Losing Hope
 

I suffered a concussion on October 2, 2014. I believe I suffered a second one on February 9, 2015 and a third on 3/19. since then my life is been a nightmare. I had to withdraw from school completely and I am unemployed.

I can't function as a human being in society. I tried going out in April for a few times and this just set me back and I'm still recovering. The noise sensitivity in late sensitivity are out of control. I have to wear earplugs all day inside I can't deal with cars driving by, dogs barking or lawnmowers. I can barely talk to my girlfriend without screaming at her.

I saw a neurologist on April 30 and he told me that these symptoms could be permanent. Since then the light sensitivity has gotten even worse with nice weather. At this moment I have to stayinside my room all day and I put up triple curtains to block the sun. I can't go out or do anything I can barely use the phone I can't watch TV without headaches I have constant headaches from the light.

Lights that I could be around at the beginning of may now bother me. I can't even play solitaire anymore since the beginning of May. My vision is impaired I started rehabilitation with occupational therapy and speech therapy on Thursday and they told me that I have memory and vision deficits.

I'm so depressed and terrified of each day. I'm losing my motivation to keep going. Someone please help me. I feel I may be stuck like this forever and I don't know how to cope with it. I try to find success stories but it seems more people are permanently disabled from these injuries and can't accomplish their goals and dreams they had prior to the injury. I really was doing well in February before I hit my head again. I'm only 26 and I thought that I would be doing better at this point.

Hi DannyT

There is hope! Please don't give up! I was like you for months - couldn't leave a dark room. I am slowly getting my life back now. You will get better. It will not go as fast as you want, but it can get better.

All I can say is what helped me. First I had to control my anxiety. I did this through meditation, breathing, massages, manual therapy from PT, psychologist, epsom salt baths, light walking, etc...

Then I had to accept what happened to me and change my lifestyle. Stop working, stop trying to do chores, stop watching TV, stop trying to go out in the world and be normal. I had to stope everything and just focus on relaxing, controlling anxiety, and doing rehab. exercises (vestibular therapy, massage, acupuncture, chiro., etc...)

It sounds like you have already done some things to get better. Try to focus on what will help you instead of what you can't do right now. Also, do you have someone there for you? When I was at my lowest points, I was lucky to have a loving partner by my side encouraging me that it will get better. If you don't have someone there to help you, ask someone for help! We all need help through this.

I wish you the best.

Yes your not alone!!!

Over 8 years ago I was in your same boat....I also found out that the over stimulation was cumulative....So the more noise, movement, light was overwhelming!!

Now to be honest....I always have my sunglasses with me...kinda like a security blanket?
I also anytime around noise and confusion I use noise canceling ear buds...

Most people have no clue other than my inner circle of friends.....

So it does get better....But you will have to learn your own ins and outs....Easy, no.....Possible to find some peace....TOTALY!

Hang in there!

You are still very early in your recovery. It took me more than a year to start feeling "normal" again, and I'm still noticing improvements 1.5 years later.

My doctor said he expects me to continue improving for at least another 6 months, but that might just be something he made up. Sometimes I think he just guesses lol.

I had the vision issues, too. And a bunch of other problems lol. I wore sunglasses for 7 straight months, even inside and at night time.

There are settings you can change on your laptop and smartphone (assuming you have these things) to make them easier to see. I keep both of mine very dim, and I went in and changed some setting on my iPad to keep the device from giving me headaches. I don't recall the setting, but someone else might know what I'm talking about.

Don't lose hope bud,

I struggled for months with pretty bad symptoms and noticed that my recovery occured in what seemed like super slow steps.

Did your doctor prescribe anything for the headaches and sensitivity? I took naproxen 500 and nortryptyline 10 mg for a few months and noticed these helped me cope with the constant symptoms I was having.

Have you tried looking into a Vitamin regimen? Check out the vitamin sticky. I posted what I started taking on post # 148. I think vitamins help with both imflamation and with restoring proper nerve tissue function. . . sort of my educated guess but I found taking vitamins after about the 8 month mark really helped my recovery. Staying hydrated helps me as well.

Just some thoughts to help you on the road to feeling better man. Hope you start feeling better soon bud.

It definitely is overwhelming. Focus on what you can do to improve it (IMO mainly finding the right qty of vitamins / minerals, and maybe supplements and medication.

I talked to a specialist about creatine. She said it is depleted in TBI patients but supplementing it doesn't seem to help. Because it works preventatively may not mean it works as a treatment. I'm not 100% convinced either way, sometimes it seems like it helps. But it doesn't hurt to try, and creatine is fairly cheap.

I have a link to a pubmed study but says I can't post it because it says i need 10 posts. shame, its very good info.

The specialist did say to take CoQ10, even though she wasn't too keen on creatine. The two seem to be related. She also said to take riboflavin (vitamin b2), as that can help with concussion headaches. But don't take more than 10mg a day (complexes have as much as 50 or 100mg) as more than 10 sets the eyes up to damage from UV.

Danny,

The most important part of recovery is not losing hope.

We all get discouraged but you can't allow that to grow to hopelessness. Set goals you can attain and then do it. I realized when I want to attain something I go for it but when it came to my health I just wanted it to be better. It has been difficult to reach out and attain recovery.

Don't quit....we are pulling for you!

Bud

I'm in the same boat as you - really difficult to keep going sometimes and hope that things get better. I can't say that I have found what works but not staying in the house is what helps me. Even going to doctor visits is better than being at home (for better or worse I have plenty of these). When simply home, all I think about is what was and what is .. it's not a pretty picture. I'm trying to go out for walks but it's physically difficult.

Hi Danny,
I'm very sorry you're feeling so badly.
I remember when you went to see Dr Charles who I think was involved with Student Services. I just recall how much help he was to you at that difficult decision time although I see now that you've said that you've withdrawn from studying.

Do you mean you're unenrolled and not going back any time soon? I thought you were just taking the semester off but re-reading your post makes me think I'm now mistaken. I was hoping you could maybe go talk with him if you were still enrolled.

Thank you everyone for the replies and words of encouragement. You truly are awesome and kind people!

I have been unemployed and am officially withdrawn from university for 3 months now. Since then each month I have actually worsened in my condition.

It is quite scary to have my condition continue to get worse. Since I wrote the post the other day I have been slurring my words and my vision is worse. I hear these are possible adverse effect from Gabapentin which I recently started for headaches. I've tried amitriptyline before but it made me severely depressed and groggy the next morning.

Now, I am very depressed and anxious stemming from the worsening of symptoms especially noise and light sensitivty. I still live close to college and with the loud cars and city sounds I feel like im gonna have a panic attack and I can't sleep at night. I also am OCD about everything I know that these problems are hindering my recovery.

At this point I'm considering going to the ER because I feel like im losing touch with reality. I know that this hospital takes my insurance and has psych people on staff.