Just when I thought the day was gonna be a good one...
 

I woke up feeling great. I actually felt normal. I was in a great mood, no symptoms. Played with my newborn son for a bit and then I went on to make lunch. Right as I finished my lunch, something hit me... I started getting really dizzy like I was going to pass out, my body felt like its leaning to the right, my concentration is off..and of course, because I'm having all these symptoms, it freaks me out and triggers a panic/anxiety attack. It's been over an hour and I still feel the same.

Has this happened to anyone? It's so annoying because I think I'm doing better, thinking my recovery is actually progressing and then all of a sudden I get a major slap in the face. Uggggh...

It's very hard to comment on your condition since you do not have any medical history of diagnostics to help rule out serious concerns.

As has been suggested on another thread, it sounds like a neck issue. Becoming ambulatory may start an inflammation in your neck that causes some neurological dysfunction.

Some of your symptoms possibly warrant a visit to the Emergency Room. But you should not drive yourself.

Have you looked into whether your state has a Victim's Assistance program? Some states do and it is for a situation similar to yours.

I have a hard time relating to your 'no insurance' situation since I have always covered my family with at least some basic health care plan, even when we were living on a below poverty level income for about 7 years. Being self-employed, I always paid for our health plan out of pocket. Our health plan was paid before we paid the rent. A PPO plan with a high deductible but also wellness care is a minimal necessity for a young family.

Well, I've had a recent CT scan of my head and neck that came back negative. I've been to the emergency room twice [since i've been released from the hospital], the second time was recent and that's when they gave me a CT scan. The first ER I went to they told me I was just nervous/stressed out and I needed to relax [lol!]. The second hospital/ER I went to actually had my medical records from when I was injured. They gave me a CT scan of the head/neck and the only thing that showed was acute sinusitis. So doesn't that rule out anything serious?

As far as the victims program, I just printed out the application for Nevada's Victims of Crime Program. My mother actually told me about it, and good thing I filed a police report when I did. They cover medical bills and prescription medications and a lot more :).. So help is on the way.

Thats great about the Victims program!!! So happy you will have help paying for all of this. I just posted on your other thread so you can discount half of what i said now that i see you live in nevada, and recently had CT scans that were negative. That is good news. Which means its not a further bleed. But looking like PCS and maybe your neck.

Thank you for your insight, nightnurse =].. They did say something about the hematoma still being elevated or something but not worse than it was? When I asked the doctor about it, she said that it's like a knot...like when you get hit in the head and a knot forms..or if you get a bruise it sort or raises up and hardens a little..well she said it was something like that on the brain. She didn't say it was anything serious and it didn't look worse than the CT scan I had before leaving the hospital. Maybe that's why I'm getting these symptoms...I just can't wait for this Victims of Crime thing to come through so I can get the attention I need. I haven't been to a neurologist yet and I'm really looking forward to seeing one. :) :)

Let me give you an example of a patient i had recently. Healthy man who fell backwards into a metal wheelbarrow. Had a headache but didnt think it was too big of a deal. For the next month, he was falling randomly, getting dizzy, and he was constantly being told by coworkers and family to get it checked out. He ended up falling sideways into a grill (he always leaned towards the right) and burnt his arm. He went to the ER to get the burn checked out and his wife brought up him leaning sideways, and sure enough he had a subdural hematoma from the fall a month ago that was slow growing. Im talking about a man who was working, doing chores, driving, etc and didnt realize what it was. I always err on the side of caution being the stubborn ICU nurse that i am. haha
a neurologist or even a neurosurgeon would have much better insight into how this current SDH is affecting your neurological status than the ER doctors would. Looks like you are on the right track!!

Well, I sure hope it isn't growing! That doesn't sound too pleasant. What is the process to remove/heal the hematoma? I'd imagine it's not pretty and probably very dangerous :(..

Sorry....i did not want to freak you out or worry you....more so just trying to use an example of someone waiting to get treatment. It is more likely to happen in elderly people because their brains are already atrophied and have more room to grow. Along with the fact, that elderly people are sometimes on blood thinners like aspirin or coumadin. (thats why i asked if you had been taking aspirin)

Some people will have very small subdural hematomas that will naturally absorb on their own. There is a small collection of blood and the body will work on absorbing it over time. Im assuming this is what is occurring with your case. You are very young, overall healthy, and as long as the SDH isnt compressing any major areas of your brain causing a decrease level of consciousness, then doctors may just "watch it". The problem with you is that you havent had someone who is "watching it".

When a SDH is large enough that it is causing damage and making you comatose, having seizures, affecting your speech, level of consciousness, etc, etc, then it will need to be treated.

This is a copy from wikipedia on subdural hematoma (take a look at it)
* Treatment of a subdural hematoma depends on its size and rate of growth. Some small subdural hematomas can be managed by careful monitoring until the body heals itself. Other small subdural hematomas can be managed by inserting a temporary small catheter through a hole drilled through the skull and sucking out the hematoma; this procedure can be done at the bedside. Large or symptomatic hematomas require a craniotomy, the surgical opening of the skull.

So good news is your repeat scans "havent gotten bigger", but you still want a neurosurgeon or neurologists opinion on size, location, full neurological exam and testing, along with imaging.

Does that make sense?

I have experienced something similar!
 

The feelings that you describe sound very familiar to me. I have had them a few times over the course of my recovery.

It is very difficult to explain and have not posted before because of it. If I had to compare it to something it would be fainting but it is different. The dizziness is extreme and I cannot sit up without someone holding onto me. I feel completely weak/ powerless and supposedly look white as a sheet. I feel like I am going to pass out any second. The last time that I had this (just the other night) I took my 02 sat and it was 90% .


This then turns into a full blown panic attack.I have only had a few panic attacks since my injury and two were after these episodes. (No history of panic attacks/ any anxiety before my injury). The panic attacks are really bad with my arms and legs jerking everywhere uncontrollably, chest pain, breathing hard etc. Quite scary actually but I know that they will pass after about 10 minutes.

Also I have had these other experiences:

1) I have gone to bed and woken up on the floor a few feet away and know that I have fainted and then go through the above scenario.

2) Woken up as I was falling on the floor and then gone through the above scenario.

3) At month 11 I woke up four feet away from my bed had fallen off and supposedly had a seizure. I was unconscious that time and was found by someone. Had classic exhaustion for the next few days and my progress felt like it went back a few months pain wise and mobility wise.I went to the eR for this one.

So.... I have had only 1 official seizure and the others have been just as you described. I noticed that I was hypoglycemic last week when it happened and that may have had something to do with it. I still don't know what exactly happens but I understood right away what you were explaining. The low oxygen is interesting too. Are you able to check yours?

These episodes may be seizures but no one was with me at those times.

Disclaimer:) I don't usually fall out of bed:) this is abnormal!

I hope that this doesn't happen to you again. It is the most terrifying thing about PCS.I don't mean to worry you too much ... I hope that yours aren't serious.I'm surprised that no one else has ever mentioned this.

Just some other info:
I did not have a bleed. Just a regular concussion.
My eeg was negative.
I have fainted a few times since my injury due to weakness/ fatigue but this is very different.

Statistically speaking, small bleeds tend to take a day or two to show up and start to be absorbed by the body after about 72 hours. This makes 72 hours post trauma the best time for a follow up CT for those who did not show a bleed before discharge from the ER.

The larger bleeds that show up in the ER are the most life threatening.

Following the patient after ER discharge should be standard protocol, even if it is just a follow up by phone by a trained mTBI specialist. Maybe this will become standard protocol some day.