Post concussion syndrome 6 months
 

Hi,
My name is Lynn. I was in a car accident 6 months ago. I sustained a concussion, whiplash, tinnitus and cervical radiculitis. I have been diagnosed with post concussive syndrome and see PT 3x/week for vestibulo-ocular reflex deficits and cervical neck therapy. I have symptoms of lightheadedness as well as dizziness to varying degrees on a daily basis. I also experience intermittent headaches and nausea. I am married, a mom of 4 busy teens, work part time and am anxious to get back to my normal routine. Currently I am on a LOA from work. My neurologist is encouraging in that he feels my symptoms will subside with rest and therapy. I am frustrated in the time it is taking to recover. If anyone has any insights please share. Thank you for listening:)

Hi Lynn,

I had a car accident 4 months ago and suffered a concussion, cervical neck sprain, rotator cuff injury and contussions to my head, also in PT and vestibular therapy.

You are definitely not alone with feeling frustrated, therapy and rest....we need to do it but it is frustrating as we just want to feel better right now.

I also get terrific headaches.

Others here I'm sure will have some good advice as this is new to me too, hang in there. :grouphug:

Post concussion syndrome 6 months
 

Hi Dagma1...Thank you for your response. It's so frustrating recovering from this type of injury. I can't believe it's been 6 months already. On a good day when you feel like you can push yourself and do more it backfires! I was driving to work and entered an intersection going about 40 mph. I had the green light and a lady turned without warning in front of me. I t-boned her car and hit the light post and then a tree. I am lucky to be alive. Thank goodness for seatbelts and airbags (all of them were deployed). I was instantly lightheaded and dizzy and had numbness and tingling in both my upper extremities. The seatbelt gave me a large deep bruise over my left upper chest. I have had constant ringing in my ears since the accident. My symptoms get worse when I drive, do computer work, am fatigued or stressed. I drink once in a great while and when I was out the other night with friends had 1 drink which felt like I had 5! I do a series of 12 exercises 2x per day to help with my vestibulo-ocular reflex deficit and whiplash. I can't wait to get normalcy back in my life! Thank you again for listening. I'm sorry you are going through this as well. I appreciate feedback or advice for recovering from PCS.

Welcome to Neurotalk-this has been an incredible source of support and information for many.

I got rear ended last year, and I have had many similar symptoms including convergence insufficiency (headaches from reading, hard to watch moving objects, etc.)

The horrible truth is that each concussion is unique. It is hard to put a timeframe on each recovery.

Finding the right doctors with pcs experience is important-but even then they are often at a loss in terms of recovery timeframes.

I found that I have perspective looking back in 3 month timeframes-I can see how far I have come in some areas, and how much more I have to go in others.

For me, headaches, neck pain and migraines still plague me (as does the vision and vertigo), but icing the neck, sleeping on buckwheat pillows and ensuring rest and quiet help.

Also, there is a vitamin thread by long-time veteran Mark from Idaho has been really crucial to recovery. Eating healthily and limiting caffeine is important.

I know others will contribute their tips. I am on leave from work and have 3 boys-so prioritizing my self-care has been difficult but crucial.

Best of luck!

sensitivity to sound
 

Yes, thank goodness we are alive, but....i'm 8months after my accident and my quality of life right now is horrible. I have extreme sensitivity to sounds (i've improved with light) and I get easily overstimulated. I can't go to the grocery store or drive...Everyone says rest and time, but i'm so angry.

Is there anyting that you do or that anyone does that helps? I can't sleep b/c the ringing in my ears is horrible.

Hi TZandme,
Were you in an accident? Do you see a neurologist? I sometimes sleep with my bedroom ceiling fan on low at night to help with the ringing. During the day it might help to turn the TV or radio on low but I know you had mentioned you were sensitive to sounds:( It's hard to believe it takes so long to recover from a concussion. Every day I wake up feeling the same. I fear I will never recover. I have 8 more weeks of time off from work. My job involves a lot of multitasking as well as high level cognitive functioning. I am dizzy and lightheaded every day to varying degrees. When I'm working on the computer and trying to concentrate and process information my brain goes into shutdown and I become increasingly dizzy and lightheaded. I find it difficult to talk with my family about how I'm feeling. I look fine. Unfortunately they can't see inside my brain. I wish I had a tangible picture to show them what is wrong like an X-ray from a broken bone. I was doing my vestibular exercises yesterday. It was the oculomotor:saccades. I was using 2 pencils. You have to hold the targets 12 inches apart and move your eyes quickly from target to target for 20 seconds. My 20 year old son was watching me and made a comment...."can't decide which pencil to use mom?" I have to say...it made me laugh!:p This has been a big test of patience for me. I was feeling a little better the week before last and pushed myself with my exercises. It backfired last week and I went backwards...ugh! I'm sorry you are still feeling like you are. I guess we need to continue to rest:sunchair: I just joined this forum yesterday for support from others with similar situations to mine. It is helpful to know I am not alone :grouphug:Good luck and please keep me posted on your progress.

Hi Lynn,

Who knew that going back and forth between 2 pencils would be so hard :confused: !!

I'm doing that too, actually my therapist just started me doing it again after a break as it was too difficult to do, it still feels like my eyes are bouncing up and to the right while I doing it and I get pain/pressure behind my eye balls, not fun.
I have to move my eyes back and forth soooo slowly but I'm told it'll get better. I cannot track an object properly.

You're right, we look fine so it's hard for others to understand.

How is your balance? Have you "walked the plank" as I call it? :winky: walking heel to toe...I sway from side to side.

It'll all get better, keep on truckin'...(I know it's soooo upsetting and frustrating some days) keep coming on to read/write, it does help to know you are not alone, hugs...:grouphug:

Hi Dagma1,
Thank you for your reply. It's nice to have someone to dialogue with that is dealing with a similar situation. Do you work? My worry is that I won't be healed by the time my 8 weeks are up. I am part time but carry the insurance for my family. My husband runs his own business. We're you in a car accident? I find myself giving other drivers a lot of reminder horns if they are turning into my lane. The lady who I hit turned in front of me last minute as if she was asking to be hit. I was entering an intersection going 40mph. I had the green light. It was so scary. The last thing that I remember before I hit her was "I'm going to die and I hope it goes quick and doesn't hurt" :( There was a loud pop as the airbag went off in my face. I hit her car, then a light post, then a tree. All I remember is white smoke and the feeling that I turned into a bobblehead! My head was spinning and I had instant numbness of my upper extremities. It's been a long 6 month journey. I have good days where I push myself with the exercises and then sure enough it back fires and I feel worse the next day. I now find myself referring to how I feel, symptom wise, in numbers. Like today I'm a 7/10. I can't wait to get back to work. I miss normalcy. What other exercises are you doing? I have to do the "plank" one as well. They call that "standing static". My feet are heel-toe and my eyes are closed and I have to turn my head from side to side for 30 seconds then up and down for thirty seconds. Seriously! I think this is a challenge for anyone! Keep in touch! Hope you have a good day ;)

Lkas,

Welcome to NT. Your injury sounds complex. It will help some others to read your posts if you use a double paragraph space every five lines or so. Some of us have visual struggles that make it difficult to find the start of the next line if the paragraph gets to be too many lines. 5 lines is the maximum for many of us.

It sounds like your therapy may be too intense. The injured brain needs quiet rest to heal. Even well intentioned therapy can be too much effort. The neck and especially the upper neck needs very tender therapy for some of us. Pushing for a return to a good Range of Motion too soon may be counter-productive.

Have you read the sticky at the top about vitamins and such ? There is a good comment about icing and how to make a crushable ice bag. Icing the neck to reduce inflammation is important.

My best to you.

Hi Lynn

Sorry to hear about your accident. I am nearly at the 6 month mark too. My accident was as simple as slipping on a tiled floor resulting in pcs.... I too find it very frustrating that this can take so long to heal, & find it difficult to understand! I wish I could have a little picture of my brain & know what's going on up there!!

My symptoms are a little different got really bad nausea to begin with but that has thankfully subsided. My headaches are daily at the moment but I have just returned to work which I don't think has helped to much. I use computers at work & have to deal with the public as I am a travel agent, it's been tough. I love my job & also was very eager to get some sort of normalcy back in my life. I also get really anxious & emotional, do you have any issues with your emotions?

& yes I guess rest is the answer but just how much does one need.