Husband with PCS - neurologist did nothing!
 

Hi and thanks for reading this.

My husband was in an accident 11/30 and was diagnoses with post concussive. It's been 2 months and he's no better. Constant headache even with tramadol, ear rings, left side of face numb sometimes, vision blurry sometimes, it hurts to touch and i mean barely touch his head. The smallest bump on a car ride bothers him and he gets car sick.

Family doc sent him to Neruologist. We went today and he did nothing, said see ya in a month. We asked what he would do in a month and he said manage his meds.

No talk of physical therapy or anything! The doctor didnt even touch him, just looked in his eyes.

He's on tramdol, gabapentin and 800mg ibuprofen.

He's really upset after the dr visit today....I dont know what to do, i've spent hours here and other website but all i find is stories and no treatments.

Have you guys tried Acupuncture yet? It helps with the headaches a lot!! Some insurances cover acupuncture treatments....mine does. But even if i didnt have insurance coverage for it, i definetly would still be going because of how well it has managed my pain now and in the past with a back injury. Wishing you guys the best.

Did he have CT Scan or MRI to rule out major problems?

Numbness of face could be from pressure on a nerve.

For actual post concussion syndrome aka mild traumatic brain injury the treatment is rest and time.

I too see a neurologist who basically treat with meds - Amitryptiline, Tiozodine? I trie a few others - be careful with Ibuphrophen becasue of rebound headaches - they could only tell me the same - it takes time. I went through the neuropsyc testing which showed some severe deficits in line with a MTBI and other competencies I must have scored with in normal range

Sounds a lot like my neurologist. His RNs were far more informative and forthcoming with recommendations.

I think I was in a very similar situation.

I had a continuous headache. I was prescribed tramadol and the dosage was continually being increased by my Dr. because it wasn't reducing my pain enough. I couldn't be touched because the pain from being touched, even the most gentle of touches, was too great. We had to put up black out curtains in my studio because any amount of light was too painful for me to bear. Likewise any sound was very painful. After a few weeks I couldn't move at all because the slightest movement would instigate severe pain. My Dr. knew it was going on, but she was helpless to diagnose me beyond PCS. The first neurologist I saw kept telling me I was going to get better, but I was getting worse. My PCP referred me to a better neurologist, one she knew (her partner referred me to the first guy.)

The second neurologist guessed I was suffering from something called status migrainosis - which is an ongoing severe headache so she treated me for that. The treatments either didn't work at all, or barely worked.

After more than six months from the accident I was in, the second visit to the new neurologist, she figured out that the concussion I got had caused increased intracranial pressure. She ordered a spinal tap and the sever pain inside my skull went away within five minutes. The light didn't bother me anymore and neither did sound. It felt like I had been granted a miracle. (I was then hospitalized for about 12 days after the spinal tap due to complications.)

I believe my neurologist saved my life.

Apparently, It's pretty rare to happen with a mTBI. She says some people just get it and they are given a spinal tap and it fixes them.

I'm still recovering from the damage done to my brain, which has been exacerbated by the nearly six months of bed rest, but I haven't been in pain like that for over a year.

But, be careful, once your husband needs to get off the tramadol - the withdrawals from it are awful in so many ways. (Come to think of it though, the side effects from being on it were awful too.) Nasty stuff. I refuse to take any pain meds or muscle relaxers now because of it. You might also want to talk to your Dr. about the warnings of being a tbi patient and taking that drug - I didn't realize there were any until I had already been taking it on a regular basis for more than four or five months and was withdrawing from it.

a whole lot of time!

duhfur,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear of your husband's struggles.

Has he had any work-up of his neck? The facial numbness can be related to nerves in his upper neck. The upper neck is often injured during a concussion, especially a concussion from an auto accident.

If he touches the sides of his head behind his ears, he will likely find some very sensitive spots. These can be the attachment points for the muscles that attach to the upper cervical vertebra.

The opioid pain med can be brutal. He may try a combination of 1000 mgs of Tylenol (acetaminophen) and 1000 mgs of aspirin. When taken together, they can be very effective. If the combo helps, he should skip the Tylenol whenever possible to prevent liver damage. Maybe a day off after 5 days on. His doctor or a pharmacist should be able to tell him more about the risks of continuous use of high doses of Tylenol. Rotating the Tramadol and other pain meds would be good.

How much gabapentin is he taking?

The tinnitus and head aches can go on for quite some time. He needs to make every effort to reduce stressors, especially auditory and visual stimulation. Resting in a dark room with soft music may help.

A Physiatrist (specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) may be worthwhile. A Rehab Hospital often has good Physiatrists.

A Physical Therapist with good skills with whiplash injuries can be fabulous. There is usually a good amount of whiplash like injuries in most car accidents and concussions.

Neurologists are rarely much help with concussions. I am not surprised your struck out.

In the sticky thread at very the top of this forum, I have a post of tips for recovery and simply tolerating PCS symptoms. The heading says links, etc with a last post date of 1/20/2012. My post should be second from the last.

He needs to make some nutritional changes. No caffeine or alcohol or MSG. He should get started with vitamins, a B-100 complex plus some extra B-6, B-12, D, E, C, Magnesium, calcium, and Omega 3's and a good multi-vitamin. Stay away from the big brand names (Centrum, One a Day). They tend to be weak in dosages. GNC or Vitamin Shoppe have some good stuff. Even Walgreens has good brands. NatureMade is a popular good brand.

Meat protein is also good, pork has the most valuable amino acids.

The nutrition part of recovery is slow. The brain needs to detoxify before it can start healing. Expect a month or two of slow improvement.

And remember, if he feels tires or overwhelmed or just fuzzy brained, peace and quiet rest are the best things for him.

Going to work is not a good idea at this stage.

He is fortunate to have someone like you to look out for him.

BTW, There is some good information online. Check out the video series on YouTube called "You Look Great" by John Byler. It is 6 segments that take about an hour total. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Xso...ature=youtu.be

There is also a great TBI Survival Guide at www.tbiguide.com

Hope this helps.

My best to you two.

Yeah. My neurologist has done almost exactly the same thing for A YEAR now. Don't hold your breath.

Of all the many varied medical professionals I have seen, my physiatrist seemed to be the most helpful. Of course, I am a year in. Not sure who or what would have been most helpful early on.

The basic answer, as others have stated, is rest for the body and rest for the brain.

Neurologist wants to put me on a med for alzheimers??? I have some ST mem issues from car accident and in late 30's - they also said I would benefit from seeing a psyciatrist? Is this normal treatment for PCS???? I do not know whether to be depressed about this or angry!!