My battle with PCS... So far
 

Hello all, my name is Danny and I have found this forum to be very helpful in dealing with my post concussion syndrome. I feel it is time for me to contribute something.

Let me begin my telling my story. I suffered a concussion from a door being swung violently into my forehead. Luckily it just missed my eye. This took place on October 2, 2014.

Now, I had just finished moving to a new apartment within walking distance to a school I transferred to this semester. I was accepted into the chemical engineering program and I was really excited about moving on with my education and career. The timing couldn't have been worse.

The next morning after the injury I got up at 8am and went to all my classes and was fine. That evening I started to feel very dizzy and nauseous. Luckily it was the weekend so I hoped to be ready for an exam in physical chemistry on Monday. By Sunday night, I was having panic attacks and clearly I was in trouble. I knew in my heart that something was wrong. My girlfriend took me to urgent care where they gave me a doctors note for a week out of school. I was advised to rest and not use any electronics.

So I took the week off. I started to go back to classes but I couldn't do any of the work. I was in hell with symptoms for 3 weeks - dizziness, muscle twitching, headaches, brain fog. After about a month, I noticed an improvement where I could actually use my phone or watch tv for more than 10 minutes.

Fast forward to this past week; Finals Week. Most of my professors have been very understanding about postponing exams but finals I kind of had to just tough it out. Keep in mind the courses I'm taking are extremely difficult for anyone, even without a concussion. Anyway, I was actually feeling pretty much like myself before I started studying last Sunday

What happened is every day my brain could take less and less studying and by Thursday I was fried. I still had my math final which could have been the hardest. I had a mental breakdown on Thursday when I could barely study for 30 minutes. I was feeling as bad as I did that first weekend.

Interestingly once I got some rest, I was able to study for a little. I developed a routine of studying for 30 min then resting for 30 minutes. Some people may find that to be helpful. Basically study as long as you can until the symptoms come and then take a break. No cheating with this system or else it won't work.

So here I sit, 11 weeks post concussion, successfully having made it through finals and feeling decent. I'm very exahausted but the headaches are mostly gone. I still get a little nervous in crowds and have some issues with blurry vision. Overall I am thankful to be recovering. I have spent a lot of time in dark rooms just resting and I think it has paid off.

If anyone is wondering I got Bs on the exams and am taking incompletes in two of my four courses. I guess I'm resting for the next two weeks and then finishing the coursework in January so that I can continue next semester.

I guess I just wanted to share my story. While I'm certainly a different person than I was pre injury, I'm definitely recovering. Hope that someone out there gets something worthwhile out of this.

Just a couple questions: any thoughts on whether I should take next semester off to recover more? Should I be ok going forward? It's so tough to gauge when the symptoms are gonna come. Chemical engineering is tough coursework and I want to be healthy for it but I also don't want to miss courses and delay my graduation.

Also, what do people think about antianxiety medications (benzodiazepines) like lorazepam? I've been prescribed 1 mg twice a day.

Thanks for taking the time to read this! Everyone hang in there and be thankful for today.

-Danny

Hi Danny,

This sounds a lot like what I experienced with my first concussion my senior year of college. I got my concussion October 14th, 2012. I tried to tough it out in classes but ended up taking incompletes in everything and finishing up over break. I think the worst part of the whole process was me telling myself that I'd be fine the next week. I felt much better once I had medical leave established and spent some time resting.

I, too, did 30 minutes on, 30 minutes off and found it helpful. Taking things at my own pace helped a lot as well. Over winter break I spent four hours in the library writing my missed final papers.

I graduated on time, but every concussion is different. Yours might not let you. That last semester was the most stressful semester of my career (I wrote my thesis in one semester instead of two), but I think I made it through without symptoms by paying A LOT of attention to my health. I exercised daily, quit caffeine, quit alcohol, and spent little time socializing. I think it paid off.

Best of luck to you! I know how terrible it can feel.

Danny,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

Glad you finished with a question. Just before your question, I thought I had fought through your play by play just to hear your story. TMI for me.

Nobody can even suggest whether you will struggle through your next semester. If you are disciplined about resting frequently, including scheduling your classes so you have adequate rest between each class, you will have a better chance of success. As rugger said, stay away from alcohol and keep caffeine to a minimum.

You can help yourself by reading the Vitamins sticky at the top. Read post 101 on Nov 8, 2014. It has been updated.

Let us know how you are doing.

My best to you.

Thanks for the replies.

Rugger, it means a lot to know that someone has been in my situation and successfully made it through. What kind of exercise would you suggest to get started? I don't want to push myself but if it can benefit my recovery than I am all for it.

Mark, I know it was a long post. Just wanted to include the information all at once and have it read like a story. I haven't had a sip of alcohol since the injury. I had a couple of cups of coffee and noticed ill effects so I haven't had any since about a month ago. I'm very proud of my self control in these areas.

I'm taking vitamin d3 omega 9s and 3s and pqq/coq10 along with nac on a trial period. I'm trying to figure out a good multivitamin and complex b vitamins as well. I've been taking b12 and one a day men's. Any thoughts?

I started just by taking longer and longer walks with the dogs each day. I'm currently at that stage right now with a newer concussion - trying to test my threshold, but I think my neck injuries are holding my back.

I progressed to some light jogging - just a mile at first, moving onto three. If you find running too jarring an exercise bike might help, too.

Caffeine set me back a lot that last semester. I would get panic attacks after a few sips of coffee. I finally settled on one cup of green tea for days when I really needed caffeine.

Danny,

Don't waste your money on a generic B complex. Find a B-50 or B-100 complex, some methylcobalamin B-12 and a multi like GNC Mega Men. One a Day's are almost worthless.

If you are going to exercise, stop if any symptoms develop. Then, next time, do not exercise a hard. You do not want to cause any symptoms when you exercise. Keep in mind that exercising or stresses one day may cause a delay of symptoms that manifest the next day. This is a common issue.

I find it hard to believe that someone with a fresh concussion can remember so many details about the past since their concussion when many of us can't even make it through reading the long post. Not a complaint. Just an observation. I hope you never get to the point where your symptoms are a limiting as mine and many others.

My best to you.

Rugger,

Sorry to hear about your recent concussion. I know that I have been living in constant fear of reinjuring myself. I wish you the best in your recovery. I have been walking to class so I think I might attempt a jog tomorrow if I'm feeling up for it.

This past week I've had times where I have really craved a coffee during studying. It doesn't help that there is a Starbucks located at the library at the university. I've been strong and resisted.

Just wanted to let you know I appreciate the response

Amazingly, my memory has been spared. My symptoms are mostly behavioral. Physical symptoms include tremors and muscle spasms, as well as blurry vision (floaters).

Update:

I have decided to continue on with my education. I am going to take a small courseload (still very intense courses) because I think I will get too depressed if I lay around all day for the next 8 months. I have been making up the work I missed last semester and it has been all congested in a two week time frame. This includes two formal lab reports and two physical chemistry exams. My brain seems to be responding better than before (especially considering the workload) but I still struggle will anxiety, depression, lack of motivation, headaches and occasional insomnia.

My question today is regarding a fortunate choice I have for my schedule this upcoming semester (which begins on Tuesday! :/)

I have two options regarding a lab section. I can take it so I have Tuesdays off completely from school and two classes on Thursday or space it out so I have the lab on Tuesday and the one hour chemical engineering course on Thurday. I am wondering which would be more conducive to healing. Any thoughts?

I think you should be concerned about which format will allow you to be successful with your class work. I think you should spread the load between Tues and Thurs. Being able to have rest periods between classes is better than having a big rest period then two classes over a short time period.

Danny,

From my experience I would go with some time off...Wednesday's off for me.

If you end up needing it, you have it.

Bud

I saw a program about rest and cognitive abilities. It showed that more frequent rest is better than longer periods of rest. Anything to spread out the cognitive effort between rest periods would be beneficial.

Thanks for the responses! They are truly appreciated. :)

I can see both situations being beneficial in their own ways. Leaning towards Mark's suggestion for now. I would be interested to see some type of study or, as Mark mentioned, a program on this topic.

Reminds me of my killer concussion in highschool. After concussion every afternoon you could pretty much pin point the time my brain would have enough and I would have a massive panic attack. Just couldn't handle the stimulation. I didn't know what was wrong with me I just kept it to myself and suffered. Good on you for sticking it out my man.

Thanks Ricky! Classes start at 9am tomorrow! I got this.

All the best to you for tomorrow!

btw. My daughter has some health problems of her own (but not PCS) and she always tries to split the days. If she's got a lecture on Tuesday for example, she may also have a tutorial for the same subject on the same day so that makes it a big day. Sometimes they split them so one is early morning and the other may not be until late afternoon or evening. Then it's really tiring waiting around on campus for the next class.

Then she tries to leave a day in between. You also need to factor in travelling time and all of that. You may not need travel far, I don't know. One semester she needed to travel a long way there and a long way home each day so tried to get everything over and done with in 2 full days. It was too much. Especially when there's so much more study to do at home and with papers etc..

Way to go, man! I have faith in you. Take it slow and controlled. Good luck! :p

Thanks for the responses. You guys are awesome!

I made it through my first day all right. Definitely a little more anxiety than usual but this is to be expected. I'm trying to stay positive and take it one day at a time. Headphones come in handy for the crowds of students. They were definitely extra antsy today coming back from break.

It turns out the class meeting on Thursdays will be optional! :D
It is a recitation for the TA to go over notes and homework. This is an excellent development! I will most likely go when I can but now I know that I have a day to rest if I need it.

Anyway, just thought I would share how today went. Take care everyone and stay positive!

-Danny

Setback
 

After working hard to finish last semester (I made Deans list with a 3.52 gpa) I suffered a setback in my recovery. The other night (Monday, 2/9) I was reaching for something in the refrigerator and I had to move it then I pulled my head out awkwardly and banged the back of it on the freezer part of the refrigerator. Its one of those where the freezer is on top of the refrigerator. Stupid design in my opinion.

I tried to tough it out and stay hopeful but the familiar symptoms of a fresh concussion started to set in and really intensified today. I was unable to complete a homework assignment due to slow processing, headaches and lightheadedness. I decided the best thing to do would be to see a doctor so I went to urgent care. The physician assistant performed the normal tests. He prescribed me Tramadol to help with the new headaches and gave me a note to excuse me from classes for a week.

My biggest fear is that all of my progress since the real mTBI in October (my 1st concussion) has been erased. I'm a chemical engineering student and the coursework is too difficult to complete with a badly injured brain. My hope is that it was not a second concussion and that this is just an exacerbation of PCS. It really wasn't even close to as hard as the first impact and I have hit my head like that many times in my lifetime.

The physician assisant seemed to think that I should recover back to where I was prior to this bump within a week or so. I really hope that is the case and that I don't have another 4 months+ to get back to where I just was a week ago. I was finally starting to feel like myself again!!! :(

The fact that you felt the need to see a doctor suggests that your response was more anxiety related that injury. All of your symptoms can be due to anxiety. A top freezer door is quite light (sheet metal, foam and plastic) and moveable. The impact forces would be more startling than injurious. I suggest you try to get back to your normal schedule. Following a normal schedule is a great way to reduce anxiety levels. Take ear plugs to reduce sensory stimulation.

btw, A top freezer makes good sense based on physics. Cold air flows down. The milk is closest to the freezer and needs to stay cold. The vegetables are farthest away so they don't get too cold or freeze. When the freezer is on the bottom, veggies are more likely to freeze. Been there, done that.

While I'm glad to hear you say that, my brain is processing at a slower speed. Are you saying that can be a result of anxiety? That seems like a measure of some type of damage or dysfunction. I agree that other symptoms are anxiety related. The real issue that dawned on me is that if I were to take an exam right now I would fail. With two tests scheduled for Monday I don't see returning to my routine as an option.

Also I wanted to clarify that the part of the refrigerator l nailed with my head was this stationary, pretty sturdy surface in between the freezer and refrigerator sections, not the freezer door itself. This surface is pretty solid and would cause more damage than the door. Just wanted to make sure the injury was illustrated a little more clearly.

My comment about the freezer design was mainly due to frustration. I simply meant the design in terms of user convenience, not the thermodynamics! Good call though, your logic seems correct.

My comments still stand. Anxiety causes an excess of brain processing, even if it is spinning it's wheels, which can make it difficult to do conscious cognitive thought. The concept many of us have used is we need to 'Stop to think." We need to shut out all stimulation and let the brain settle down so we can focus on the task at hand. The flow of toxic chemicals from the anxiety can mean it takes a while of low stimulation to get the brain back to normal. Those of us who have times when we need to put a high load on the brain will have more struggles with this. I find I lose the ability to do multi-step processing in my head so I need to use pencil and paper until my brain settles down.

Even if you smacked your head into the refrigerator frame, I doubt there was enough force to cause an injury. It would take quite a smack to generate any substantial forces.

btw, Having the freezer on the bottom creates a whole new set of usability issues. Bottom freezer draws are much easier to use that hinged door lower freezer compartments. Side by side doors tend to solve these issues a bit better but then limit the dimensions of items that can be laid flat in the freezer section. We've bee fighting with a freezer on the bottom for years and have been trying to find the best layout. They all have their limitations.

As they say every concussion is different. But I cannot relate to you as far as concussions go.

However I can relate to your anxiety. You seem to have alot of anxiety. I would see a doctor for that. I notice the things you've said like"my brain is processing at a slower speed" and "a badly injured brain"

What does that mean and how are you measuring that ?

I think you need alot of help with anxiety. Good luck.

Bobbyr,

I have been seeing a doctor for my anxiety and insomnia since 2008, the year my mom passed away rather suddenly. I know it is an issue and I do try to manage it the best I can. It is an ongoing process to control. However, I think anyone who has been through things that I have, PCS being the latest, would have a certain level of anxiety. I am prescribed 1 mg of lorazepam up to twice daily for when I feel a panic attack coming on. I am pretty honest with my emotions and have noticed an increase in anxiety since I bumped my head.

Those phrases are pretty self-explanatory. I am measuring my brain's ability by seeing how long it takes me to complete an assignment or how long it takes to study one page of notes, etc. There are quantitative ways to do this and I have noticed that I am not at full speed, because my times are higher. In fact, I was so dizzy the other night I couldn't get past one question so the time was infinite for that trial.

Badly injured brain, well I know that my brain is messed up. Anyone who is sensitive with their mind, body and soul can tell when something is off. More relative, anyone who has damage from a concussion knows this feeling well.

I would appreciate some constructive words, not blanket statements without any solid basis. Still, thanks for your input.

Of course i dont have any solid basis. Im not your doctor and I dont have your medical history. Im just a dude online trying to level with you.

Anyway you made the deans list with "a badly injured brain". I would say youre on your way to recovery. But if you want to dwell on PCS and so forth thats your call. You can share your emotions about PCS with anybody who will listen but constructive words are unlikely to change your condition. My suggestion is to let PCS run its course and for you to live your life.

Been struggling with intense PCS symptoms since Friday. Today I woke up with sharp headaches. The symptoms are as bad as the first couple weeks after the original concussion. I'm losing hope and am pretty sure I will have to withdraw from classes. This is extremely depressing. It will be 5 months since the first concussion on 3/2/2015. Not sure where to turn to or what to do. I feel like I'm going to lose my grip on reality.

Danny, I'm so sorry you're having such a difficult time.

Is there any chance that you can do a part time load for a semester even if you have to cut it back to only one subject? You are under a lot of pressure and some of that may be self-imposed. You're young. You will get better. It's just that you have to ride through this overwhelming period of time the best way that you can right now and it sounds as if you need some support in real time to do that.

Our university year is just starting here but I'm not sure where you are in relation to the semester. I gather you have a census date at the beginning of each semester the same as here and you can withdraw from subjects before that date? Is that time passed? If for some reason your results for a couple of subjects are not as good as you need then it should be possible to do other ones later on to make up the grades. I know that's possible here where I live.

Please remember that these things happen to many students and for other reasons besides head injury and concussion. My daughter had to change her whole education plan due to a series of serious illnesses. She's on track now, but it's just taken longer than it would have under different circumstances.

It's easy for us to type here and say "what's another semester" or "what's another year" as long as you are well and able in the long run but we do understand your overwhelming frustration and probably some anger at what has happened to change your plans.

Please go to see your doctor or another professional. Talk to student services if you need about what is happening so that at least they have a record and they may have staff here available for support that you are unaware of at the moment.

If you had broken legs and needed traction for 3 months you wouldn't be able to continue at the pace you are doing right now. Same goes for other illnesses. The important thing is to get help for your symptoms that are occurring today... now.

Thanks for your reply Lara,

I am currently enrolled in part-time at university but even that is way too much at this point. I have barely been able to have a conversation or get out of bed since Friday evening.

As far as withdrawing goes, the way it works is I have until the 3/6 to decide if I want to withdraw without any permanent effect to my record. I'm leaning towards this option, but the problem with this is I would lose all my tuition money that I have paid (thousands of dollars) and it would probably negatively affect my financial aid down the road as well. After a certain point in the semester you cannot get a refund.

I am trying to stay positive and just rest accordingly. For now the headache has settled down after taking amitriptyline. I will be seeing a neurologist tomorrow. I'm not sure how helpful it will be but it is important at this point.

All the best to you for your appointment tomorrow!

My story.
 

Im sure everyone on this forum understands the anger, depression, and other negative feels cause by a pcs. Ill try my best to not talk about those factors. My current and prolonged symptoms since my initial accident are: Headaches, Migraines, Dizziness, Extreme Sensitivity to head movements, Inability to do any physical activity that cause an increased heart rate, Sensitivity and symptom inducing from electronic screens, Sensitivity and Symptom inducing from lifting heavier objects, and finally Minor Cognitive impairment. CT scan and MRI show no abnormalities.

I received my concussion early April of 2014. I was teaching my friend how to snowboard and when i wasn't paying attention, I caught an edge and was thrown in the air and landed on my butt. As soon as I landed hard on my butt I also felt an intense whiplash and literally felt my brain bounce back and forth in my skull. Ive had a concussion that has lasted me for 3 months with a full recovery a year prior. With that being said I know exactly what a concussion feels like and I knew I had a concussion instantly after the snowboard fall.

I went home and tried to dislodge the fact I had just gotten a concussion and drank a beer. After that beer my head was hurting so much I laid in bed for the next 4 days. Still feeling awful, I returned to work. My at the time was a Snowcat operator (ski hill groomer) and just took 2 extra strength tylenols everyday for two more weeks until the ski hill closed for the season. The last day of grooming my snowcat had a mechanical fault and the emergency break turned on out of nowhere and I slammed my face head into the windshield... Surprisingly enough I only felt a bit more concussed from that.

As the skill hill closed and i went into my summer job I did not take any time off of work. I took it easy, but my job was still physically demanding. I was still trying to ignore my concussion because it seemed to be getting better and all of the symptoms I described above were not very bad.

As I continued working from April - September, I did a number of unintelligent things to stunt my recovery. I went skateboarding a few times, drank alcohol twice, did a number of hikes, and smoked marijuana. When September came, my symptoms were out of control and I had to quit my job. I have not worked since Sept2014 to the present. I have felt that I have improved since September, but at the same time I feel like I have not. I haven't done anything to worsen my symptoms since September, but in the months of December and January I had several panic attacks and numbness to parts of my brain and certain body parts. I went to the hospital each time and stroke was fortunately dismissed from the doctors.

So here I am going into march now, getting closer to the one year mark. I feel like i have improved and again not at all. I believe I start neurophysiotherapy in a month. Well see what happens. Im merely writing this as a way from dying of boredom. Since I am an extremely physically active person this pcs/tbi has been very hard on me. If anyone has any opinions or help feel free...

Acsiky,

I'm sorry to hear about your struggles with symptoms. Your story is a cautionary tale about providing the right rest in order to recover. It actually helps me with a huge decision I have to make. I think that if you continue to rest your condition will improve. Three months is not that long for recovering from a traumatic brain injury so you should try and be patient and give it some more time. I can relate to what you said about feeling better but not all at the same time. It really is an uncomfortable feeling.

It might be useful to start your own thread to discuss your daily struggles. You are welcome to post here too, just thinking it might be helpful to have it all in one place.

Update
 

So, I met with the neurologist yesterday, and as many people tell about on here, he wasn't that helpful. He did a standard physical exam and told me I was suffering from PCS and that it would take about 3 months to recover if I rested. He did recommend that I withdraw from my classes in order to let my brain heal. He prescribed me amitriptyline and that was that.

This evening, I spoke to an executive at the Student Health Services at my university about a medical withdrawal for this semester. At first, I was just trying to weigh my options, but as we spoke, it seemed clearer and clearer that the right decision is to cut my losses and move on. This gentleman, who is also a MD, seemed like an all around good guy and provided me with a lot of useful information. Also, he actually seemed like he gave a crap about me and my situation (unlike all of the other physicians I have seen).

Basically, the choice I have to make is to either:

A) Continue pushing through the symptoms and hope that they get better enough so that I can finish the semester with decent grades.

B) Withdraw from this semester and allow my brain to heal and try again in the Fall. This would mean taking "W" grades for three classes which have no effect on GPA but still would remain on my transcript permanently. Also, I would lose half of my tuition that I paid, along with financial aid being affected.

Any opinions? The choice for me seems to be clear at this point. I am really glad to have spoken to this guy. Dr. Charles is the man!

Hi Danny. Difficult decision I know.

You seem much less overwhelmed about making that decision today in your post. I'm glad you went to meet with Dr Charles!

A couple W's on your transcript is minor and easily explained as due to medical issues. You would likely not even need to explain beyond that. Getting low grades will effect your GPA.

My first semester college grades were destroyed by my struggles with one intense honors class. Second semester, I struggled even worse and dropped one class and did miserably in another resulting in an unrecoverable drop in GPA. I entered college as an honors student. Stress loads and a concussion at the beginning of my second semester did me in.

So, I think you are better off taking time to heal and get a strong start later.

Would you be allowed to audit any classes ? It might be beneficial.

Mark,

I'm sorry you had to deal with that during college. I wouldn't wish this situation on anyone.

I appreciate you sharing your experience and knowledge on the subject. I met with my academic advisor today to go over the details. Withdrawing now seems to be the right choice for both my academic and especially my health future. I just wish that my University was more flexible about the "W" grades. I know that some colleges allow for more time to withdraw without a permanent effect to a transcript. Most of the people I have spoken with seem to think that 3 "W" grades will not be an issue since I have a good reason for them. I know you said this too.

Thanks again for your advice.

I am not sure what auditing a class means. No one has brought this up. Is that where you sit in on the class?

Thanks for the input DannyT, really wish there was that magic pill to fix all of this.

I agree. I wish there was some medication that would aid the healing process.
I think we all are sick of being told to rest.