1.5 year after last concussion, will it continue to improve?
 

Hi all,
I'm a 27 year old guys. I have suffered PCS for about 2 years. It started with the an elbow into the head I got during play soccer. The initial symptom wasn't too bad but due to lack of information, I continued to get 3 other concussions and thing get much worse.

Just 1.5 year ago, I was unable to walk for more than 15 minutes, biking and reading was impossible and I had to take 3 melatonin pills to get through the night. The condition improved slowly in the last 1.5 year. Now, I am able to ride a bike for about 45 minutes and can sleep for 7 hours at night without taking melatonin. I haven't return to work yet since my head still hurt and I can't do intensive concentration. Still, I made a big progress in the last 1.5 year.

However, in the last three months thing seems to improve slower. I wonder if my improvement has stop at this point after 1.5 year because I read this from Wikipedia "If symptoms are not resolved by one year, they are likely to be permanent, " or "Most all of your recovery will be in your first year. Any gains after that will be minimal at best.”
My question is will my brain stop recovering and I have to live with the current state for the rest of my life. If not, are there anyone on this forum was able to make a recovery ( I mean to the point when we can go to work again) after a long period such as 3 to 5 years?
Thank you very much for your support.

trongnhantv,

Welcome to Neurotalk.

Wow, I think you are the first to come to NT who used Wiki to understand concussions. Wiki is dead wrong. Improvements can continue. Many don't see any improvement the first year then improve greatly the second year.

What have you been doing to help your brain recover ?

I suggest you read the first post call Vitamins in the stickies above. Also check the revision in post #101 on page 11 of the Vitamins thread. There is a link in the first post.

Dear Mark,
Thanks for your reply. My doctor said that wiki was wrong about the one year mark but I also heard other doctor said it was correct. More, she said this thing can take years. I really need stories about sufferers who have successfully recover after a period longer than 2 years. It will give me more couragement to fight again the PSC.
Regarding your question, I have been following your vitamin regime for about one year. Thanks for posting it. I also pace myself regarding physical and mental activity. I'm going to cut back on caffeine and sugar.

What symptoms are you still struggling with ?

Are you getting good sleep ?

I have had chronic headaches that lasted a few years in the past. They eventually became sporadic, with only a need for pain meds every week or two.

Could your headaches be related to a subtle upper neck injury where the only noticeable symptom is the headache ?

The assertion Wiki makes that you won't improve after a year or eighteen months is wrong, many on this forum will testify to continuing to improve way after this. I'm 2 years 5 months post concussion only this last month I've made progress with my remaining symptoms and expect to continue to.

PCS is brain damage and the brain takes a long time to heal and recovery isn't a straight line it's more of a sine wave gradually rising. Then there are the psychological effects of long term illness to overcome - feeling ill can become a behaviour you have to unlearn. PCS can also cause low level depression which can be debilitating, we don't always realise we're depressed, we just think we're a bit down.

I know it's frustrating when you remember how you used to be but you have to remain positive and look at how far you've progressed, you will get there with a positive mind. Also, listen to your body and rest when it needs rest. It's good that you are getting regular sleep, that will help a lot. With help the brain has great capacity for healing and adapting, certainly enough to prove doctors wrong!

How can I know if the subtle upper neck injury that caused the trouble? Anyway to diagnose it? I read before that sometimes neck injury can mimic the symptoms of PCS. My doctor didn't mention it to me. So, I did take a XRAY of my neck and show it to her. She said the XRAY didn't show any damage.
About sleep, I used to have very bad sleep when the symptom at its worst 1 year ago (2-3 pill of melatonin to get me through the night). But now it is where I see the most improvement. I can get 7 hour sleep at night with only one to two interruptions.
Thanks a lot Mark

A neck X-ray will rarely show the subtle neck injury from a concussion. It is more like a bruise of the connective tissue and such that causes inflammation that disrupts blood flow and causes neck muscle spasms. But it can lead to headaches and other struggles.

The only way many of us resolve subtle neck injuries is by treating our necks as injured. Icing, good posture during sleep and resting, avoiding neck straining efforts, and being disciplined with neck behaviors for weeks or more can show results.

Doctors are rarely any help. There is little they can do. Even most chiros are too aggressive. Some gentle physical therapy with gentle traction and light mobilization can help start the process.

I'm 2 years 4 months and still improving.

Bud