The "next day" effect
 

I suffered a concussion in early December and have had the "normal" slew of post-concussion symptoms.

What I want to know and can't seem to find anywhere is whether feeling completely exhausted, headachy etc is at all normal after participating in an activity the day prior that was overstimulating. For example, I took my child to a party and while I was pretty ok during it and even managed to converse with many (who all said "you look fine!") - I felt quite tapped out by the end. However, I felt a lot worse for two days afterward and I stayed in bed and barely emerged.

So is the "next day" thing a thing for PCS? Or is it psychosomatic?! Am I just weak and need to suck it up? This whole thing is so confusing. I see a specialist soon and will ask as well but I've found this forum so helpful I thought I would ask.

As background, I did lie low for a good period (two weeks) and I'm still off work (!!) and have shown some improvement - though things that defined me like managing stress easily, multitasking, problem solving, memory and my hearing (now have ringing in my ears -I once a musician).

Yes, that's classic pcs. The lag after overstimulation is part of what makes this condition so challenging. A broken wrist will give you real time feedback if it's healed or not. Stupidly, the brain waits until it's good and enflamed a day or two later, and then let's you know.

The condition sucks.

I second everything Doozer writes.

Last summer I had a routine going of feeling a little better every second day. When I felt better I did more, which made me worse the next day. And when I felt worse I rested, which made me better the next day. It went on like that for two weeks or so, before my reduced brain managed to see a pattern...

Now l can sometimes recognize migraine triggers if I take a break and evaluate how I'm feeling. However, to do that I usually need someone to remind me. Other times I end up overstimulated without realizing it, and have to be told to go home or rest. It's kind of embarrassing sometimes, but far less bad than getting exhausted all the time.

So my best tip is to ask for help. Sometimes it is very hard to think straight while exhausted, so your family and friends (the ones that don't just tell you that you don't look ill) might be better at recognizing triggers and signs of overstimulation.

Ck101,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

As Doozer says, the 24 hour delay is a common part of PCS. My thought is it has to do with adrenaline or another similar system that gives extra energy and wellbeing. We get started on a good day and get these chemicals and neurotransmitters flowing strong and make it through the day with the normal symptoms being masked by these feel good chemicals. Then we sleep through the night or at least try to sleep through the night and wake up with the accumulated fatigue.

It's like using coffee to push through a multiday task with inadequate sleep. Eventually, the caffeine cannot overcome the need for sleep.

For me, early in my progress, it could take up to 2 weeks to get back to normal.

Thank you thank you thank you!
 

I can't thank you guys enough. I feel like it must all be "in my head" - haha - so it's reassuring to know I'm not just making it up.
What a ********
Thank you so much for your kind and reassuring words.

Yeah, this is, unfortunately, normal. For me, the recovery from something like you did would be about a week. Recently, I played outside with my son for 15-20 min and it took me 10 days to recover from that... sigh!

Also, you'll probably find that your recovery has a trajectory. I get progressive worse following over-stimulation/activity for 3 days; Day 3 is always the worst... intense headaches, mood change, etc. After that it plateaus or, if I'm lucky, starts to get better.

This is a very frustrating part of PCS. Learn your limits and try and work within them : )

CK,

Hits me 24 hrs later!

I figure now I am glad about 24 hours....for the first 18 months it was 2 to 3 hours before the crap hit my fan.

Now I have time to enjoy an activity, make it home and get a good rest before the payback and that is a big deal.

Bud

This is unfortunately so normal for me too. After many years I have decided that I want to be able to live my life, so I decide what activities are worth it for me to pay for after with the "next day" effect. I find that balancing doing things that make me happy but might knock me down for a couple of days with living within my limitations helps balance my overall well being and moods.

This is all too common for me also.

For me, the emotional lability, zombie-like depersonalisation and irrational 'down in the dumps' feeling that follows for often days afterwards is the worst. Then all of a sudden I'm fine again until I accidentally hit a trigger of over-stimulating again.. and the cycle goes...like a yoyo!

This is probably the hardest thing for me to figure out, even almost 2 years in. I feel like my threshold for overstimulation changes a lot, and what's fine for a stretch of months becomes more difficult for whatever reason, and I'm just left scratching my head as I can't figure out what accounts for the change because it tends to happen fairly gradually. I've tried journalling, but then I tend to hyperfocus too much on my symptoms. I wish I just had a bunch of clones so I could have some controls!