A Question About PCS Recurrence
 

Hello Everyone,

I've been having what I think is a major recurrence of PCS about 1 year after my 2nd concussion

Backstory- Hit by car in 2014 knocked, needed Burr hole crainiotomy and was in Shock Trauma for a week

I completely recovered from this and had no limitations

July 2015- struck in the head by golf ball, a 5 iron, at full flight in the forehead, massive lump on head...unable to get treatment due to no insurance...really bad PCS blurry vision out of the right eye, would have anxiety attacks and feel like I was about to have a siezure

I felt like I had recovered by this winter, went skiing for a week etc, but around Memorial Day, I was at the beach, I feel like I had a massive recurrence of PCS, I've been having crazy thoughts at work and bad anxiety attack, the good news is the only last 5-10 minutes and when the subside I feel completely fine

Does anyone think the longer days from Memorial Day on could cause this relapse? Is it even possible to relapse after being fine for a long period?

I'm wondering if the neck pain and eye strain are combining to really give me serious set backs, when I close my eye and put my head down the anxiety attacks always seem to subside. I work 40 hours a week in front of a computer as well so I'm sure that doesn't help.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated...I'm really starting to get desperate and nervous. Went to the MD yesterday he gave me muscle relaxers but they don't seem to work.

Thanks in advance for your responses

thecamdensand,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

It is quite common for PCS to relapse. Nobody every fully heals from a concussion. There is always a residual weakness as the brain tries to tolerate stresses of any kind.

You mention neck pain without suggesting a cause. Neck issues, especially upper cervical (C-1 and C-2) subtle injuries can cause or increase PCS symptoms. Resolving your neck issues will go a long way toward helping you figure this out. A bit of upper neck inflammation can interrupt blood flow to the brain. Sleeping with poor head and neck posture can be problematic.

Muscle relaxant meds can help IF you maintain good posture by allowing the cervical vertebra to settle into proper position. Otherwise, they can cause more trouble when poor posture puts strain on the neck.

It would be worthwhile to read the Vitamins sticky at the top. It has lots of good information. Icing your neck is worthwhile.

Like Mark said check your neck with a chiropractor that specializes in upper neck treatments (search in this forum for more info on this).

You mentioned that you have eye strain, I would go see a behavioral optometrist for this, make sure that they had concussion patients in the past.

Currently most of my lingering symptoms (3.5 years post concussion) are due to my eyes not focusing correctly (convergence excess) and I've been working with a behavioral optometrist to fix this.

It's amazing how much your eyes not working correctly will mess you up, even though I have good vision (no eyeglasses).

So following up...i rested this weekend and went to work monday and was totally symptom free, honestly felt great like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, back to work today and the same symptoms

very jumpy to sounds and noises, stressed a fatigued as the day wore on, trying to tell myself there is light at the end of the tunnel and this week is better than last

2 more 10 hour days and then 4 days off to rest and relax, hoping and praying i can find my way out of this

How are you sleeping ? Has there been any change in your sleep habits or patterns ? Poor sleep can cause many PCS symptoms to magnify. Neck inflammation can lead to poor sleep.

Sandman,

I returned to work after a 10 month recovery from my injury. I was an absolute train wreck.

I had to learn all about what triggered symptoms and the greatly increased levels of stress/anxiety, when to take breaks, prioritizing etc.

Once I recognized the early physical/ mental clues of approaching over stimulation I was able to rest for much shorter periods as compared to resting due to ful blown symptoms.

I also had to learn to recognize anxiety being present as strictly being a line of thought I allowed or due to mind racing from overstimulation.

It did take me a while to recognize what was going on with me and then how to remedy the results. Once I did I became more productive and less mistake prone.

Learning how and when to rest were quite essential and still are. It was dang tough for someone who is accustomed to pushing hard in life and a busy job that is full of changes every day.

I believe I had divine help in discovering what was triggering me and how to help myself. As well this site really was an invaluable help.

Bud

I honestly felt like I was doing so much better last week and then my girl friend wanted to go to the beach for the 4th and my symptoms started coming back during the drive, the room we slept in is bathed in sunlight and now I can't stop snapping awake at 5am, even though I don't normally get up until 715-730...today at work has been so brutal I can barely function

My girlfriend has no idea and was honestly mocking me when I said I was hanging on for the final 15 miles of our ride to the beach...sometimes I think people in this forum are the only people who understand what I'm going through

I have to work 10 hour days, I have bills that I just can't afford to fall behind on

Has anybody had success with Melatonin? Is that a viable option to help me get more restful sleep?

Melatonin helps some get to sleep but it does not usually help them stay asleep. Magnesium helps some (mag citrate, mag theonate)

There are questions that would be useful to answer. Do you wake at 5 and then try to doze until 7:15 ?

What activities do you do in the 2 hours before bed ?

When is your last meal or snack?

When is your usual last caffeine ?

What symptoms were coming back during the drive ?

Were you driving ?

How long was the drive ?

What were your difficulties at work today ?

Greetings russiarulez, Am interested in your lingering symptoms of convergence excesS and what the symptoms are; what specifically does the Optomestrist do that doesn't entail glasses?
Thanks

Hey Mark

I usually snap awake at 5AM and then try to sleep until my alarm goes off at 7-715

My last meal or snack is usually dinner around 730-8pm, i get off work at 6pm

I don't drink caffiene, ever gets me jittery

During the drive down the stop start motion of the car was really getting to me, along with sensitivity to sound, I was not driving when I closed my eyes it would make things worse

I did not drive down but I drove back, the ride was 3 hours each way

At work i just feel like my brain gets overloaded, i'm the manager of the business and it seems like every phone call is for me, i just have moments where i'm so overloaded i honestly can't even handle it and it leads to almost crippling anxiety, its been terrible the past few weeks and a finally felt better before this trip to the beach, but of course now the symptoms are back anew and it's beyond frustrating, last night i didn't fall asleep until 3am

Any help would be so appreciated, I'm really really struggling right now