Anxiety is Counterproductive!
 

For some people, including myself this form has helped but it has also hurt us in our recovery. I seem to get on here everyday to try to see how people are doing but I end up spending too much time on the computer and then obviously I get anxiety because this form has so many critical cases. Now I see that it isn't just me, not to call people out but you can read people's post and realize that the anxiety from this injury is killing them.*

*I am still trying to figure out how to control my anxiety, posting this message is one way. I am not sure why this form is so addictive after we hurt ourselves, all I want to do is read more about symptoms and see how people are doing. But it seems that our self discipline or the realization that we are hurting ourselves further by causing anxiety, isn't enough to stop.

So I would say to people who get on this form everyday freaking out about their symptoms, go rest, get of the internet, go mediate. You already know what you need to do to get better. Mark in Idaho has posted it every time. Quiet Rest, Reduce Anxiety, Get good Sleep, A little bit of Exercise, An extensive Vitamin Regimen and listening to your body. Now I need to follow this advice as much as the next person, but its time to realize that reading more stories, doing more research, getting more anxiety is just hurting you..So stop hurting yourself and do everything to get better. STop the anxiety depression pattern.

Well said.

I finally started to see real steps toward recovery when I allowed myself to take a break from school and work and said "I'm going to get better, but right now I need to take things at my own pace". And I did. I worked as long as I felt I could (I will say I had a very understanding employer at the time) and took a medical leave so I could finish assignments at my own pace (a few hours a day in a quiet library).

One of the things I did was stop checking this forum obsessively. During the first few months of my recovery I googled "post concussion syndrome" constantly looking for answers. Even now I find myself doing that again.

Another thing I did was start playing the free "brain-training" games on lumosity when I could handle them. I started seeing improvements each time and this did wonders for my confidence and for reducing my anxiety. Obviously this is a suggestion for folks who are in the latter stages of recovery.

I think it's important that people find support here and those who "know". I do think, too, it's important to discourage people from becoming too anxious. I think us younger kids have the worst time of it because we're not used to slowing life down at all.

Yes, and no.

While I don't think it's good to obsess, I do believe it is important to have a solid understanding of TBI symptoms and treatments.

On the whole, doctors are not well-versed on TBI. If you just sit back and trust them, I doubt that you will receive much attention, let alone useful attention. Most TBI patients discover that they have to be advocates for their recovery. One can't do that if one is ignorant.

...and don't forget good nutrition.

True but...
 

That's the thing Hockey, I got a pretty good understanding after reading through these forms obsessively what I needed to do, but instead of follow advice I just kept reading, over and over hoping for this thing to go away. I am 7 months into this thing and at first I thought I would be fine in first three months, then that time passed and I was like 6 months, I am definitely not bad enough to be in this longer than 6 months and then...I just lost my mind, I realized that I was way worse off than many of the people that recover in the 1 year zone.

The anxiety of the fact that this could be permanent took over my soul, my depression took that and threw me into loops of crying. I have always loved life and here I was contemplating ending mine, now that I have calmed down. I realize that other than the basic advice of...Good Nutrition, Quiet Rest, Anxiety Control, Exercise, and a good Sleep Regimen, there really is no cure for this. I wanted to go do HBOT, go talk to Dr.Carrick, do Neurofeedback. I went to a balance institute and they told me Vestibular won't help me. I think as of now, my state of mind is what will help me make the best recovery.

That is a fact that gets lost when you obsess. I still cry sometimes, I still have anxiety and the depression is hard but I think dealing with those things is what is going to help, getting sicker by reading everyone's story and comparing myself to them is not. And I know by reading certain people's posts that they are just losing their mind over every single detail, considering how often certain people post, I know they are like me, reading every story on here, comparing themselves to everyone else.

Its very human of us to find out and I think dealing with this injury is the hardest thing any of us have ever dealt with. But realizing that there are no specific answers, that our fate is in our hands. That for one to recover, one has to try harder than they ever have before to follow the advice posted on these forms and relax. I am going to get off here and listen to Star Trek The Next Generation, its my workaround the show is so well written that you don't really have to watch it, listening has the same effect. Good luck on recovery people. This is hard, if we make it through this than life itself will be so easy.

Qtip,

I think you have done a fine job of expressing my recent conclusions to my thoughts.

This is truly up to me and I have lost confidence in myself somewhat so I have been spending to much time on here clawing for hope....my hope really has to lie in the fact that God gave me the skill and determination to beat this and I need to renegage that. That is the only way I will win.

This is a great site, I wish I had found it months sooner.....it is all in what you make of it, how and why you use it.

Bud

I think we are in agreement. The important thing is to understand the injury and use the knowledge constructively.

Sadly, there is no miracle cure for TBI. In addition to rest and good nutrition there are treatments that can help us get the most out of whatever we've go left. I am a big advocate of psychological help for TBI's emotional fallout and Attention Processing Training (APT) as a proven aid to cognitive function.

Hang in there and remember that your anxiety and depression are SYMPTOMS of PCS, not it's cause.

Terminology is a big problem as is the reliance on scans to determine whether or not someone has a brain injury.

Just over two years since my injury I saw a Neurologist who said I have had a mild brain injury but the symptoms are anything like mild as we know.

This made perfect sense, but up until this point I had been told concussion/post concussion syndrome but it was a lot more than this.

I too used to be on this forum, looking for answers. This was largely due to doctors lack of knowledge/misunderstanding.

Plenty of rest, avoiding the internet, TV, alcohol and avoiding exercise is the way forward. Less is more!

Additionally, drugs like Cymbalta (only on 30mg now) and Lyrica (200 mg) daily have helped settle down my symptoms of low mood and neuropathic pain. I am a lot better and work full time and have even managed a 50km Cycle.

Most of us get completely or near completely better! The only problem is for some it takes a very long time!

Yes, the vast majority of people make excellent recoveries. I always try to point out to the newbies that the TBI forum isn't replete with Senior Members. :)