Never Diagnosed, now experiencing symptoms years later
 

I have had at least five concussions which left me unconscious for half an hour or more, one for two hours. No one mentioned concussion, there was no advice, no treatment, no follow-up. The first time, and the worst time, I was 7 yrs old, unconscious and delerious for over 2 hrs before I was put to bed to "sleep it off" :eek:

Who knows what effects those and lesser konks had on my brain tissue. But the last one that i remember was a good 10 yrs ago. Now suddenly I am experiencing Aphasia and other communications difficulties, including not being able to find words, substituting words unwittingly, and even being unable to talk, having to use gestures, pointing etc.

I researched these symptoms and found "Conduction Aphasia", which seems to fit, more or less, and it is associated with "mini-strokes" and brain lesions! What is a person to think? I know, the first thing someone is going to say is: see a Neurologist. I just don't think i can travel that far very soon. I am on 5 liters of oxygen 24/7 and it takes 5 tanks just to make the trip. Not to mention my Medical PTSD. Does anyone know anything that might help me understand what is happening to me?

Thanks,
StormE1

StormE1

I wonder if these symptoms are a combination of your past concussion history and your current need for oxygen. You may be experiencing times when your O2 sat is below what your brain needs. Chronic O2 deprivation combines to cause dementia like symptoms. Do you use a pulse-ox to keep track of your O2 sat levels?

These same symptoms often show up when a person with a concussion history reaches their 40's.

Have you tried using a O2 concentrator or do they not provide enough O2 ?

You should really go to your local hospital ER and have a CT scan done to rule out a TIA.

I don't think his symptoms are sudden onset. If they are, an ER visit by ambulance would be best. His ability to research demonstrates that his symptoms are more of a MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) category.

I think it's better to be safe than sorry. A few years ago, my father had similar symptoms. I took him to one ER, and told them I suspected he had a TIA. They diagnosed him with a urinary tract infection, and refused to do a CT. I took him to another ER, and demanded that they do a CT. It showed that he was having TIAs. They put him on Plavix, and some other meds to minimize the chance of him having a major stroke.

Storm, Mark and Dare make very good points and both should be considered. There is quite a lot of data on repetitive concussions causing lasting effects. The practice of medicine on a patient with multiple concussive impacts is hit or miss and will depend on the Dr you can find.

Not to disappoint you but just make you aware that doing leg work to find that good Dr is very much worth it and will save you alot of frustration later.

Sorry to take so long to get back to you, I'm having trouble learning the site, and it just occurred to me to check my own stats~!

My current need for oxygen is from a rare form of "hardening of the arteries",, tho it's called idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. It has already caused some enlargement of the right ventricle, before I requested oxygen. I'm currently on 5 liters per minute, constant flow, and that keeps me good unless i get active and forget to increase the flow. I do sometimes let my blood oxy levels fall into the 80's, but seldom into the 70's, and never for long, since i see spots and get a splitting headache from it. I do use the little finger Pulse/Oxymeter regularly, often even. I like to guess what it's going to say before i read it LOL! My "normal" O2 levels all my life were 98%. The docs seemed to resent that, i don't know why (probably because i was a smoker for 30 yrs).

Recently i have had to admit that i have developed "hay fever", allergies. I don't know what causes it, since I have it in the winter also. I hope it's not my cats! I have heard that allergies can come with age, too. I am 60 yrs old now, and far too young to be this old!

I just have this feeling that there is something wrong, and I can't put my finger on it,,, but I am almost always right, and when it comes to the brain, i'd like to be proactive in finding the problem and then finding some panacea for it. I am familiar with TMI's and ischemic somethings, I can detect no signs of mini-strokes, no loss of muscle tone, no slurring of speech, etc.; just the word substitution and dyslexia when typing. You would not believe how many corrections I have had to make typing this post. (Ifyout really saw how i type you would be laughing your behinds off .)

Thanks for the replys, tho,. I will continue to monitor and observe. I trust myself far more than any doc,,, just wish they would let me play with their toys~! :D

At 60, may of your word struggles may be age related. Combine your medical history with your age and all of your symptoms could be explained.

All I can suggest is getting serious about good brain nutrition. Read the Vitamins thread at the top.

btw, You would be surprised at how much correcting I need to do with my posts. Some days, the red squigglies are all over my posts. I have to use spell check as I type. Nobody would know what I am saying otherwise.

My best to you.

Vitamins and Minerals
 

Thanks for the Pointer, Mark. I did go read up on the Vitamins, and i take 11 supplements, plus i just started taking allergy meds. My supplement intake is far superior to the one I read at the top of the Forum.

I am unable to tolerate vitamin A at all, even in foods,, I don't know how i survive without it...:rolleyes: ,,, as for Vitamin B, my body refuses to swallow it! Since my body is so much wiser about these things than I, I don't force the issue. Since my diagnosis of Diabetes in January of '12, i have been taking:

OMEGA 3; D-3 2000mg; Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc; potassium; CoQ 10; cinnamon; Chromium Picolate; probiotics; and just recently added Curcumin.
I also eat an apple and a grapefruit every day.

Since everything here costs twice what it would in a city, i figure i'm paying about $5 a day plus the cost of whole grain, raw, and organic foods. i am literally eating the equity in my home. :( If i had eaten half this well in the first half of my life, i might not be having to now!

I do kind of resent that almost all of my weight gain is a direct result of medications over the years. Most pills are an automatic 20 lbs, regardless of how long I take them. I was given Oxycontin when i had whiplash, and i don't have any memory of the 2 months during which I took it, but i have the 20 lbs to show for it. I call it Oxymoron. I have always had a very high pain threshhold, so I take Aleve occasionally if a pain won't go away and is too much to tolerate.

Anyway, thanks for the drug talk ;)... so few want to hear it! I would like someone to consider adding CoQ 10 to the list at the head of the Forum.

StormE1