Talking makes symptoms worse
 

I had a relapse of PCS symptoms last fall, about a year after the initial concussion. Does anyone know why talking is more difficult now? I can talk, but doing so for a few minutes makes my head hurt, it's like it kicks up the neuroinflammation or something. So I mostly do very little talking, and when I do it's mostly a whisper. Has anyone seen this before and know what can be done to treat it?

Thanks!

I think a good majority of us have had this issue. I personally believe its the thought of thinking what we are about to say thats the issue. Ive been in cognitive therapy and its helped me out big time in talking again. Before I was about 30 seconds tops before I had to stop. Now I can go around 2-4 minutes before I need to rest. If possible, see if you can get into a cognitive therapy program.

Thanks for the reply. Can you explain a little more what you mean by cognitive therapy? Does this help even if the issue is caused by physiology rather than psychology?

There are different forms of cognitive therapy.

After having a neuro-psych exams to identify my deficits, I was sent for Attention Processing Training (APT). Over a number of months, I worked through tasks designed to increase my focus and processing speed. I found it very useful. It's not a "cure," but it helped me maximize what I've got left.

As for conversation, it does require a lot of cognitive effort. In addition to challenging our ability to concentrate and process information, many of us face the additional hurdles of aphasia and apraxia. I would still rather write an email, than talk to someone.