Hi - I'm new...looking for tips for PCS
 

Hi there - I am so happy I found this forum!

My story: On February 10th, I fell skating with my kids. Landed on my butt first, then my head whipped back and hit the ice. While my kids were all in helmets, I was not. We did not think it was a big deal at the time, I got a bump on my head right after, I was a little dazed. We even took the kids to Tim Horton's right after (that is for the Canadians in the forum!)

The next morning, I woke up with a horrible headache. Went to the family dr and she diagnosed a mild concussion. 3 months later, I still have all my symptoms and have now been officially diagnosed with PCS: constant strong headache with sharp shooting pains if I "think", cannot process any complex thought, can't handle 'white-noise' - ie, restaurants or places with background music. I am still off work with not much hope of going back anytime soon.


I have 3 young children - 8,6 and 4. I am looking for tips on how to manage life like this as well as any tips on how you fill your days..I try to do nothing as much as possible, but then end up reading and tv, but am worried that they are aggravating it. I find I can't tell when is too much. I am getting cranial-sacral therapy and Bowen therapy. I am taking magnesium, arnica and Fish Oil. I just started Elavil (which I discovered through this forum!)

Looking forward to meeting everyone on the forum.

Hi Welcome! I'm about the same time line as you Feb 21st was my concusssion and experiencing daily chronic headaches that have improved a little. Check out the vitamins and supplements thread. How is the elavil helping you?

welcome
 

Hi Skatemom

Welcome to this forum. It has been so, so helpful for me.

First, check out the vitamin thread stickie at the top. There are vitamins and supplements that can help heal your brain from the inside.

Hopefully you can get some real rest into your day. I know that's hard with young children. Do you have any daycare or friends who can watch them?

You really need a lot of brain rest to get better and that means doing not much and sleeping, just resting.

Can you limit or not watch TV, no computer screens, texting, stimulation like that is really hard for your healing brain.

I wll let others weigh in here.

pm

Suggestions
 

Welcome. I hope you find comfort here.

Audiobooks! They are the best. Also, there are lots of interesting podcasts out there, and these are even better because they are free.

Try reducing and tracking your screen time. I have a lot of eye-related problems, so this is a must for me. I am now officially off the computer until I see significant improvement with my vision troubles, and I'm keeping my iPhone usage to 2 hours or less per day and never for more than 30 minutes at a time. (The iPhone bothers me less even though the print is smaller because it is a smaller light source.)

As for tv, some eliminate it, but I couldn't. It was one of the few things that seemed to help me reduce my stress levels, so I'd watch an hour and a half in the afternoon and sometimes an hour in the evening. Just don't keep it on in the background and try to cut back!

Solitaire or Sudokus are both games you could play while your resting. Do you have any hobbies you find restful?

Can you enlist your 8-year-old as your ally, to help when you feel overwhelmed?I am now a newly stay-at-home mom, as of today. I've found enlisting my two-year-old to "help" me can be fun for her and stops her from constantly making demands of me, ie. "Mommy, hold this!" or "Mommy, color with me!" I remember how hard that kind of thing was for me when I was having cognitive problems! I could not process two things at once!

Good luck in your recovery!

Thanks so much for the tips, I'll check out the vitamins. Yes, I have daycare for my 4 year old, and the other 2 are in school. I can't handle them at home...feel so guilty over all this. Does anyone else dread the weekends as it means everyone is home and the activity level goes up?

I'm only on Day 3 of Elavil, head feels slightly, so slightly better. From what I've read here, it can take 30-90 days for it to kick in, so I am trying to have low expectations.

Audiobooks have been my saviour, except they keep putting me to sleep, then I lose my spot :)

Any thoughts on reading from a kindle? That is what I've been using, wondering if that counts as 'screen time'...? I find it a soothing screen to look at versus my computer.

Similar type of fall. I think you need to start getting more specific assessments in order to get appropriate therapy,. Believe me, I know this is easier said than done. if you want to say what province you are in, perhaps the Canadians on this board can help steer you in the right direction. Or you can message me privately and I can try to point you to certain places.

Rest! Take care of your brain. You probably need vision and vestibular testing to start with.
Hang in there. I have two kids and it is hard to be impaired when they need their parent!
M

Guilt Ugh! It's not you're friend
 

Yes, I have daycare for my 4 year old, and the other 2 are in school. I can't handle them at home...feel so guilty over all this. Does anyone else dread the weekends as it means everyone is home and the activity level goes up?


Hi again!

I am so glad you have daycare for your children. And yes, when the activity level goes up, it's stressful for me. My children are older though-- college and high school.

I hope you can find your ways of really relaxing and letting go of stress. It was not easy for me -- I had to give up working for the rest of the year at my job (teaching) But the day I was able to let it go -- it was like seeing balloons just lift off in the distance and disappear. It was a huge weight gone.

You may need some other therapies too -- I had vestibular therapy which helped with the horrible dizziness-- but find out. There are many therapies that can help -- it's a matter of finding a provider who can listen and guide you to it.

I did use some computer screen too earlier on in my recovery -- to check e-mail and when I was still planning for a substitue, I wrote up lesson plans (that was too much and I should not have done that)

You'll find the right balance of what works for you with complete brain rest.

Getting rid of too much stimulation -- noise, music, TV, whatever -- helps the brain heal.

Take care
pm

I found that isolating myself from my family and other people was the biggest help to cure my PCS.

I also have three young children aged 6, 7 and 9 and it isn't easy looking after them because they are naturally noisy. It was only when they went to a childminder after school that I turned the corner. My wife and children went out at the weekend. Don't feel bad about needing quiet rest - it is essential! Your kids will get you back in time, but will get you back sooner if you have down time. It is very difficult, I know only too well.

Cut out Tv, the computer and the kindle. Use ear plugs and sun glasses if required.

Get as much quiet rest, reduce stress and noise. Avoid noisy places and supermarkets until ready. Avoid exercise, apart from gentle walks if you can manage them.

PCS headaches can be treated with migraine meds and some antidepressants can help symptoms, including headaches.

Reflexology and massage was helpful. Hot baths are helpful for fatigue.

Good luck in your recovery, it takes time. I am nearly seven months on and back working again as well as looking after my children.

It Gets Better
 

Hi,

My savior has been CBC radio, I have it on quite a bit and find the shows interesting, even in the middle of the night when you can't sleep. I am currently 14 months pcs and I am still not able to work. I have 3 teenagers at home, one in college who always seems to be around and yes I am thrilled when I get the house to myself. I still do not grocery shop much or go out in crowds, it really can take a toll.

I stayed in bed for 12 weeks doing absoultely nothing except listen to the radio occassionally. I must admit I took 3 muscle relaxants(cyclobenzaprene) which keep me out of it (which was a bonus). I called my room my bubble of tranquillity and did not venture out of it for 12 weeks except to go to the concussion specialist every 3 weeks to them be told to go back to bed. I am a single parent of 4 (3 teenagers at home), when I did venture out of my room I got stressed out due to the mess in the house. I came to realize there is NOTHING I can do about the running of the house etc, so I kept in my room and my children brought me food (if they remembered). Stress, depression or anxiety are really not good for you so you need to cut them out of your lives. The best thing you can do for your kids is to get better, they need you.

I must admit in the 14 months I have not been able to get rid of my headaches but I thinking that they are due to the Post Traumatic Vision Syndrome that I have.

You need to listen to your body, if you are feeling worst, it is probably something you did and you need to figure that out and try to avoid itl

Good Luck.

skatemom,

Welcome to NT. Sorry to hear of your fall.

I am concerned about your mix of therapy. The Bowen Therapy is so gentle that it has no or very little downside. Cranial-Sacral may be undoing the benefits of the Bowen, especially if it is old school CST. The plates of your skull will not move. Don't let a CS Therapist try to move them. The gentle spinal manipulations may help.

An often undiagnosed injury from whiplash-concussion is to the joint at Atlas (C-1) to Occiput (base of the skull) Routine icing this area is helpful.

The Elavil (amitriptyline) is commonly prescribed in low doses of 10 to 20 mgs. At those doses, there should not be a delay in effect. The Elavil may help with head aches and insomnia.

You supplements can be improved. Read the Vitamins sticky. The arnica is not much help, especially if it is homeopathic doses. At standard homeopathic doses, you would would need to consume the equivalent of an Olympic swimming pool to consume ONE molecule of arnica.

The most helpful supplements are B-12, B-complex, D3 and the fish oil. If you add these to quiet rest as others have mentioned, your brain will have the best environment to recover. As a mom, quiet rest is difficult but your family needs to get on-board so they can get Mom back.

My best to you.