CRP levels and persistent symptoms
 

Hi everyone and enjoyed reading the experiences of people as it helps me understand a condition we share. I really like the medical profession and try to absorb what they say from the outside however it may be just as difficult for them to gauge what is going on in a person as it is for me to express the jumble of issues I am experiencing from the inside. The main problem since my concussion is often the medical professional is off explaining an issue while I am left concentrating on the first few sentences as the brain can't keep up with the normal pace of thinking.

I took a tumble from a ladder 3 years ago, cracked two vertebrae and smacked my head on the ground although I wore a hardhat and safety harness, the helmet flying off as my head hit the ground. Two months later after spinal fusion surgery and an unfortunate nuisance called MRSA I left hospital with a willingness to get better. Although many of the daily symptoms have gone such as vomiting and unusual experiences of surroundings, some have stayed like overwhelming fatigue, tinnitus and a number of lesser symptoms.

My CRP levels (indicating inflammation/infection) shot up after surgery, then dropped for a few days and then shot way up again to 289 mg/l. I have read that people who have elevated inflammation levels (CRP) are more likely to have more prolonged symptoms of concussion. Three years after the injury my mind seems to be still struggling to find a balance and it is not easy when the medical perspective is that all the symptoms should be gone by now or it is some psychiatry problem. Sorry for the detailed medical report but it is the best I can do at the moment, unfortunately readers have to copy and paste the link -

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My question is - does one medical report make a difference ?. It is really difficult living with a condition when the prevailing medical environment says that any remaining symptoms are 'in-your-head' so to speak rather than actual physical symptoms . It is not really adding insult to injury but if a biomarker, in this case CRP levels, for persistent symptoms help m cope with a life-long condition then it makes living with the condition so much easier.

I had bloodwork done last October which included both C-reactive protein and sedimentation rate, both of which are supposedly measures of inflammation, and I had optimal levels for both. So, either these aren't good measures of brain inflammation, or they aren't indicative of my PCS symptoms.

Laupala

Thanks for your reply, I imagine that the link between elevated CRP levels and prolonged concussion symptoms is a tricky one however,from experience, there was a period when the expected outcome of the concussion didn't match the reality of the recovery .

After 2 years there was a crash and burn weekend when I realized that the incremental improvements were no longer coming and I was stuck,as it were, with symptoms that I can longer do anything about. The new 'balance' seems to be much less than what is required to accomplish workloads like going from a highway to a side road and having to stop frequently and although I am not complaining, it does present huge problems in the world we have today.

I had a high CRP level denoting inflammation 3 months after the injury (due to MRSA) so , without speculating too much, I feel the brain not only has to deal with its own injury but also a spinal injury and an infection in the body . I find the effort of the brain to find the right balance to be astonishing and it still goes on 3 years after the work accident and for this reason I can live with a physical biomarker for the recovery process rather than it is 'all-in-my -head' approach.