Returning symptoms
 

Hey, new to these forums today.

I had what my doctor describes as a mild concussion on the 16th December 2011. I wasn't knocked out but was taken to hospital and sent home. No scans etc. This is my 5th (and hopefully final) concussion.

I felt really bad for the first week, sleeping 14 hours a day, very dizzy. By the end of week two i was starting to feel better.

I woke up this morning and i'm as dizzy as i was on the first week of the concussion, is it normal to have returning symptoms? I'm a bit worried. Also, my eye sight feels a weird today as well. Not sure what to do.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

You are very early in the recovery from a concussion. There are many things that can cause a return of symptoms. It is not uncommon for the roller coaster of Post Concussion Syndrome to last many weeks.

If this is your fifth concussion, you are likely experiencing Multiple Concussion Syndrome where the symptoms become more pronounced and longer lasting, maybe even some symptoms becoming permanent.

At this point, you will likely be more prone to suffering further concussions due to the sensitivity to any even very mild impact or jarring to your brain. You are also likely to be very sensitive to sub-concussive impacts and anything that stresses your brain, such as alcohol or even a bad night's sleep or an evening with lots of people talking. The list of triggers is long.

But again, you are very early in the recovery process.

Try to continue to rest and avoid over-stimulation. Eat right , avoid caffeine and alcohol, and stay away from any risky activities.

btw, You would do best to use a screen name rather that your real name. You can change it in User CP and it will even change your past posts.

My best to you.

Hi, many thanks for the reply.

This was the worst of the falls i've had, most of which happen when snowboarding (i teach). I've decided to give up freestyle as i'm falling too often but will hopefully continue snowboarding. I also play in a band and hope to return to that soon. All other concussions i've had have healed up within a week.

I had a late night on Sunday for new year so maybe that's catching up on me. I don't drink so i don't need to worry about that.

PS: I can't find where to change my display name in the User CP?

@ Gilbert... Welcome to NeuroTalk.

In order to change your screen name, you have to contact an administrator for that. Members cannot do that themselves.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page here and click "Contact Us" and explain what you would like and give the new name you'd like to use
at that time. This happens quite often and NT will easily change it for you.

Gilbert-unfortunately as Mark said you are in the very early stages of recovery.

I'm six months out and still have problems pop up after a couple of days with
no noticeable issues.

Hope you heal well and quickly!

Tami

Further to how i feel, i've now noticed a medium sized lump to the back right of my head, is this something i should get checked out?

It's kind of hard, not soft. Not sore to touch but i feel weird when i press on it a little.

Is the lump on your skull or where your skull meets the cervical vertebra?

It is not uncommon to injure the joint between the skull and C1 cervical vertebra. This area can become inflamed causing symptoms to worsen or come and go as the inflammation goes up and down.

A physiatrist (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist) may be worth finding.

You can also ice it regularly to see if it goes down.

My best to you.

The lump is about an inch and a half from the top of my ear towards the back of my head. As i run my fingers up the back of my neck, i reach the hard bone going across, i then move right and feel the lump about an inch off centre.

A little worried tbh.

This sounds like the occipital condyle. Mine gets inflamed due to a whiplash injury. There are also muscles that attach here that spasm and can become tender.

I wouldn't worry myself but it may be worthwhile to get checked by a Physiatrist like I mentioned earlier.

My best to you.

I have had PCS for over three months now. This is my first concussion and at the time of the injury I thought it was pretty minor. Little did I know that I was to have dizziness, headache, eye pain and fatigue for sooo long. I actually thought I was getting better a few weeks ago, but recently have felt worse and was getting nervous that something else was wrong with me. It does help just knowing others are going through the same thing and that it is a normal course of recovery. I guess trying to handle the anxiety and frustration that go along with a 'relapse' seems a good idea. (I have trouble doing that!) But reading this blog does help me to try to stay positive and do what I need to do to rest and recover. Good luck to you in your own recovery.