Once PCS survivor, working on twice
 

So long story short, I got a concussion from a tree branch falling on my head while walking on campus in 2009. I had the whole range of symptoms like fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances, vision problems, anxiety/depression etc. It took me a good 7-8 months, but I recovered fully and lived an entirely normal life until this year.

Early this year in February, I slammed the right side of my head into my dining room table. I was in leaning-forward position and sprung up and slammed right into it full speed. I'm past month 5 now and am still suffering from fatigue, constant headaches, neck pain, vision problems, sleep interruptions, anxiety/depression and head sensitivity to fast movements.

I'm definitely let down by the fact that I have to deal with this for the 2nd time in my life let alone the fact that I'm recovering slower this time. The only thing I may be able to say has improved/gone away is my vision problems. I do also think I cope with fatigue better now but I don't know if that's because I'm less fatigued compared to 1-2 months in or if I just learned to deal with it better.

The most bothersome part I think is the tremors though. I started noticing I had head and hand tremor in around 2013, and I did notice them get a little worse summer of 2014, prior to my concussion. However, after my concussion my tremors got noticeably worse. My head tremors a lot more and when it does it's bothersome because it provokes my headache/head discomfort. I'm hanging in there in hopes that I'll get better again and this will all just be a bad memory in the past, but it's hard. I can't get the thought of possibly never getting back to normal again out of my head the longer it takes for me to feel like I'm actually getting better.

A couple of things that make me feel lucky compared to some is that I never suffered from nausea or cognitive issues. I mean, I definitely don't function as well when I'm in intense pain, but I don't think I've had cognitive issues. I'm a programmer and I've been working full time non-stop even since my concussion. At this point I think if I could just get rid of my head sensitivity and the constant headaches, I would be sure I'm on the right track. I do not remember having such constant headaches past 5 months in my previous concussion. Currently I pretty much have to take Tramadol every day to keep my headaches tolerable.

I just wanted to let all this out. I know that you can recover from PCS because I have done it before, but I can't be sure if I will be able to again but I sure as hell won't give up tryin'.

Oops, I meant "dining table light", for what it matters.

Also, now that I think about it, another symptom that went away compared to beginning is light and noise sensitivity. I guess I can chalk that up as a win as well..

Donniedarko,
Hello,
My daughter has many of your same symptoms that you describe and a few more. But just this year she was tested at UCSF (vestibular workup) and it ends up that the fall she took to the back of her head triggered a migraine gene that she must be carrying. The vestibular workup showed that she has migraines called migrainous vertigo (this is not vestibular migraines as many people think of them as the same type of headache) The migraine doctor thinks that she can get a lot better if we can find a drug to stop this type of migraine. He thinks it's about 70% migraine and 30% PCS. So for what it is worth ....maybe this is something to look into.

I am not always on this blog so feel free to message me-I think they go to my email?

My best,

Thank you for your input, I'll definitely look into that. How long has your daughter been having symptoms for? My headache starts out as head pressure/tension and then turns into actual headache as the day goes on. I have also noticed it usually gets better later in the day, and usually is the worst in the afternoon. I wish her the best. I've been using Tramadol for my headaches and it gives me relief, I take 100mg at 1 PM and 100mg at 7PM every day. It does not take away the pressure, but greatly reduces the pain.

Hi, you say it took 7-8 months to recover last time so I would expect it to take a similar length of time and maybe a bit longer as concussions seem to be accumalative in nature. The length of time between concussions appears to have no beneficial effect, it's like the injury is imprinted on the brain. I think you will recover in time.

Both my neuro and med sports doctor prescribed (200-1000 mg) magnesium and (200-400 mg) B2 to help with headaches. There was a clinical test that this combination helps migraine sufferers. The med sports doctor also prescribed melatonin (3 mg) for 2 weeks, and green tea 4-6 oz 2-3 times daily. Curiously, he didn't recommend omega3, but he felt curcumin was a good supplement to take for inflammation.

The melatonin didn't really help with sleep issues. But I find the headaches have decreased and its mainly brain fog and fatigue that affects my daughter now.

I really hope so. I just don't recall having to take pain meds every day 5 months into my first concussion. I guess I'll just have to be more patient this time.

Thanks for the input. I'll be starting on a vitamin regimen this week, I'll update how it goes.