Back and concussed again
 

Hello everyone!

You may remember me. I used to post here as StupidRugger, but realized that the name is a bit harsh.
I always felt like I was at fault for my first concussion (by playing rugby), but I've come around since then.

In October of 2012 I had a concussion that put me out of school for 3 months. I didn't exercise properly for around 6, and later on went and got some neck rehab done. I finished my senior thesis and graduated in May of 2013! Got a job and things have been good.

Unfortunately, on 12/7 I stood up too fast under a shelf and beamed myself hard. I saw stars and ended up on the floor in pain. I got a big goose egg and a good amount of tenderness and swelling. I denied to myself that I had another concussion. I went to work the next two days, which was a mistake.

My job is in forestry, so I was outside doing hard physical labor. Every night I slept 12+ hours and felt terrible. Finally on 12/10 I had to have my boss drive me home. I had a major headache, nausea, and dizziness. I spent the next few days sleeping and staying away from screens as much as possible (luckily our internet was out, too!). Went to the doctor - concussion!

And here I am now. I still have some "ice-pick" headaches (short headaches that come and go). I tried walking 2 miles today and got quite a bit of nausea. I haven't dared gone back to work, and I asked to take medical leave the rest of December. Cognitively, I feel sharp and fine. I did a few luminosity games and I wasn't any worse than I was a year ago. The headaches, nausea, and anxiety are my main symptoms. My neck also hurts like you won't believe - I haven't exactly been treating it kindly with my current job.

So, I think it's important to share my experience and remind everyone that even something as benign as a shelf can cause a concussion. This is making me reevaluate my career track. I fell a lot of trees for work and have already had a few close calls. I'm terrified now of putting myself at risk for another head injury.

I bet the biggest problem you have with your job is the need to look up trees to see which way they lean and how to fell them. That is rough on a concussed neck. You really need to get your neck resolved before doing any more of that.

What is a college grad in forestry doing felling trees ?

I didn't get my degree in forestry, but right now I'm working for an ecological restoration firm doing invasive species removal and native tree planting. At this company you start off doing labor before moving up into the planning components. Going back to school for a few graduate certificates would get me out of the field and at a desk faster. I don't mind being out in the field. It's a nice change of pace after college, and I love being outside all day. (Even in the Oregon rain)

I think more than felling, I also hurt my neck doing various other tasks. The worst offender is probably wearing the herbicide pack, which has 3 gallons of chemical on my shoulders. I would often get these same ice pick headaches after wearing a pack without waist support.

Right now I'm icing my neck constantly and looking forward to a PT appointment on the 30th.

Ice pick head aches that are short term (minutes) are often vaso spasm head aches. I get them. They tend to hit me in waves that last a week or two then go away. Head aches from neck strain can be another issue. I agree that you need to get a belly band for the backpack. I used to haul a 3 gallon backpack chasing Canada thistle, Scotch thistle, hounds tongue, toadflax, and a few other invasive weeds. It is amazing how much strain is put on the neck.

We'll be planting until April or so, which will present its own troubles. I'm on leave until the end of December at least.

Right now I'm wondering what I should be doing for my current concussion. I am resting physically (I get headaches and nausea on any walk more than 1.5 miles), but cognitive stimulation doesn't seem to be bringing on many symptoms, and I'm bored. Should I be staying away from the computer? I haven't been watching TV or playing video games, but I do spend a lot of time reading articles online. This hasn't seemed to bother me too much. I'll be getting a new lenses prescription on 12/24, which I'm hoping will help.

The headaches come and go, but aren't too significant. Mostly I have a lot of mild nausea, which may be unrelated but I'm not sure.

EDIT: I'm also taking 2g of Fish Oil per day and a B complex vitamin.

Most B complex vitamins are not worth much. The dosage of B vitamins is just too small. A B-50 or B-100 complex would be much better. Even with a B-50 or B-100, it is worthwhile to add B-12 methycobalamin. Most B complexes have cyanocobalamin.

TV is better than the computer in my experience. You are farther from the screen and the visual processing load is much less. If you are reading online and find you need to reread a line of text, it is time to take a break. I find high def TV to be a strain.

Silly, I have had the same issues. I had multiple concussions playing rugby and hit my head on a stairwell over labor day. Since then I have relapsed 3 times due to knicking my head on various things, and from occasionally overstressing my head. I've lost some peripheral vision and occasionally miss things I used to see, causing these accidents. It's quite frustrating having a headache for 4 months straight and not being able to excersice and lift as I have previously loved to do. I take B vits, Coq10, fish oil, and feverfew/butterbur. It helps when I am recoivering, but won't help with a real bad day.

The vitamin and supplement regimen is to help the brain recover and be able to tolerate more stress. It is not intended to alleviate current symptoms. The Omege 3 fish oil may help to reduce inflammation but whether that reduces symptoms (a bad day) is entirely dependent on what is happening in the individual's brain.

It's very frustrating. My job revolves around exercise and I've been avoiding going to work because of it. We're in tree planting season and you'll get fired if you can't do so many trees per season.

That's the sad thing about rugby. My roommate has played for 35 years as a scrum-half and never suffered anything serious. Some people are just lucky, I guess.

I am lucky in the fact that my job is sedentary, but I do struggle to stare at a computer all day. I also get very little exercise now.

Only spent 2 years playing rugby, but had a long career in football and catching in baseball; both which beat up my head. I also know a few people who have taken some knocks and never been concussed....Lucky them.