Is it normal to feel like you do not want to do anything ever? I seem to be feeling this way most of the time.

This is an awkward question as well but can masturbating heighten symptoms?

Elevating blood pressure can cause symptoms to increase. Physical exertion can also cause symptoms to increase.

Tinnitus
 

When I complained to my physical therapist about the ringing in my ears, she said, "well, if that ends up being the only symptom that remains, you'll learn to live with it." I had to admit she was right. It's not that bad. I've gotten good at ignoring it!

Lethargy is part of the package and is the symptom I'm most frustrated with at the moment. I do find that there are ways to fight it, once you get further along in your recovery, but right now, maybe it's just your brain's way of telling you to rest?

If you have a neck injury, you might want to find out if there's a physical therapist specializing in the mulligan technique in your area. It involves very gentle corrections, as well as strength building exercises, that really helped me recover from my neck injury. Whenever I felt nervous about an exercise, I would just tell my therapist, and she would modify the exercise to something I felt confident I could do without hurting myself. I had a good therapist, but I am sure there are more like her out there!