post concussion syndrome
 

hey,
this is my first post so forgive me if i mess up. i'm a 28 year old male who was assaulted 3.5 weeks ago. was placed in a headlock and punched twice in the left temporal and once in the left frontal lobe. i also had no loss of consciousness or post traumatic amnesia. only symptom was lightheadness that lasted 45 seconds. went to the ER. doctor seemed disinterested. said i had a mild tbi. sent me on my way. no imaging. i felt fine that night but a day later i woke up and felt so tired even though i slept 9 hrs. i slept another 6 hrs and still felt tired. as the week went on i noticed i was only sleeping 2 hours at a time and felt fatigued all the time. now i'm onto my 3rd week and i have sleep disturbance. i wake up every hour at night. i am a university student and haven't seen my doctor or neuro yet because i have no time. i've also had to drop 2 courses. its like i'm a zombie. my brain is all fogged up and i'm scared as hell. i have no real history of brain trauma. i was knocked out when i was 3 yrs old for about 5 minutes but thats it. anyone have any suggestions or comments for me? plz reply

Confused--

Most ER's do not take these kinds of things terribly seriously if you do not present life threatening symptoms, at least that has been my experience.

It sounds like with the sleep disturbance and brain fog, you may have PCS.

As someone who was working full time and going to grad school full time at the time of my car accident, I understand what it is like to feel like you don't have the time to be checked out. HOWEVER....

I urge you to get to a neurologist ASAP. Preferably one who has experience with PCS. I know you may not want to take time away from your classes. But, as someone who has been there, I tried to push it right after my accident and did myself in. I am now on month 5 of no work, no classes, and as much rest as possible.

PCS is NOT one of those, no pain no gain, type of deals. The harder you push, the more pain you will feel, the more fatigue you will feel, the harder your symptoms are going to start effecting you life. You MUST get checked out and follow the Dr's orders, even if they are to have complete rest.

As I said, I tried to push through, and my symptoms became so overwhelming, I couldn't get out of bed, couldn't move around well, etc. Also, the more you push, the longer your recovery will take. I wish I knew that when this all started 5 months ago.

As you have had previous head trauma, that can also effect your recovery. You are more like to have longer lasting symptoms, more severe symptoms, etc.

Sorry for the not so great news, but the sooner you are seen and take care of yourself, the more likely you will be to start feeling better sooner, rather than later.

Best of luck to you.

I should also add, I have learned to follow the advice "If it makes your symptoms worse, stop doing it." So if classes are making you worse, you need to stop.

A neurologist can provide documentation you can provide to your university. Most universities are very understanding. I had to stop in the middle of my spring semester. My advisor has it set up with my professors that when I am ready, I can continue with the end of my spring courses through online coursework, so that I can still receive credit.

Check with your universities disability services and with your student advisor.

From thinkfirst.ca:

"The best medical management for a concussion is rest, both physical and mental. A person who has suffered a concussion may often feel lethargic and tired. It is important to admit this fatigue to yourself. Your brain is telling you that you need rest and it is extremely important that you listen to it. If you continue pushing yourself and struggling on, it is likely you will make the symptoms worse."

http://www.thinkfirst.ca/programs/concussionqanda.aspx

I agree with SmilinEyes. I am a teacher and taught through my first week with a concussion. Even after I took off a few days to "rest," I was still sending in lesson plans, checking work email, and finishing up semester grades. As a result of not being able to take off a few days at first, I have now been forced to take off five months (so far) and am uncertain if I will be able to return to work when school starts again in the fall.

Physical rest is important, but so is brain rest. Eliminate as many sensory inputs as you can until your symptoms subside.

Good luck!

thanks for the replies. after the first 1.5 weeks the fog lifted a lot, but i still feel a little slow upstairs. my only real concern is the concentration, fatigue and sleep disturbance. i'll sleep for one hour max then wake up. and my sleep is filled with the most vivid dreams. this repeats itself at least 6 or 7 times a night. hopefully i'll get better although i don't want to take sleep meds

Yeah, it sounds like your body is well into recovery but your brain still needs rest. Isolating myself in a quiet, dark room worked pretty well for me. I just slept whenever I could, day or night. Some things that helped during awake time were doing guided relaxations (I found lots of free podcasts for this), listening to nature sounds like falling rain or lapping waves, and practicing mindful breathing.

I felt much better after about a week of this. Can you take a little vacation?

I've just joined this board and find some great advice. Please follow up with a qualified neurologist. If school is keeping you from medical treatment, please consider your priorities. The right medical help now is, in my opinion, your first priority. You may need to take time off now to overcome problems which may impact your life more severely later.

Willjan

One last note, if you aren't sleeping that is keeping you from healing, ask a doc for some sleep meds that you can take for a couple weeks to get your body back in the habit of sleeping.

God Bless!
Margarite