can anyone help me?!
 

I am a 44 year old woman. In July 2012 I suffered a severe concussion. I don't remember how it happened. I suffered amnesia my speech was impaired motor skills impaired memory issues light and sound sensitivity. All the things you would expect. I missed just over a month of work ( probably should have been more). I never felt completely better. Then the end of December I suffered a blow to the face while shoveling snow. Another concussion, not as bad but all the symptoms seemed to get even worse .That was 5 months ago. A total of 10 months and still not back to normal. Will I ever be right again?

A very good question! So difficult a thing to go through. I hope it helps to know that I am slowly improving, and my life is much better this spring than it was last spring! The brain will continually improve, if you do the things required. Lots of good advice from people here. getting vision assessed (not your eyesight!!) by a neuro opthamologist is very important as many brain injuries affect how the eyes function.
Hang in there!!!!

Welcome
 

Hello Yankees Fan,

This is a good place. First, check out the vitamin stickie on the top. There are nutritional things you can do to start some brain healing from the inside. Diet is important too. I have taken caffeine and alcohol out of my diet in my recovery.

I can't remember the rest of your symptoms, but you have had 2 serious head hits close together (I think)

Can you get any more time off work for brain rest? (Meaning limiting screens, reading, and other physical activitiy too)

Other, very experienced people will weigh in.

Take care,

pm

Questions
 

What are your current activity levels? Do you spend a lot of time on the computer or doing any sort of manual labor? How are you doing emotionally? What treatments, if any, have you tried, and are you on any medications? Knowing this info might help in terms of making any recommendations to hopefully help you.

P.S.
 

Also, what are your primary symptoms? Headaches? Cognitive fuzziness?

Thanks everyone
Prior to my concussions my neurologist put me on topirmate to prevent severe migraines and cluster headaches(3+ 1/2 years). Other than multi vitamins, vitamin and fish oil I don't take any meds. Initially he had me take a anti depressant to try and help me rest after the first concussion. At the closest dose it made me very jittery and I would only sleep a few hours. So I asked to come off it.
I don't drink alcohol or coffee and I've limited myself to one cup of tea or a soda a day. I'm a waitress. Full time. Not rocket science but I have to focus and it getsloud at times . Probably louder in my head than others if that makes sense.
My activity level isnt what it used to be. I used to hit the gym 5-6 days a week. Now I do light exercise at home. I have good days and bad days.....more good days thank God. I get confused at times. My short term memory is horrible I getheadaches that seem to be in the area I suffered the traumas. I can get very agitated, which isn't at all normal for me.
At first my Dr said probably 6 months to heal. Then maybe a year. Last time I asked him if I would ever be normal again he said there was still a good chance. He's one of the best drs in my area. I get there is no real timeline. I guess I just need to know how others cope and that I'm not crazy.

Hello again!

No, you are NOT crazy at all. I too have problems with my short term memory. I find I have to write important things down or I will completely forget them.

And yes, noise can very VERY loud for us. Earlier in my recovery I had to leave the table where my family was eating because the sound of spoons on the bowls was just **too** loud. And it was-- for me.

Can you use any ear plugs at work? I know some people here use those to help with noises. I think there are some good ones that you might be able to work with -- but I don't know

Being agitated or cranky is part of this whole PCS thing -- for me anyway. Our brains are trying to heal and we keep having to use them for work etc.

As for the nutrition, our injured brains need more than the One A Day kind of multivitamins. I hope you'll look over the regime posted in the stickie and really think about adding more of these supplements to your diet. The hurt brain needs more of all that stuff to get beter,

All for now,

pm

Yankees Fan,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. You ask a very common question.

It sounds like you have received just medical care. Recovering from a concussion takes more than medical care. Often, what doctors fail to do, we can do for you. Much of recovery comes from learning work-arounds and accommodations. Changes to daily activity levels can be a big help.

Please tell us about each and all of your current symptoms and struggles. Don't worry about sounding like a complainer. We have all lived through this. And, help us out by putting a double paragraph space after ever 5 lines. Many of us struggle to visually track from the end of one line to the start of the next.

Read the Vitamins sticky at the top. You need extra B's and others for your injured brain.

What anti-depressant did you try ?

Do you have any idea about the type of force that caused the first concussion ? Knowing the direction of force can help us with ideas for you. Have you been in any previous physical traumas, car accident, etc. ?

Often, concussion symptoms get aggravated by untreated injuries to the spine, especially the neck.

We are here for you. Let us know how we can help.

My best to you.

Thanks Mark

My current symptoms are headaches, tunnel vision, noise and light sensitivity, whooshing sound in my ears, confusion, memory loss, trouble sleeping. At times I feel off balance. When I'm tired or have had a busy day my speech slurs a little or I can't come up with the right word.

I don't have these symptoms everyday and I don't always have them all at the same time. If there is a lot of background noise around me I feel a little dizzy. Or if there is more than 1 conversation going on near me I can't follow along.

My doctor had me on nortriptyline hcl.

I was home alone at the of the first concussion. About 10 am I had laid down because I wasn't feeling well. Next thing I remember is being in the middle of the living room touching my forehead because it felt like it was bleeding. It wasn't but I had a lump the size of a baseball. Then I started vomiting.

As far as previous traumas...I do remember having a couple mild concussions as a child. The doctors didn't seem to concerned. I missed a few days of school and couldn't watch TV for about a week each time.

Yankees fan,

It sounds like you have a good case of Multiple Impact Syndrome. This is the result of multiple concussions that use up the brain's reserve capacity to overcome injury.

I think your biggest problem is the high level of sensory stimulation from your job. All of your symptoms are common to concussion and aggravated by sensory overload. Getting better brain nutrition will help your brain tolerate the stress but not overcome it.

The first skill for you to learn is to "Stop to think." This means stopping all activity and maybe even close your eyes so you can focus mentally. Over time, you will do this almost subconsciously. This will greatly help when you get stuck trying to find a word or process a thought or calculation.

Multi-tasking is not an option. Even healthy brains are fatigued by multi-tasking. As you learn to switch between tasks rather than try to hold multiple tasks in process at the same time, you will find you can get just as much done. This might mean completing a task completely before moving on to the next task or making written notes of the next step of a task so you can let go of the need to maintain the task in memory.

The long held habits of depending on our memory and ability to multi-task are too stressful for the injured brain. At your age, you should think seriously about adapting your life to these new limitations. The brain starts to naturally deteriorate slowly in the mid 40's. The injured brain struggles even more. Planning a less intense and stressful life can greatly enhance your ability to avoid the roller coaster of symptoms.

There are more issues for you to consider but this is already a lot to process.

My best to you.

Welcome
 

You can keep improving for years, but in order to stop having symptoms you have to modify what you do.

It is not easy to do. I am 52 and am now 14 months pcs, I have been told it maybe another year before I can work. I too was interest in the question "how long does this take?" The answer is no one really knows, every concussion is different and ever person reacts to things differently. It make planning and decision making really difficult.

You have to put tool into place to simplify your life and cut out stress and over stimulation. I can only do one thing at a time (I now know how men feel lol). I tried to conserve my energy, I have chairs to sit down to cook, a stool for doing the laundry. I try not to waist energy going up and down the stairs. I try and stay on the same floor and complete things before moving on. I use to cook, run downstairs and throw laundry on, bound upstaris to put away clothes, run back to the kitchen to stir etc. etc. Now I start and complete one task as a time. Cooking particularily is hard because I have left my stove on twice now because I forget.

Keep stress down to a miniumum. Get alot of rest. Usually if your symptoms come back or get worst, you have done too much. You have to work at 50% of your capacity until you get better and then increase slowly. This is really hard for me as I am an A type personality.

Good Luck.

NormaW,

A tool I use when cooking is the kitchen timer. If I need to leave the kitchen, I turn the timer on for a few minutes. If I forget the stove is on, the timer will beep and call me back to the kitchen. It is best to have a timer than keeps beeping until it is turned off.

Wow....thank you so much Mark! Everything you've written makes so much sense. Raising 4 kids 4 years apart with a truck driver husband multi tasking becomes a way of life. They are grown now but after I read your message I kind of laughed and thought yeah that makes sense 1 thing at a time instead of getting frustrated and throwing something.

You make it sound like I won't ever get back to 100%. Is that true? I hate that. But I would rather know. I am a healthy person other than the headaches and the concussion. Eat healthy. Exercise. I will look into the more vitamins. Any advice is appreciated

Nobody ever recovers to 100%. They may recover to their normal level but will always have a weakness for over-stimulation and fatigue. By moderating stress, the over-stimulation and fatigue can be managed.

Even without a concussion, your brain is starting to deteriorate as you go through middle age. You can help with attitude and personality issues by getting a thorough hormone analysis. Very carefully targeted bio-identical hormones can help you perform at your best. A good referral link is available at https://www.womensinternational.com/..._referral.html You will be pleasantly surprised at how hormonal imbalances that can make life difficult can be fixed with targeted HRT. The injured brain is especially prone to hormone imbalances.

Mark,

This is a good one, try to get it added into those Stickies threads somehow......very informational.

Aim for 100% but protect your brain!
 

You can live a totally rich and full life. My good friend has recovered from multiple concussions and had some scary lingering symptoms (including passing out, which caused further concussions!), and she is a mom of two, yoga instructor, office manager, athlete, and a generally vivacious person! I often think of her when I need hope and inspiration.

As for me, I'm getting closer and closer to a hundred percent. It may be true that our brains will always be different and we need to do more to protect them from further injury, so we don't trigger PCS symptoms, but I think I will eventually get back to a "normal" state of existence. The only difference is I will not be doing anything particularly dangerous and I am just more cautious in terms of where i put my body. Thankfully I am not into mountain biking or playing hockey! Unfortunately, I still have to drive, but I am definitely more careful than I used to be, and I try to avoid highway driving whenever possible. It's just too nerve-wracking for me now, so whereas I used to love driving, now I'm happy to let my husband chauffer me. I feel like I've reached my quota on car accidents--7 in the last 10 years (most just fender benders) with only 1 accident caused by me. Three of them, I was just sitting at a red light! Knock on wood!

Sorry--I digress. Read the hope and healing stickie at the top of the forum. It will allow you to see that getting better IS possible. Good luck!

I believe in getting better
 

Hi Norma

I do believe and know I am getting better. I am so hesitant now to use the R word (recovered) because I have been burned by thinking I was recovered only to find out, I was not and I did too much and dizziness, sound and light sensitivity came back.

That said, I agree with DeFayesmom, in that we can live rich, full lives after more symptoms resolve. Somethings from PCS are likely going to stay with me forever, but I am not sure what that might be.

Keep on educating yourself, and listen to your body to find what triggers the stress that brings on symptoms and like Mark said, find ways to work around those things or adapt to it.

Take care,

poetrymom

Wow, I shoulda been more clear in my post above.

I meant that Mark should persue having his Link getting stickied, sorry for any confusion.