PCS or permanent Brain Damage?
 

Hi... My name is Sara, I am 38... On August 7th, I went down an alpine slide ride, had severe whiplash and also tore up my knee on the same ride. I was feeling much better but went under general anesthesia to repair my knee on Sept 17th and have not been the same since. My major struggles are dizziness/nausea and sensitivity to fluorescent lighting. Going into a Target or Best Buy makes me feel sick. I also feel like I am always off balance. I have no cognitive deficits...just all physical. I used to be an exercise instructor and am an attorney. Based on what I am feeling and getting NO improvement from day to day, I am assuming the general anesthesia caused permanent brain damage. I am on 20 mg of Amitriptyline because I was having trouble sleeping. The Amitriptyline also keeps headaches at bay. Because of all the nausea and dizziness I have lost about 20 pounds in 3 months. I honestly can not imagine living "sick" like this for the rest of my life. Does the nausea and dizziness ever end? I am in complete despair and break down every day. Before this happened, I was never a crier. I hope there is someone out there who can give me hope :(

I'm just a month more into mine. I don't really notice too much healing day in and day out. But when I look back at my journal it's only then that I can see how much I have improved.

Others here will likely tell you that you're very early into your healing process and full recovery is still a huge possibility for you.

Sara,

Indeed as Chris said above:
"Others here will likely tell you that you're very early into your healing process and full recovery is still a huge possibility for you."

Be gentle, kind and patient with yourself.
And avoid any others around you are perhaps not so.

Hoping for you an excellent recovery.

Theta

Sara,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear you got hurt on such a fun ride.

You likely have PCS with chemo brain from the anesthesia on top. Your brain needs a good detoxifying. I have a nutrition and supplement regimen I recommend in the thread titles Vitamin Supplements.

Some people are very sensitive to the anesthesia chemicals. You might contact the anesthesiologist and see if he/she has any tips for you.

Otherwise, are you getting quiet rest? You concussed brain needs it.

Please tell us about your daily routine so we can recommend how to improve it to get quiet rest.

As others said, you are early in your recovery. Chemo brain from anesthesia can take quite some time. I am sensitive to anesthesia and took about a year to get my brain clear after having knee surgery in 1987. My biggest problem was balance when first standing up from sitting. I had to learn to get up slower.

Have you tried consuming ginger to help with the nausea? It is a proven help. With your weight loss, you could munch on ginger snap cookies. You can also grind fresh ginger root at add it to juices.

Hope this help.

Please let us know how you are doing.

My best to you.

I am very thankful to hear some response. This is where things get confusing.... In early Oct. about 2 weeks post surgery is when I was diagnosed with PCS by my neurologist at the Mayo Clinic.... they then referred me to the Brain Rehab group at Mayo. This group consists of OT, PT, biofeedback (how does this compare to neurofeedback)...anyways.... AND I see a neuro-psychiatrist. They recommended slowly stepping back into life.... pushing myself on days I do not feel well and holding back on days I feel well. I never feel well so I have never had to "hold myself back".... but after spending some time on the boards I think maybe I have been doing too much. They said because I was so long post accident that "rest" was not recommended but more of a light schedule where I try to add more in.

My days are usually as follows.... get kids off to school (I have 2 kids ages 10/7)... come home and try to do some light picking up/laundry etc. During that time I usually get so dizzy that I have to lay back down. I also have been trying to walk a mile a day in the neighborhood. In addition, all my doc appointments are almost like a full time job in and of themselves.... and walking around Mayo is EXERCISE.... At 3 I pick kids up and try to help with dinner/homework routine.... I get nauseous just reading the homework at times. I usually fall into bed around 10 near tears that I live a life of being SO ILL. I cannot even describe how ill I feel throughout the day.... I feel like I am tipping to the left at all times and the dizziness and nausea are constant. I only have headaches on occasion. They are always on the top of my head and also cause nausea. I honestly did not know someone could be this sick and not dying.

On the weekends, I try to attend my daughters indoor soccer games and I go to church. Other than that I usually have to lay down and rest.

Could I be facing a life of this? I know everyone is saying I am very early on in my recovery but each day feels like a month. I would rather have headaches than nausea.... ironically the few times I get headaches I am ON balance.... I do not get it.

So... in addition to Amitrip. 20 mg, I have been taking fish oil, Vit B, E, and D.
I am in total despair and feel like my life is over.... also, people want to come visit and sometimes drop off food (which is nice) BUT that is exhausting as well.... sometimes it is hard to converse with people.

My husband is wonderful but very frustrated with me.... says I need a better attitude :(. I keep telling him he has no idea what it is like to live this way. I have to be honest that I am at a low LOW. I can't imagine ever recovering OR living like THIS. I am so thankful to all of you and definitely need support and HELP. By the way.... the Mayo clinic has not been helpful at all. I know people think "oh the Mayo Clinic".... well... let me tell you, they know nothing about TBI :(... Dr Staab my Psychiatrist is a leading expert (I guess) on dizziness in the WORLD and has written some books but HE is the one who tells me to keep upping my Amitrip... which I refuse to do (I have enough issues without drug side effects)..... and he says nothing about the dizziness I have constantly,... except to have my husband shake his head back and forth then try to do something so he can see what it's like.

Has anyone else just wanted to DIE they have felt so awful? If God held out his hand to me I would accept it in a heartbeat. I NEVER thought I could ever write something like that with 2 kids etc. BUT it is the truth :(

Chris... can you tell me what your symptoms are and how you are living your days?

Mark... I sent a huge reply but not sure how this all works? Hoping it just has not shown up yet?

New member posts need to go thru approval processes, sometimes there is a delay, but not often.

If you bookmark/favorite your thread or main forum it is easier to keep track of things.
Or in the thread tools - -click to subscribe to a thread - http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/su...ption&t=179710

My symptoms (worst at the top):
-tingly throbbing on the back/sides of my head when I concentrate too long
-upper neck / lower scull pain
-hyperacusis (tinnitus in ears / plugged ears)
-sleep issues
-sensitive to noise
-anxiety and depression

Sorry but it doesn't sound like my days are as difficult to get through as yourself. I go to work. Try not to overstimulate for extended periods. Try to eat healthy with supplements. Try to get extra sleep. I too have 2 kids (3/4 and 3.5)... although they make it very hard to rest, they ensure that I keep on the right track.

The only thing getting me through this is some of the knowledge that I've gathered along the way that makes me realize that I will get better. And I now have a much brighter outlook on life, I'm more willing to take risks, and I want to change myself into a better person. I had a few lifestyle problems before my accident, but now I am using this horrible experience as a catalyst to work toward something that I never would have considered before.

BTW if death really sounds like an easier way then you need to get professional help immediately. Depression was the hardest thing for me at the beginning, but when I found out that anxiety/depression are symptoms of PCS I realized that these thoughts in my brain were working against me and that I couldn't control them. I try to remind myself every now and then that it's probably not as bad as my brain is telling me it is.

Hi Sara,

I can completely understand what you are going thru. As my signature line briefly explains, I had a concussion in the summer of 2009, wrenched my neck forward quite forcefully trying to do flips into a swimming pool and did some damage along the neck muscles. December of 2009 I had major surgery and was put under with general anesthesia.

It was about 6 weeks after surgery that my head starting to feel dizzy, and I was having big time loss of cognitive ability, and the headaches. They were fierce, and usually worsened by physical activity.

A couple of neurologists later I was eventually brought on Nortriptyline (100mg) to help calm me down as I was out right frantic as my original concussion symptoms were very short lived, about a week. I was scared and couldn't get an answer to what was going on.

My current neurologist said I basically have a sensitive brain and with both the concussion and later anesthesia on top of a concussed brain, it was too much for my brain.

Now, almost 3 years later, I've improved much. Huge compared to that point in time, however, I'm still left with lingering things like exertional migraines which I manage with doing what exercise I can and remaining below my known threshold which causes headaches.

Sounds like the Amytriptyline is a good med but when I started at 20mg it didn't help. It wasn't till they found the the amount which started to both calm me and keep headaches absent. They are planning to lower the dose soon. I'm 48 YO male, average weight.

Find quiet when you can, learn to meditate, sounds crazy but it teaches the brain to focus on nothing, which is what a brain needs, quiet. Tell your hubby that this is a real injury, and search youTube for the videos titled:

"You Look Great!" : Inside a TBI

Have him watch them.

Yes, get on a healthy nutrition and vitamin plan, the brain needs all the help it can get during this rough time.

FYI - I'm now able to function well enought for work, well enough to now drive on the freeway during rush hour and take difficult courses online.

As my first neurologist told me, "your brain is rebooting and it's going to take time."