Did I do Irreversible Damage?
 

Hello everyone. I've been reading on these forums for awhile now, and just decided it was time to join up.

6 years ago I had my first minor concussion playing soccer. No loss of consciousness, nausea for just a day, and then back to normal pretty quickly. About a year later I got into a minor ski accident and bumped my head, but once again recovered quickly. Then, half a year after that, I got into my most severe accident. Skiing, with a helmet, my pole struck my face, causing a minor orbital fracture and more severe (albeit, still minor) concussion. There was no loss of consciousness, but I felt nausea and tiredness for the rest of the day. 9 months later, I sustained a minor concussion playing intramural soccer in college. That was 3 years ago, and I still have many, many symptoms.

I have a great amount of anxiety surrounding head injuries. I was, and still am, a very academic student, but I feel as though I am not functioning at the same level as before the most recent two accidents. Mostly, I just have pressure headaches in my temples and the floaty, spaced out reality feeling A LOT. The intensity varies with the amount of stress I'm under, and (the most important factor) how much sleep I'm getting. Currently, I'm taking 50 mg amitryptiline as a sleep aide, and have seen a variety of neurologists. Here is the source of much of my anxiety:

After each of my concussions, the first few of which were fairly mild, I never changed my behavior afterwards. I kept being a high school student, and did not ever undergo brain rest or medication. After my most recent concussion, I stayed up the next night writing a philosophy paper with a splitting headache and inability to concentrate because it was due, and I refused to see a doctor or tell anyone, which I now realize was because I was in serious, serious denial about the severity of my injuries.

As I look back on my past three years struggling with PCS while remaining a high-functioning college student, I get scared. There are so many warnings on this website and in the literature about how important rest is after concussions, and how lack of rest can exacerbate symptoms and prolong recovery. I am scared, beyond belief, that I will never return to the way I was before these accidents. I am willing to try virtually any medication, change in diet, or therapy regimen. The thing that keeps me up at night is that, by failing to acknowledge my injuries at the time and take steps to get better, I somehow damaged myself in a way that I will never be able to recover from. Is there anyone out there who knows whether lack of rest following an injury does further damage, or just prolongs recovery? Has anyone struggled with PCS for years on end after a series of minor concussions? Of those people, have therapies worked? Medications? Counseling? I am willing to try anything, think about anything, or listen to any suggestions. Tell me what you would do, who you would see. I have great health insurance and a supporting family, but I have yet to see a doctor who believes in my symptoms and who I can actually trust to understand my perspective. On paper everything in my life seems so good, but the PCS makes me miserable... and I lose hope of ever getting better. Have I damaged myself irreversibly? Can I get better? Is there any reason to hope? Would rest now, even 3 years later, be the best treatment?

Thank you, all my future friends. I've browsed for quite awhile now, reading stories, and it has been one of the only things that has given me hope during the dark times.

Mainelife,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. You have found a good place to meet good people who understand what you are going through.

There is no evidence to say that failure to treat a concussion or series of concussion makes the damage worse. There is plenty of information that supports the concept that failing to get quiet rest will seriously prolong your symptoms.

I am currently reading a book written by possibly the finest concussion specialist in the country. Dr Robert Cantu in Concord, Massachusetts has 30 years of experience treating and researching concussions. He has patients who did like you have done and then started working to heal their brains much later.

He might be worth the trip to Massachusetts.

If you have never given your brain the quiet rest it needs, hopefully, you will regain many of your lost functions. I am very familiar with the academic struggles from concussions, especially multiple concussions. You may need to change your lifestyle to get the maximum from your intellectual skills.

I have very poor cognitive and memory functions but can moderate my environment so I can be very high functioning. It takes a lot of discipline to learn the work-arounds and accommodations to work past these dysfunctions.

The one skill I have never been able to regain has been my verbal processing. I struggle to speak or write at a level that matches my intelligence. I can not put together the complex sentences common to high intelligence. I can read them but struggle to make the many pieces fit together.

You need to apply yourself to a new quiet lifestyle for a continuous period of time to see if you can regain some lost skills. You may have hit the point of critical mass of injuries that leave you with some permanent limitations. Once you identify them, there are plenty of skills you can learn to function and live like at a full level.

I am convinced that a proper nutritional supplement regimen makes a big difference. My wife can observe the difference when I am off my regimen.

So, consider a trip to Dr Cantu. He will understand your situation and concern. He will likely just tell you to get quiet rest to let your brain heal. But, getting the confirmation of your symptoms will be worth the effort.

btw, His new book is not released yet. I am reviewing a pre-release copy for my comments. It is called "Concussions and Our Kids" It should be available from Amazon when it is released.

So, relax. Anxiety is counter to brain healing.

My best to you.

Im worried too
 

I know how you feel. I am worried about the same thing