mild concussion maybe, some questions
 

My story is ridiculous and very upsetting to me. I went to a party I did not want to go to, but I ended up guzzling a bottle of water (to avoid hangover) which turned out to be filled with vodka for reasons that are partly my fault.

I lost conscience shortly after and I spent two hours in a parking lot not remembering anything except someone asking me why my forhead is injured.
It is important to mention that I DO NOT REMEMBER anything, including how I got home, which worries me if I might have hit my head more than once. None of my friends (completely inebriated) know either.

I did NOT think about a concussion, until 2-3 days later (I started running the day after which I do after night outs) when the dizziniess persisted, I felt nausea and low grade headache.

This was about 10 days ago. Things are getting better. Some days and hours are better than others. I feel the more I rest the more I feel the dizzinness (a sign that my brain is recovering?)

I am being extremely careful. My work involves sitting in a conference and mostly listening to people. I skipped 3 days once I realized I have a concussion but now I am back to work. I stopped running, and staying quite a bit of time relaxing on bed. Sleeping well.

My GP says that based on my symptoms it sounds like a mild concussion (no head splitting headaches).

I am due to travel to Europe for vacation in a bit more than w weeks...

I would be very interested in your thoughts on this

So far I have not recovered yet, not able to concentrate and think straight very well and of course my primary objective is to go back to normal as soon as possible.

Many thanks folks

At only ten days, you are very early in your recovery.

What gives you the idea that dizziness is a sign of recovery ?

Recovery is not measured in hours but rather weeks. Recovery is usually a roller coaster. One good day does not mean anything. 10 good days means you are headed in the right direction.

You may want to research alcohol poisoning. It may be a big part of your symptoms.

you're drinking days are gone for a while. Protect your head. Don't get conned into drinking for at least 6 months in my opinion until this thing clears up whatever take longer. I know you are young but it is not worth it the rest of your life fun

I hope you feel better

Thanks folks. I hope you can however give me your opinion on this:

1- You think it is safe for me to travel to europe for vacation in 20 days (approx 40 days after the concussion)?

2- Do my symptoms sound like mild concussion or not?

Many thanks

It is safe to travel. The question is whether you will enjoy or just tolerate the chaos of travel.

Yes, it sounds like you could have a mild concussion. But, a diagnosis, whether correct or not does not change anything. But then, it could be simply due to alcohol poisoning.

Thanks, as i said, i am sure i hit my head on the forehead at least, and i have not seen any information on long term (beyond 2 days that is) effect of alcohol poisoning ... (?). Here are my symptoms:

- low grade headache (getting better)
- dizziness (getting better)
- brain fog, unable to concentrate, have hard time making long sentences (no improvement yet)
- some nausea that got much better...


Still interested in other people thoughts about whether ut is safe to travel..

If I understand well another even minor concussion within the next 3 months could be fatal or make symptoms permanent, right?

I am concerned that even small shocks say due to turbulence on the plane or hitting my head going out of the cab or whatever could actually lead to long term problems...

sorry for the paranoia but better be careful and ask than be sorry forever...

thanks much

Second Impact Syndrome has nothing to do with the mild impacts you suffered. You did not suffer weeks of head aches from your first concussion.

Second Impact Syndrome is where the brain has lost the ability to control fluid pressure (intracranial pressure, ICP) and suffers another trauma before regaining that ability. It is usually accompanied by severe head aches.

A concussion while suffering alcohol poisoning can be a double whammy. Getting wasted can effect the brain in similar ways as a concussion.

I suggest you not worry about your past concussions. Instead, you should focus on lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of future brain trauma, either physical or chemical.

And, stop looking for scary information. It only increases your anxiety levels.

"If I understand well another even minor concussion within the next 3 months could be fatal or make symptoms permanent, right?" Wrong.

listen to what mark in Idaho says. no one has more knowledge or experience. go on your trip and just rest as much until then. no drinking for a while. and stop reading! I have had two major acquired brain injuries and a concussion and I am still walking around.

THANKS a lot Mark, it is very comforting to hear that I should not be worried to that extent. Frankly I had too many negative emotional shocks recently that I was overwhelmed having to deal with ssomething new. I hope you are right and that my recovery will continue.

bachissimo,

You said "it is very comforting to hear that I should not be worried to that extent."

What part of my comment are you missing ? There is nothing for you to be worrying about. If you want to focus on something, focus on good brain nutrition, avoiding stress, getting good quiet rest, and looking forward.

Get some counseling if you need help dealing with other stresses in you life.

I am back. So i decided to go on the trip, and i did not regret that because my symptoms started to get better over time. During my trip my symptoms were all but gone, with the exception that when i lie down and close my eyes i feel like some tremor in my brain, some vibration, some heat, weird feeling (anyone can explain?)...

Here is the problem though. I have restarted running since i saw that this is not necessarily bad, so long as there are no symptoms. So i have been increasing that over time. Two days ago, i ran fast for 15 minutes, about 10 minutes in i felt a slight dizziness but did not make much of it... After i stopped however i got nausea and dizziness which are still with me until now, 2 days after...

I am extremely frustrated, i am back from the trip and my work are losing patience with me taking days off after my vacation...

Any thoughts/advice?

Thanks

One simple thought. When you were running and felt dizzy, why didn't you stop ? Concussions are not like other injuries. You can not push through the symptoms.

You should have started with 5 minutes of light running for a week or so. Then, slowly increased the time and intensity in steps of a week or so. The Buffalo protocol uses two week steps.

Where did you learn that running is OK ? Any stressful exercise should be moderated.

Your current symptoms may be with you for a week or so.

You are right and i blame myself for not stopping. I did not stop because i did not associate the mild dizziness with the concussion -- i thought i was out of the waters already and that the dizziness could be due to watching the screen while running in the gym.

I have been very slowly increasing my running however, that is for sure, i restarted physical activity slowly and progressively.

Thanks

Work has started to ask about when I will be back. I have taken 2 weeks off so far with some improvement but not as rapid as the first time or as I expected. I still get dizzy when I walk around, when I think, when I work on the computer. I have avoided all what makes me dizzy for 2 weeks now. I tested myself and I am only slightly better.

Can I start going back to work from home despite the mild but annoying dizziness I get or it is not a good idea? I am not sure how much longer I can avoid work. My story is below.


My story is here:

So to recap my accident happened toward end of June, I was back feeling almost completely normal in 3-4 weeks. One month later I had virtually no symptoms. Following a high intensity run during which I felt a bit dizzy (but did not think much of it as I was not too sure it was bad) for about 15 mins I felt as bad as day 1.

My symptoms have been dizziness, bit of nausea, and some headaches particularly in the morning.

In order to avoid making what sounds like a mild concussion much worse I decided to take TWO weeks off work completely, I have not worked at all. Just read some emails.

My recovery after the relapse has been extremely slow. But this time I am going to take things very slowly. I am eating a lot and good quality, I assume that is a good thing to do. I am sleeping as much as I can, but do wake up early in the morning sometimes since concussion.

I would look into short term disability through work... does not sound as though you are ready for full days...

Take more time of if needed. Increase the running a little every day but stop if you feel sick right away. You want to feel very good when you go back and tackle work. Let them complain. You are not going to get stronger as the work day goes on at first. So you need to start from a position of feeling VERY good. Let work complain.

I have the option to start working half days... how about that? I do not want to do something to make me feel worse. I am NOT running at all, actually not walking outside because I got worse after that. But 2-3 hours of thinking a day for a start, if it doesn't hurt my brain, is that OK?

Current research indicates that you should do SOMETHING for a little while outside if you can. walk for five minutes. if you don't think you can do that are you sure you can work 3 hours?