PCS Newbie saying hi
 

Well, not so a much a newbie since it's 3 months since my injury, but new to the forum!

Anyway, it happened the day I was moving house, rushing around packing boxes I jumped up and ran forward (why I'll never know) and head butted an open door edge on with a sickening crack. I knew it was hard and wondered if I'd fractured my skull but it was fine, I felt fine too which puzzled me. A bruise came up and I was amazed at how tough the body is... little did I know.

The next few days I began to get neck ache, computer neck I just thought, and I felt tired, just the move hitting me I reasoned. It wasn't until I went for a walk by the river that I knew something was amiss, after a mile or so I had trouble walking and felt fatigued, strange I thought.

Then exactly a week later I woke with a dull headache at the back of my head and felt dizzy, I stepped out of bed and felt nauseas, I nearly flaked out. Waves of nausea hit me, but after an hour I managed get myself together to call the doctor actually drive to see him (crazy I know) and after some basic neuro tests he calmly told me it's just concussion it will pass but go get a scan if you want. I did, I had a CT scan which was deemed ok and sent home to rest. Apart from tinnitus I felt ok, just in shock a little having avoided hospitals for all my life.

I think it's at this point that I didn't get any good advice so tried to continue as normal. It's now the symptoms kicked in, nausea, anxiety, fatigue, restlessness, unable to sleep for more than a few hours, tinnitus, stiff crunchy neck. At 10 days in I got pressure in my head symptoms and felt delirious. Not nice, thankfully that passed.

Anyway, by last week nearly 3 months in I was feeling better, walking fine, nausea and then finally anxiety and restlessness had gone -I felt relaxed. Apart from tinnitus and sleep issue which was improving very slightly I felt almost well again and optimistic too. Then this Saturday I went and over did things and now have my symptoms back! :-( That afternoon I felt a twinge in my forehead, too much physical stuff, that night I felt ill again, restless in bed felt sick when laying down and tender head. I hope it's just a small relapse, I'm seeing the neurologist tomorrow so it will be interesting to see what he says, I'd like to get an MRI for peace of mind.

Hello, and welcome to the Forum!

That "feeling great" after a big head smack is, ironically, a symptom of brain injury. My SUV was in chunks, all over the highway, and I was insisting (and believing,) I was fine, until I lost consciousness, again, and stayed that way.

Recovery from TBI is seldom a linear, uninterrupted journey to wellness. Most of us experience setback, especially, as you've discovered, when we overdue things. Yes, it's frustrating, but rest, and patience, are the keys to maximizing recovery. Eating well and abstaining from alcohol are also useful. Many here also adhere to a vitamin regime.

At this stage, beyond giving you piece of mind, an MRI is almost certainly pointless. While there is always some possibility of a lingering subdural hemotoma, especially if you're older, the chances, at this stage, that you have a serious bleed are pretty low. A conventional MRI cannot image damage to the brain's millions of tiny axons. In short, it's a pretty crude tool, when it comes to TBIs.

If your head snapped back, when you struck the door, it might be worth having your neck examined. Whiplash damage can be a big contributor to headache, etc...

Again, welcome and we look forward to getting to know you.:welcome_sign: