So i fell and hit my head again
 

Hey, been a while since i've been here. My PCS had all but gone and my doctors all gave me the green light.

When asked if i'd like to go on a snowboarding holiday, i asked my doctor if this was a good idea as this is how i got PCS the first time (with an 11 month recovery), he said yes. I asked several health professionals, they all said yes, go on the holiday, it'll help with the little balance issue you have.

So i went on holiday, on Sunday there (6th Jan) I fell while snowboarding. I was taken to the medical centre in France and diagnosed with concussion. I had an x-ray to check for broken bones and sent on my way.

Since Sunday, i've been feeling dizzy, sick (haven't bee sick), my eyes are a little sore (like behind them, weird i know), sometimes the light seems bright, my head feels like it's tight and swollen, my neck is also swollen.

I wish i hadn't listened to my doctors as my instinct was to not go but i got swept up in the excitement. I flew home early as i was feeling bad and just sitting in a room all day.

My question is this, as i wasn't properly checked out in France, should i go and see a doctor in the UK? I can't get to see my GP till Monday but i could go to A&E and be seen by them.

Everyone around me things i'm over-reacting and being a drama queen.

How did you heal the first time after 11 months? I am in the middle of battling PCS from hitting my head also and I've been having a hard time since it happened 5 months ago. Can you please give me a few pointers as to what you did to heal? Did you do physical therapy? What type? Any excersize? Any alcohol? Any info is greatly appreciated.

Thank you and I hope you feel better. I think you should definitely get a 2nd opinion, you cannot be too careful when it comes to head injuries. Don't mind your friends, people don't realize how horrible concussions are until they have one themselves.

Hey, well at the start, first few months, i didn't do a lot. I took the advice on these forums and my doctors which was to sleep lots, don't do anything too taxing. At first, i couldn't watch tv or anything as i couldn't take it in. So what did i do...

Rest
Sleep lots
Don't drink alcohol (i still haven't)
Take vitamins
Take cod liver oil tablets etc
Keep pestering doctors about how you feel
I also went to ENT and had my ears and vistibular system checked out
Rest

There doesn't seem to be a specific time for people to heal, i think everyone here would rather have had a broken arm or something. It breaks, it heals in a specific time.

I hope you start to feel better soon, what symptoms do you have??

It sounds to me like there's no point going to A & E, all they do is check for life-threatening symptoms like a brain bleed or swelling and send you on your way. You don't have life-threatening symptoms, if you did you would have collapsed by now - so going into A & E will just result in you sitting around for 4-5 hours with drunks and screaming babies, then being asked a few brief questions in an irritated voice by a nurse who's never heard of PCS and sent home again. None of that would do you much good :winky:

I would advise making an appointment with your GP and trying to get a diagnosis and/or referral to a neurologist or neuropsychologist. They would probably send you to a neurologist first - this is better for obtaining a diagnosis, though in my experience a neuropsychologist is more useful for practical advice.

None of these people can do very much for you, but getting a diagnosis can be very important for persuading employers, schools, friends, families and anyone else in your life that you are actually ill and not just neurotic or malingering. You will need this understanding from people if you are going to get the rest and lack of stress that you need to recover. In the UK context this article is also very useful in that respect, if you can get anyone to read it:- http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/183/4/276.full.pdf+html

In terms of practical advice, your best bet is this website. I've not met a health professional whose knowledge of concussion symptoms comes close to what you will get on here.

If you are at work you may wish to consider seeing the occupational health nurse or doctor. I found these to be pretty helpful, since their job is to help you make practical changes to your life and work environment in order to continue functioning, and in my case at least they seemed to understand the importance of rest and reduced demands following concussion.

And it doesn't need saying, but your doctors were all wrong, you shouldn't have gone snowboarding. The fact that they thought you should is testament to their lack of understanding and trivialisation of concussion. These are the NHS guidelines on PCS and they are shocking:- http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Concuss...lications.aspx so don'texpect much help from that quarter (and whatever you do don't show your family that link!)

One more thing - don't drink alcohol, particularly at this stage - v bad idea.

All the best!

Thanks for the advise, everything you say rings true. I should have quit and i know that but i went on the professional opinion, wish i hadn't.

I'm nowhere near as bad as i was with the last concussion, this was a small fall this time but i'm concerned that i'll be in for another 11 month recovery. Wish i had a crystal ball :-)

Thanks again for the reply.

No worries - remember you've coped with this before so you can do it again, and this time you have much more knowledge :)

Gilbert,

I would not be concerned about seeing your GP. He already gave you bad advice.

i.e. Go snowboarding so you can develop better balance. Not much different than, Bang you head against the wall to develop more tolerance for impacts.

Drod,

There is no value in asking how Gilbert recovered. As we have noted many times on NT, If you have seen one head injury, you have seen ONE head injury.

They are all different. The only standard is they all require quiet rest and good nutrition and behavior modifications.

Gilbert~

Snowboarding has been my favorite sport for 20years until now....I decided to give my brand new board and boots to my daughter since she got to tall for her board from last year....

~My 2 favorite things in life are snowboarding and traveling~ I hope since I am giving up snowboarding that eventually in future I can still travel over seas:confused

Wish you a fast recovery