Multiple Concussions
 

Hi. About a month ago I got a minor concussion. Hit heads with my cousin tubing. Didnt get knocked out but got pretty tired after and felt out of it. Minor headaches for a lil while but was feeling alot better when about 3 weeks after the concussion I hit my head on a glass table standing up from sitting on the ground. Since then I have felt irritable, anxious, out of it, and have had trouble putting my thoughts into words, and became pretty forgetful. I didnt get knocked out or anything, and at first didnt think it was that bad. Its been a week or two since then n while I feel a bit better everyday I am still not feeling myself at all. Could these 2 minor hits to the head cause any permanent damage?

welcome to the room. Others will be along shortly. I highly doubt you did any lasting damage with two minor injuries especially if you're feeling a little better everyday after weeks. Just to try and rest as much as possible and no drinking until it all clears up and no risk taking to give it a chance to heal and I think you will be fine. Like I said those who know better will come along in awhile.

tbeam,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

You are very early in your recovery. Nobody can say what kind of lasting damage you have suffered. Likely very little. You may just be more sensitive to head impacts.

Read the sticky at the top about Vitamins and Supplements. Good brain nutrition will help your brain tolerate stress.

Just take it easy for a few weeks.

Thanks. Two things I did leave out are that I had an MRI that came back clear, and the second hit to my head was enough to leave a bruise for awhile.

you will be fine. a concussion can take from a month to two years to get best results. symptoms may get worse before they get better or perhaps they won't. either way, do not worry yourself. you should be fine, really. just do the things mark in Idaho told you to do.

I doubt there was any reason to have an MRI. A bruise is not a big deal.

Your anxiety is a bigger issue. Anxiety puts a strain on the brain that slows recovery.

As I said, you are VERY early in your recovery. There is an 80% chance that you will spontaneously recover over the next 4 weeks.

Thanks. I'll try not to worry about. Just have been feeling very off recently. I'll be sure to check out the nutrition page.

Also, I tried to research some on my own and read that getting a concussion soon after another can be really bad, having permanent effects. Why is it that you guys think differently? Not doubting just curious. This has definitely helped me to worry less.

it can be frightening if you let it get to you. just remember it will get better and fight the fear.

It is true that the potential for serious problems increases with each concussion.

It is also true that no one can say, with absolute certainty, if/when a person will be back to normal. I think the others are optimistic for your recovery because you are very early in your injury, and already showing significant and steady improvement.

It is important that you rest (physically and mentally), eat properly and abstain from alcohol.

I think I feel better each day.. But this second concussion is different from the first. I have not felt like myself. My symptoms were worse and this one has me worried a lot more. It's not likely I cause permanent damage?

Please try to stop this worry about permanent damage. The anxiety is worse than the risk of permanent damage. You can not change what has already happened. You can only take steps to support recovery.

Whatever you have read about a second concussion close to the first causing permanent damage is being misread. There are certain conditions where this is true but those conditions do not sound like your situation.

A symptom of PCS is to read an articles and grab the worst part of the information without including the limiting background explanation. This is due to anxiety.

I know it's hard not to worry, but you sound way too functional (and alive) to have Second Impact Syndrome (SIS).

Second Impact Syndrome has nothing to do with the mild impacts you suffered. You did not suffer weeks of intense 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.

In some cases, Second Impact Syndrome results from a second severe impact within minutes of the first, such as during a football game. This does not apply to you.

Im not worried about second impact syndrome, but its been 2 weeks, a little more and I am still feeling terrible. Ive been depressed, anxious, unstable, forgetful. My other concussions problems felt like they went away quickly and were not this bad.
Will I get better just like the first one? I may have said I think Im feeling better everyday but I am still so forgetful n so out of it. Its hard to just think this will go away.

What part of "You are still VERY early in your recovery" do you not understand ? If has been 3 days since I told you that. Recovery is not measured in days but in weeks. It is a marathon, not a sprint.

What are you doing to facilitate your recovery ?

Resting. I just dont get how this one is so much worse than the first.. and I thought the first was bad.

Each successive concussion can cause worse symptoms from the same impact forces, especially if they are close together.

You still dont believe it will be permanently?

Every concussion leaves some level of permanent damage. That is why each successive concussion causes greater symptoms for the same impact force. Most will recover to a high level and only show concussion symptoms during times of stress.

BUT, you should not be concerned about this because YOU ARE VERY EARLY IN YOUR RECOVERY.

Copy that. Thanks

It's perfectly normal to be anxious in the early days. Heck, you're dealing with all sorts of weird, but not wonderful, new experiences. I was terrified and thought I was going bonkers. As our recoveries progress, I think we get used to the symptoms. Humans are nothing, if not adaptive.

Hang in there and keep us posted, as often as you like, about how you're feeling.

Ok this might be a stupid question but my anxiety is getting the best of me. So today I was in the ocean tossing around a ball, nothing serious, but one throw the ball came close to my head so I flinched quickly, and afterwards was worried that doing this hurt my already damaged brain. Is this just anxiety? I threw my head back kind of fast, and I feel like im working myself up to believe that Im feeling worse.

If you are going to be so anxious about such things, you should not be tossing a ball around. But, NO, this did not likely cause any damage.

Stop reading about Second Impact Syndrome and such. You are causing yourself unnecessary anxiety.

Your anxiety is likely causing more to delay your recovery that these slight head bumps and flinches.

I have read and read about what I might have and what I might get. It has killed a lot of time and: has been almost completely useless. Feel free to be like me but I wouldn't suggest it. Listen to mark in Idaho.

Yeah. Im done worrying about damage already done. But when I hit my head the second time I didnt think it wouldve caused so many problems but it did. Hit my head on a swinging wooden chandelier tonight so my best day yet turned into the worst. But ive calmed myself down and am actually feeling alright right now. Taking a b complex vitamin that is also helpin alot it seems.

im glad you had a good day and I think you will be fine in due time. just try and be patient even though it is hard.

You do seem to be having a number of mishaps. "Clumsiness" isn't uncommon after TBI. For some of us, the injury impairs balance, vision, object recognition, etc... making us more vulnerable to tripping, bumping into things, etc...

If this persists, you might want to mention it to your doctor.