Do different atmospheres affect symptoms?
 

An interesting thing happened to me yesterday, and I'm wondering if there's any pattern to this.

Yesterday when I woke up I was having one of my worst days with symptoms that I've had in a few weeks. I just felt a lot of pressure in my head and ears and stuff like that, and I was feeling pretty light-headed. Unfortunately I had plans with someone that day that I didn't want to cancel, because I would be meeting up with a friend that I wouldn't be able to see for a long while again. Even more than that, she had wanted to go to this amusement park near me. I was kind of dreading it, fearing that I'd just wind up feeling worse while I was there, especially with rides (I did give her a fair warning that I'd have to stop if a ride was making my symptoms worse).

What I found is that the opposite thing happened. I felt better while I was at the park (and the rides didn't affect my symptoms at all thankfully). I kind of chalked this up to the fact that often times I'll feel better when I'm with a friend because I'm distracted, or also that generally my symptoms will typically be better in the latter half of a day.

But then something else happened. I came home after being out for most of the day, and as soon as I came in my house and went down to the basement, my symptoms surged back. It was weird that it was suddenly happening again as soon as I got home.

So my question is, does being in a different atmosphere affect your symptoms somehow? Like perhaps there's something in the air in my house that's worse on my symptoms than being outside?

I also noticed this when I was on vacation last month. I went to South Carolina for a week (I live in Pennsylvania), and that whole week I felt pretty good. My symptoms were a lot better. Then as soon as I came home I started to have problems again. I feel like it can't be coincidence but maybe there's another explanation.

I think I remember reading on this forum somewhere that there is some evidence suggesting altitude can play into the severeness of symptoms. Flights for example usually make people's symptoms worse, which I assume has to do with altitude and pressure.

Hi deuce!


What I can think of, and what happens to me, is that maybe when your alone/home you might dwell and think about your symptoms. Causing them to increase.


For example, for your situations above, when your at the amusement park and with your friends, your most likely more distracted and not thinking about your concussion/symptoms. When you were on vacation, you were also keeping busy and must have been more focused on your family and having a good time then focusing on your symptoms.

For me, I'm home a lot. I still have that anxiety of doing things and going places cause I feel I'm going to hit or hurt my head. When I'm home a lot, I find myself thinking a lot about everything. Causing my symtomps to increase.


The mind is more powerful than you think.
Try to distract yourself without risking bumping/hitting your head.

Good luck!
Sam

Deuce, You could also have a mold issue that causes problems. Worth checking, if you can.

different aspropheres
 

they will make a difference for worse or better

Deuce,

Possibly anxiety.

I have had a lot of anxiety since my injury....who hasn't. I missed 9 months of work and returned in jan of this year.

I had to get psyched up to go to work and as I became accustomed to it again I found myself not worrying as much about going. The weird thing is I would start to really come unglued on the way home and then going home took on a fearful tone. It took quite awhile to recognize it was anxiety and not necessarily genuine physical symptoms of the injury.

i don't know what I was fearful of about returning home. My theory is that I was worried about my head causing me problems at work( which it did and does but not to the extint I was imaging possible) and It was safe to fall apart out of the public view at home. And fall Apart I did. It is getting much better now that I am recognizing anxious thinking and managing it better.

Bud

My symptoms are related to barometric pressure. The days it's low I feel much better, the higher it is, the worse I feel. If I have to go upstairs to the third floor in the attic, I can feel pressure in my head immediately. There is also more heat in the attic during the summer so maybe it's the heat but perhaps there is less air in your basement affecting you? Just throwing it out there.
I recently had to fly to Colorado for my son's wedding and it was brutal. The elevation did a number on my head and I struggled to get through.