Terrible Headaches and Sharp Pain in Head
 

Hello, on Oct 26 I was in a bicycle accident and received a concussion. I did go to ER, had an MRI of the brain and all looked good. I was given some anti-inflammatory meds and some muscle relaxants and sent home.

The first week I had alot of nausea, movement of my head and too much motion (being in stores or driving) seemed to give me the nausea. Light was hard on my eyes (especially behind my eyes) and made the pressure in my forehead worse. I could not even raise my eyebrows with it hurting. Memory was terrible! I was not forming my sentences correctly to speak.

Second week (last week) I started having alot of headaches, daily. Aleve nor the ant-inflammatory meds could take these headaches away. If I had some red wine the headaches would subside and I read alcohol is not good for recovery.

Along with the headaches I have been getting sharp pain in my head that start at the bump site and in a very thin line thru my skull I will feel this bolt of pain. It doesn't happen a few times a day, this is many times a day. The pain can be enough to keep me from sleeping at night.

Yesterday I went shopping. All last week driving and shopping had been fine. Motion was not bothering nearly like it did the first week. I almost got sick yesterday, motion was giving me issues again. I was feeling the nausea feelings. Yesterday was the worst day for a headache, I just wanted to cry the pain was that bad.

I have done some reading and know concussions are different for everyone. Just wondering if this rings a bell for anyone?? Your input appreciated.

Yes, this sounds all too familiar! Shopping was really difficult for me for a long time. There is just so much stimulation in the environment (lots of things to see, music, having to think and make decisions) that it really wears out the brain.

It sounds to me like you need to back off on your daily activities and really get some physical and brain rest. You might also want to talk to your doctor about headache preventive medications like amitriptyline.

Good luck!

There is a chance that you may have developed some ischemic changes in the blood vessels in your brain as a result of your concussion.

I say this because I initially had a CT scan done a couple of months after my concussion and it didn't show any unusual abnormalities, though when I had an MRI done maybe 7 months in, it showed that I had developed these subtle minor differences in my brain.

The number one thing you want to be doing is avoiding anything that is commonly known to worsen your headache problems and slow/ reverse the recovery process. For me with this particular problem, my diet is incredibly strict and I have quit all chemicals (even pain killers) and alcohol.

Anyway, get an MRI done as it will be more likely to show these minor differences in blood flow around certain parts of your brain.

P.s. The stabbing/ lightning bolt pains suck. I have had them so bad at times that they have resulted in nightmares of my head being crushed and hence waking me up out of sleep. I hope yours get better. As I type this I have some cracking pains in the back left of my head near my ears, it is is totally ****.

Hey AVR, I had a concussion I'm dealing with 6 1/h months ago and the head pains you're describing sound familiar. For me they were sharp and intense like mini bolts of lightning around where I got my injury.

From what I've come to know every concussion is different but from what I've learned from most people is that if it last more than a couple weeks it'll be a long road for recovery. Don't lose hope and let your family, friends and loved ones know what you're dealing with because they'll be your support during the recovery.

I had sharp pains all the time daily, usually triggered by sudden motion, for about 1-2 months. I found things like shoulder checking while driving, quickly moving your head or even things like coughing or sneezing triggered a cascade of em. Worst pain I'd had in my life. For me they did start getting milder after 2-3 months and now 6.5 months into recovery I notice getting them mildly maybe once a week or so only. Again usually triggered by sudden movement, which I've learned to try and keep to a minimum.

Given that I'm not a doc I can't really give much insight aside from what I've experienced but this site is definitely a great starting point to get ideas that might work for you and help alleviate/cope with symptoms during recovery. Rest and adjusting to your new condition to handle symptoms is key.

Hang in there and don't lose hope, we're all in this with ya as well.

What changes did you make to your diet that you feel helped?