Post concussion and Exercise
 

I posted this in a different forum but someone suggested that I take a look at this one. So sorry if you are reading this again :) I am just trying to see if anyone is still having similar issues over a year post injury.

Thanks!

I have had post concussion syndrome since July 2010. I was in a car accident and have been a mess since then. I am 27 years old and had a history or prior concussions from sports in high school. I tried to go back to work, but I just could not handle it. My short term memory is horrible, I have bad headaches if over stimulated, depression, anxiety, dizziness, and problems concentrating.
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My biggest issues are over stimulation which I am learning how to control and I have major exercise intolerance. That is my main question does any one else here have exercise intolerance? If I do even the slightest bit of exercise such as a slow quarter mile walk, or sweeping the floor, or climbing up the play set to help my daughter I immediately get a severe headache, nausea, extreme fatigue, and sometimes excessive sweating. Once this happens I feel horrible for one to two weeks.

The doctors I have do not know what is causing this does anyone else have these problems?

Hi Kelley -
My 52 year old husband had TBI January 30, 2011. His problems are identical to yours in many ways. The walking and sweeping you talk about set off his balance issues & cause headaches & fatigue. Sometimes he tolerates it better than others.

John is in physical therapy and he is finding that the more "rattled and fatigued" he is mentally, the worse his physical symptoms manifest. So if he had too much MENTAL / VISUAL stimulation one day, the next several days (or weeks) all of his physical issues are much more debilitating and prominent.

He is also EXTREMELY susceptible to major physical and mental "set-backs" if he undergoes any activity with the SLIGHTEST jarring to his body (trotting downstairs, walking too briskly, hammering something, riding lawnmower). All those activities have "vibrations" that go thru your body --- thus, your brain. When he does something incurring "vibrations" he will immediately OR the next day feel horrible and it can go on for days or weeks.

I think the issues you are having are pretty normal for post-concussion folks. You are definitely NOT alone. I'd suggest you try to find a doctor that specializes in brain injury rehabilitation to work with you.

I'm sure a lot of the folks on here will have great advice for you, and if you read some of the posts you'll find there are many others dealing with the same stuff.

Blessings to you...
Amy

Yes. I have been the it seems like same as you sinse last year may. did you have siesures also?

Joe:

No I have no had any seizures, but I feel like I have had just about every other problem :)


Amy:
Thanks for the resonse. It is frustrating all of the doctors I have been to and none of them know what to do with me. My neurologist told me that other than a concussion there was nothing wrong with me and that I just needed to go back to work. If you ask anyone in my family or old friends they can tell you that I am not the same person. I am at the point where on the days when I accept my condition and that I am disabled I am able to cope with it better. But when I keep looking for answers and different treatments/doctors that my depression and anxiety worsens. At this point I am just looking for support and that is how I found these forums :)

Hi Kelly,
I am twelve weeks post. My doctors said I was ok to start my walking again. I was walking five to seven miles daily. I tried to take my walk and my head would have shooting pains running through it. I would try to work through them. I didn't have an option because I had to get home. When I got home this horrific headache would rear it's ugly head and I would be miserable. My left side would drag and I would feel like I was relapsing. I tried again and again and each time I would suffer. This is very hard for me because I use walking as a way to deal and not having an outlet had been tough. I went to the MD and explained what was going on and he seemed more upset that the ER gave me painkillers for my killer headache. I told him I wanted to get my Headaches under control. He basically made me feel like I was an anxious depressed person and looked at me like I was my own worse enemy....I went to another MD and he gave me Maxamalt and some other medication The maxamalt didn't work. I have so many different kind of headaches so I'm not sure what I should be taking. Hang in there.... I'm new here and it's nice to know that I'm not crazy and that my emotions are normal for an injured brain.

xxxxx.xxx,

At 12 weeks post, I suggest you continue a more stress free life. Try to minimize your head aches with behavior and short, gentle walks. Try walking with foam ear plugs so you can hear your foot plant. The jarring of your foot plant could be causing your head aches, or at least adding to them.

Learning to walk with a softer gait can go a long way in enabling you to resume your walks.

Also, walk a shorter circuit/loop. Multiple half mile loops will allow you to quit before your head ache gets intense. The Buffalo exercise protocol calls for slowly increasing your exercise effort while trying to remain at the bottom threshold of causing a head ache.

Do you mean you used walking as a stress reliever prior to your concussion? If so, it sounds like you like a very stressful life. Stress is by far the worst thing for recovery from a concussion.

Can you do anything to reduce your stress load?

When and if i am symptom free, i start with stretches and progressively get to simple exercises with resistance bands for my upper body and maybe some ab and core exercises (like a plank pose), and leg lifts and squats. I did this at my home so i could rest if i became fatigued.

If i get a headache, i stop, then try again in a day or two depending on how i feel. I did this starting in my 2nd month post injury and progessively added exercises, like walking on a treadmill for 5 minutes at a time. Each day i would add 5 minutes to the treadmill as long as i wasnt dizzy or have a headache or too fatigued. Never went past 30 minutes and always tried to keep my HR under 100 (as suggested in the Buffalo clinic study mark referenced)

I chose a treadmill so i wouldnt get caught in walking outside too far and worried about having to come all the way back. I also have a small gym at my apartment complex, so i would go there to walk on the treadmill so i was close to home if i needed it

Of course, when i was caught up in my very fatigued, headache-plagued stages of recovery (like when i returned to work for 2 months), i had no energy to do anything more than simple stretches in my living room. Everyones exercise tolerance is different, so listen to your body.

Hi Mark,
I work in Cardiology and it's a stressful job however the walking helped me deal with that stress. I've been out of work so my stress is minimized. I was also training for the warrior dash which is an obstacle course. On top of that I had quit smoking so walking was a great help. My biggest stressor is my injury. I have more bad days than good and it's frustrating. I go for my physc testing next Monday.

My doctor says I should be back to work in no time...that is so funny to me because the thought of working scares the heck out of me and my anxiety spikes. I was working up to ten hours a day and seeing at least 25 patients a day.

The occupational MD cleared me to go back a week and half after my injury and I did. It was so bad. I cringe when I think about how bad I felt. I want to go back so I feel "normal" again (ha ha ha) but then I realize I'm not who I was before the accident. I was called the energizer bunny and a multi tasking queen. That person left twelve weeks ago. Now I'm dealing with the anxiety and the anger but probably not doing such a good job. My MD tried to give me Ativan but I said no. I'm on the fence now.

I feel lost sometimes and my wonderful husband is supportive but has said he doesn't know how to help me. He knows I'm not dealing with the changes in me very well and he hates to see me in pain on a daily bases.

I think I am my own worst enemy right now and the stress is internal...

I completely understand!!! I did pretty much the same thing as you....went back to work in the ICU after 3 weeks and felt like i was gonna die by the end of 1 week. I am the energizer bunny on the unit, always high on life, never needed coffee, could do 5 things at once. And that person has been gone for 6 months now. Its hard to accept that you arent normal and that this post-accident person is the new you. Its 100% anxiety ridden and causes anger...absolutely! I see a therapist to help deal with all these emotions and stress. It has been a big help. Maybe try and see if talking with someone helps to work through this loss of your old self.

Just as a side note, i tried to go back to 12 hour nights at my 14 week mark, and lasted 2 months in incredible pain and exhaustion and my neurologist had an intervention and pulled me out of work again for the next 3 months. She said that i cant go from 0 to 60 and expect to continue to heal. So maybe going back to 10 hour shifts is not the best thing right away, but maybe a slow gradual return would help. Sadly, for me this means i wont be going back to my ICU (no 8 hour shifts there), so i will be using our employee assistance program to find a temporary position in january when i am cleared to go back and work there until im well enough to work a 12 hour shift again. Just something to think about and discuss with your neurologist or your occ health program. Good luck to you, hoping you have a pain free day!

as a hairstylist ...i don't have the option of less than 5 hour shifts (in a chain salon as a year out of work i have no customers anymore) I previously worked in a chain salon anyway. I can't imagine the noise level...blow dryers, everyone talking, loud music....omg the thought of it. I cant take an hour in a restaurant how can I work?? I'm so upset over the thought of this.

I too saw a counselor...it helped a bit...but using my money on the chiropractor now. I have to put the money out and wait for insurance to pay me back.