Now what do I do
 

As my condition continues I am finding that I seem to be gaining diagnosis's the more time that goes by. I thought things were improving but with every new diagnosis I feel all my progress has been over come by this. Has anyone gone through this too??

Yes! We left the dentist after a routine dental exam and my daughter said, "Thank God...I thought he was going to find some new terrible thing wrong with me."

In a sick, twisted way you are lucky to be getting some real diagnosis. At least you have some targets to work on instead of being told you are making it all up.

Hang in there...

changes to self
 

hi kimmy

its the 2yr mark, before then, the docs cant make a diagnosis, plus I found it becomes much harder to make the effort to mask hide the changes in my self and the functional problems,not through lack of trying I think it maybe, part of the excepting, the changes or pure fatigue and I only speak for my self. these injury's are all different ,I find I get less frustrated and angry , and try to work round things, I still get frustrated and angry but I am tired of that as well

hope this post helps, try to focus on your successes

As time passes since you head injury, the overall feeling of lousy subsides and the individual symptoms become more evident. This is a valuable time. As you begin to recognize the individual symptoms, you can work to reduce them or their triggers. Most of your symptoms will be just there. Others will be triggered. Relax and endure the former and work to understand the triggers of the latter.

Noise, chaos, bright lights, etc are all manageable. Ear plugs, quiet environments, sunglasses and hats can make the sensory triggers less problematic. Sleep disturbances may be just PCS or they may be sleep apnea or drug induced.

Check to see if any medications include sleep disturbances as side effects. Avoid caffeine except small amounts in the AM. Have someone observe your sleep to see if you are breathing properly. Neck problems/inflammation can cause breathing problems.

As vini said, nutrition and hydration are important. There are plenty of posts about good brain nutrition. I have posted many myself.

Environment management is important. Households need to adjust to the needs of the PCS subject. Conflict avoidance is important. Any kind of stressors will increase the struggles with outbursts. This is a good time to learn to live a more calm and relaxed life.

Chiropractors and PT's can be helpful but use the ice more than just after and treatment. Ice is your best friend if you have a neck to heal. The blue flexible ice packs are great. If you need to be budget conscious, you can make soft ice packs at home with a freezable zip lock back filled with 2 parts water and 1 part isopropyl alcohol. The ice will freeze to a crunchy consistency. You might want to double bag it.

Staying moderately active will be good, gentle walks, simple but mind stimulating tasks will help. Play solitaire with real cards. This slows the speed of the game and adds better motor functions. If you can tolerate computer games, learn to recognize mind fatigue and stop at the first sign.

If you are involved in litigation from a vehicle collision, let the attorneys handle it. It will be counter productive to dwell on litigation while trying to heal.

Use common sense. The old adage says:
Patient tells doc," Doc, it hurts when I do this."
Doc replies, " Then stop doing that."

There are many good resources here so keep us informed with your needs. We can help.