Brief intro of my TBI & PCS
 

Hi all
First post and I just want to share my story and what I'm currently dealing with

I'm currently 22 and I sustained a head injury that involved me swinging my head back full force into a jagged stone wall (yikes!) due to my own stupidity + alcohol. This happened approx a month ago and I diagnosed myself with a concussion due to the the symptoms on the following day: lethargy, fatigue, sensitivity to light, mild headaches, vertigo, etc.
I went to the the family doctor and he did a physical test for concussion and said I did not have one. However I came back a couple days later due to raccoon eyes and was suggested to get a CT scan, in which I did.
The results came back negative and I was pretty glad, but the anxiety of the TBI and reminder that PCS could be permanent still haunts me till this day.

The past month have been terrible for me, dealing with dizziness, sleepiness, slight memory loss, difficulty concentrating under stress, light sensitivity, and lethargy from day to day. I even gained a little trait called hypochondria which is basically health anxiety. I have been antisocial at times to the point where I would sit at home all day and pray in hopes that I will get better soon. On some days I will feel better, and on other days it feels like the symptoms of PCS have been progressively getting worse. I try to go around it by working on something or a hobby which has helped but only slightly.

I always think back to the days prior to my incident, and it's actually extremely saddening to think about it that I could be feeling "normal and joyous" right now if it wasn't just for that one incident. I guess everything happens for a reason, and you learn from your own experiences. I just hope it doesn't affect my education because I start school in a week :(

I came to this forum to read about everyone else's stories, because none of my friends share the same issue. I was afraid after reading stories that PCS would last a life-time for those who have been dealing with it for years. But after skimming through some of your posts of recovery, it has made me feel a little better to know that there is hope for myself and everyone else with PCS to return to their "normal" state of function. Like many of you have said, time is the utmost cure and resting is the only option.

Just wanted to get that off my chest. Pretty long, but thanks for reading. Wish the best for everyone :hug:

Alan,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear of your trouble with the jagged stone.

It sounds like you do have a case of hypochondria. Plus, you sound like you have classic PCS anxiety.

What do you mean by raccoon eyes?

Your family doctor does not sound like he knows much about concussions. There is no valid test to diagnose a concussion other than subjective symptoms like head ache, sensitivity to sound and light, etc.

You are still early in your recovery. You need quiet rest and to try to let time work to heal your brain. Anxiety is the worst thing for a concussion recovery.

Have you stopped the alcohol ? You should also avoid caffeine.

You need to be careful about your activities over the next few weeks. You may need to contact your school's disability services to get some help with the start of classes.

You're right my family doc was really no help at all until he noticed heavy dark bags under my eyes (raccoon eyes was what he wrote on the paper) and gave the option for a ct scan.
I still have strong sensitivity to light and it seems like evening time is more darker (literally) than usual, constant headaches, sleepiness.

I stopped drinking alcohol since and opt out of caffeinated beverages.

Thanks for the advice. I'll rest up as much as I can, and let time do the healing.

Something doesn't quite add up, my impression was that raccoon eyes are actual bruising around the eyes related to head trauma (black eyes). I think if this was the case, you'd either have bruising around only one eye, or it would be a sign of a more serious brain injury or a skull fracture? You had none of these.

I am not a doctor, but I think bruising around both eyes from a just a concussion might be possible but rare.

If yours were only heavy dark bags, in my opinion they sound more like allergic shiners, or 'dark circles' which are caused by numerous less sinister things. Did you have actual bruising which took a long time to disappear?

Bruising around both eyes (raccoon eyes) is a classic symptom of a Basilar Skull Fracture. Im not sure if this is what you have since you said you had dark bags, and not necessarily bruises. But a CT scan would usually pick up a skull fracture and you didnt mention that you had any abnormalities. Rest up as much as you can and take good care of your body and your brain!! Good luck!