First concussion/PCS, having trouble limiting mental stimulation
 

Hey everyone. :)

Quick run-through of what I've been dealing with:

- I was a sleeping passenger in an automobile accident Sunday, October 26 (van I was in had rear-ended a pick-up); I hit my head on the window frame and was knocked awake.
- Had a headache immediately after that lasted a couple hours, which was reduced by the 200mg ibuprofen I took.
- I had Monday booked off of work already, so I took the day to rest.
- Monday night, I developed nausea-inducing vertigo. Went to a walk-in, doctor suspected a mild concussion and said I needed to see my doctor ASAP - appointment was scheduled for Wednesday morning. I took one Tylenol Extra Strength and went to sleep.
- Tuesday I returned to work. Helped with some easy pruning, carried the branches to the chipper, and operated the chipper. I was ready to sleep at 7pm but stayed up until 11pm, when I took one Tylenol Extra Strength and fell asleep.
- Wednesday I saw my doctor - he confirmed a mild concussion. I noticed my reaction time was off (eg. while driving there was the occasional vehicle that seemed to spawn out of thin air) so I did not go in to work for the remaining half of the day. I had a shower and cleaned out my ears, when I found a small amount of dried blood from my right ear.
- Wednesday, 11pm. I went to bed. Immediately the front right side of my head felt like it was going to explode. I took one Tylenol Extra Strength, which reduced the pre-existing headache but not the one induced by laying down - that pain went away on its own after about half an hour. After consulting a registered nurse over the phone I went to the hospital.
- Stayed up all night waiting to see a doctor as I couldn't rest my head without immense pain.
- Had a CT scan - came back negative. (Which is weird because I can feel bumps on my head that never used to be there.)
- Was diagnosed at 7am Thursday with post concussion syndrome. The doctor told me to take a week off of work and to not participate in my LARP hobby for 6-8 weeks (there's a risk of getting hit in the head by a boffer weapon). After being up 25 hours I slept for 8 hours, was up for 6 hours, then slept another 8.

All three doctors I've seen had determined no neck injury. The only thing I'm noticing with my neck is soreness from having to sleep upright to prevent the resting head pain.

My consistent symptoms are a constant mild headache (at first it would come and go, but now it's always there), night time vertigo (especially when I close my eyes), there's decreased sensation in my feet (not numb and no tingling, just feeling less than usual), I can't take in too much information at once, and I tire easily. When I get tired, my reading comprehension takes a nosedive and I get varying levels of brain fog. Aside from that I seem to function okay.

I don't know for sure but I seem to have less motivation today, which makes me wonder if it's a side effect of the injury.

I know I'm supposed to be resting my mind, but using my brain is how I get through the day. Even when I'm just laying in bed I'm doing a lot of thinking and can't stop for some time. When using the computer I frequently wander away to give my eyes a break, and I've been using f.lux for a few years already.

What can I do to put less strain on my brain?

Thanks for reading!

Fallaryn,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

The docs are right about reducing stimulation/stress.

You need to find some manual activities to do. Playing solitaire with real cards. Hand crafts, etc. are all good. The hands can not move any faster than an injured brain can tolerate as long as there is not a fast visual component (no video games).

Just because the doctors said you do not have a neck injury does not rule out a subtle neck injury. Many neck injuries caused by concussions are not chronically symptomatic. Any neck soreness is a sign of at least a subtle neck injury. If you are going to sleep upright, use pillows to prevent your head from dropping off to the side. Whiplash with a concussion is a very complex injury.

I expect the doctor would have examined your ears. Did he ? Was the blood just from a scratch ?

Hand crafts I can certainly do! I'll just have to replenish some missing supplies and I'll be good to go. Thank you! :)

Yeah I think I have something like 5 pillows propping me up with a backup pillow angled down both sides, and I lay in the middle of a queen bed.

If there is a subtle neck injury, is there any way to know for sure?

Yes, my ears were examined and he couldn't find blood or scratches anywhere, and as the CT scan came up negative the source of the blood remains a mystery.

A doc that actually touches and and checks for muscle tightness would be one way... but they don't usually do that these days .. it's all testing & imaging...

If you can ask for or find some expert physical therapy or perhaps expert chiropractic care, or just an evaluation..
Both PT & DC usually can/will assess for muscle soreness and soft tissue problems..

You may just be having some muscle spasms that need some massage, ultrasound or IF stim etc..
The head bumps could be referred pain from trigger points or spasms.

Welcome Fallaryn. :Wave-Hello:

The best way to deal with the possibility of a subtle neck injury is to treat your neck as if it has a subtle neck injury. This means being disciplined about sleeping and resting posture. It would also mean no LARP as that creates too much risk for head and neck twisting. I had to be very careful cleaning up after my dogs. I had to learn to turn my shoulders to scan the yard rather than twist my neck and head.

My myo-facial release expert physical therapist could tell I had some issues and would do some gentle traction with mobilization. The muscles around the neck, especially those behind the ears tend to spasm and become tender to the touch.

If you have a head ache, try icing the back and top of your neck. I have a recipe for how to make crushable ice packs in the sticky above called Vitamins. Look at the bottom of the first post. The vitamin regimen would also be good to consider. Anti-inflammatory meds, ibuprophen, Excedrine, etc. can help.

My best to you.

Here are some other low-stimulus ideas for things to do:
Put in a bird feeder or bird bath so you can sit and watch birds
Color - buy a big pack of crayons or colored pencils and Google "coloring pages for adults" or "free mandalas to color"
Play with play-doh or legos
Listen to a meditation or guided relaxation podcast
Do chair yoga
Give yourself a manicure or pedicure
Download a nature sounds app for your phone and listen to it with your eyes closed
Brush and floss your teeth
Take a bubble bath
Experiment with different hairstyles
Take a nap
Snuggle with your pet and/or child
Call friends on the phone
Buy exotic fruits and taste them
Bake cookies or some other very simple recipe
Mindfully peel and eat an orange
Mindfully make and drink a cup of herbal tea
Knit
Crochet
Read (or listen to an audiobook) if it doesn't stress your eyes or your brain