Pcs nausea and lightheaded
 

Hi everyone.

My daughter sustained concussion 10 months ago. We have tried every dr and treatment we could find. My daughter has persistent nausea and lightheaded. Does anyone have any suggestions for the nausea? It's everyday and I want her to get some relief. We tried meclizine and the patch did not work. Any prescriptions that might work? We need to manage the nausea so she can feel better while her brain continues to heal. thanks!

Debbier,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. I'm sorry to hear your daughter is struggling so.

It would help to understand more about her injury, diagnostics and treatments tried. Did she suffer any other injury ? How old is she ? Does she just feel nauseous or does she vomit, too ?

What other symptoms does she have ?

Have you tracked her blood pressure and pulse ?

Has anybody suggested any autonomic nervous system injury/dysfunction ?
Autonomic neuropathy is a nerve disorder that affects involuntary body functions, including heart rate, blood pressure, perspiration and digestion. It isn't a specific disease. Autonomic neuropathy refers to damage to the autonomic nerves.

Conditions like this can result from upper neck injuries that can be caused by the trauma of a concussion.

It can be tough trying to find the cause for persistent symptoms that would normally resolve over time.

My best to you both.

Thanks for responding Mark! She is 14 yrs old. Sustained concussion from falling off sled and hitting her head. The treatments/doctors we have tried. Concussion specialist ortho, 2 neurologologist, ent, chiro, functional neurologist, neuropsychology, optamologist, cardiologist. The testing done was mri of brain and neck. Vng. Csf flow mri, heart ultrasound. All normal. We have done physical therapy, vestibular therapy, visual therapy. Atlas adjustments. Her ongoing symptoms are nausea no vomiting and lightheaded.

Does she have anxiety issues too? After concussion the nervous system can be agitated, in my case the nausea gradually faded after about 6 weeks but I found myself having to calm down and take slow deep breaths quite a lot. It effects people differently depending on lots of factors such age, genes, previous concussions, anyone who is sensitive tends to have a harder time as there is a psychological element in how we react to it.

Thank you for the response. She does not seem anxious. She goes on about her day. Likes to go to school, get out of the house. I just hate that we cant find a way to help with the nausea feeling all day on and off.

Did the chiro just work on Atlas ? Was it a NUCCA or Atlas Orthogonal chiro or a general chiro ?

Have x-rays/imaging determined if she has cervical vertebra ? They are otherwise know as false ribs associated with cervical vertebra. They can get out of place and cause blood pressure and digestive system issues. A general term for the condition is TOS, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. I found a gifted physical therapist who uses myofacial release. Wow, instant relief from the stomach issues.

I've had gastric issues from various injuries 3 different times. One time, a faint nausea made it so nothing wanted to go down. I lost 14 pounds in 14 days. A chiro finally found a dislocated rib about T-2 or 3 that fed nerves to my stomach/esophagus. Another instant relief (within a few hours)

Regarding anxiety. The body can get stuck in a physical anxiety without any emotional component. Over-stimulation (visual,sound,tactile) can cause the brain to become overly sensitive to just about anything and be in a fight or flight mode. This can cause nausea and/or lightheadedness. The lightheadedness is more like the brain is constantly trying to orient itself. Some will try a benzo.

How are her hormones ? Thyroid ?

It might be migraines. I would guess that she would also have some type of light selectivity (seeing flashes with her eyes closed).

I had them over 6 months before I could filter out that set of issues. The pain constant so I didn't really notice until it was gone.

We are seeing a general chiro that specializes in upper cervical. We were sent for a special mri. ( experimental insurance did not pay) it was very detailed with measurements of atlas c1/c2. He does very light adjustments with the activator. Adjusts whole body. It was holding last visit. She does gave tight neck muscles and we restarted p/t to work on that. I did have bloodwork done last month to rule out thyroid, sugar, lymes etc as an underlying issue.

Do you have access to a PT who does myofacial release ?

My general chiro who is an expert with the Activator and a true healer noticed possible cervical ribs and suggested I investigate further. A physiatrist (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) ordered a special x-ray set, diagnosed cervical ribs and possible TOS and sent me to a specialist PT who uses myofacial release.

The Activator was not able to resolve my issues. The PT was. I tried a NUCCA chiro to no avail. The PT's who used classic PT techniques of range of motion and strengthening were not helpful.

If she has upper cervical issues that are causing inflammation to the brain stem, etc. she seriously needs to be disciplined with her sleep posture. My sleep posture would determine how strong my symptoms were the next day. As I learned to maintain good sleep head and neck posture over time, my symptoms started resolving.

It took almost a year of PT for my TOS to resolve.

I've tried a dozen PT's to find the one who can help me. I've tried 18 chiros over 35 years to find the 4 or 5 who could help me. Every time we moved or a chiro retired, I'd have to try some more to find a good one.

What kind of specialized MRI was done ? Does she have cervical ribs ?

For immediate relief to lightheadedness & nausea, I frequently suck on a ginger candy that can be bought in gourmet grocery stores or Marshalls/TJMaxx. Also use app on my phone Stop, Breathe, Think & work on deep breathing. Sleep posture is also key.


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