Could my symptoms be PCS?
 

Hi everyone and happy new year.

Thank you for reading my post and i hope to have some of your input.
A brief history about me is that i had a appendectomy on end Sept (where i having dizziness) and few weeks later I had a motorcycle accident where i fell to the ground and hit several parts of my body including my head but luckily i had a helmet on. I did not suffer any neck & head pain or lose consciousness.

Few days after the accident (around 3 days), i started to have headaches, sleep problems, having memory issues and sensitivity to loud noises & dizziness which persist till today.

I have had an MRI of my brain twice and the neuro and radiologist says there's nothing wrong and had me on Amitriptyline daily. It has since been almost 3 months from the accident and the chronic dizziness and headaches are affecting me a lot.

Sorry for the long post and i would like to know if my symptoms are suggestive of PCS? I am very worried if this is something other than PCS and i saw a psychiatrist last week and she fobbed me off with some Lexapro.:(:(

Your comments are highly appreciated.

Max,

Sounds pretty PCS to me.

I think if you had no reason to be on Lexapro prior to your fall I would be reluctant to introduce it to myself this early in recovery.

You haven't been PCS'ey that long, I would be tempted to allow my body to correct itself.

This is strictly my opinion and not a command.

Pay attention to what if any triggers set off your symptoms (bright lights, loud music whatever) and refrain and or limit such things for awhile.

Don't forget to purchase a new helmet, never trust one that was tried out.

Bud

Hi Bud,

Thanks for your reply. I was given the Lexapro because i am having health anxiety and depression from the chronic headaches as i am terrified i might have intracranial hypertension/hydrocephalus which is a lifelong condition though my neurologist has dismissed both.

The daily headaches and dizziness are really taking its toll on me although its not debilitating.

Hi All,

I have been getting this leg weakness feeling few days ago and i am not sure if this is due to my accident. I have been dropping things from my hand too and i am so afraid that this could be ALS.

I have no problem walking and swimming but i have this weird feeling that the legs are weak. Please help.

maxcjs0101,

Everything you are experiencing sounds like PCS. Your anxiety is likely magnifying your symptoms. That happens with PCS. Stop using the internet to try to self diagnose. You will just frustrate yourself and increase your anxiety levels. You may be suffering a bit of post anesthesia syndrome. Your body can sometimes take months to finish recovering from anesthesia. Some people are extra sensitive to the anesthesia.

It can help to get a good brain health vitamin supplement regimen started. Read the Vitamins sticky at the top. It will help your brain flush out any remaining toxins. It is also important that you get good quality sleep at regular sleep times.

Motor skills can be affected by anesthesia. I wonder if that had an impact on your motorcycle accident...???

Max,

Everything my body felt was a sure sign of impending doom for my health.

My guess is we are unable to filter out and prioritize normal body feelings when PCS'd. Just
My guess.

Hi Mark,

You have no idea how grateful to hear form another person who understands.
I saw a neurologist (trainee) and he says it does not seem to be PCS as there is no bleeding in the brain in my MRI scan.

Anyway, thank you for your time and comment. I will try to lessen my google searches.

Max,

I don't claim to be an expert, just someone who's been dealing with PCS myself for years, but your symptoms sound pretty standard for PCS. Sounds like this neurologist is not exactly a concussion specialist - if you can find a doctor who is, it should be enormously helpful, at least in reducing your health anxiety by reassuring you that what you are experiencing can be explained fully by the injury you had.

PCS doesn't necessarily have anything to do with bleeding in the brain. I'm surprised there are still neurologists out there (even trainees) who would say something like that. I have been treated for PCS for 3 years at one of the top hospitals in the US, and they diagnosed me with PCS, in no uncertain terms, before I'd even had a brain scan. (I didn't move back to my hometown and start seeing them until 6 weeks after the injury, and the ER doc I saw initially didn't think I needed a CT scan). I eventually had an MRI, but they told me that they fully expected it to turn out normal as PCS-causing damage isn't generally visible on scans (and it did indeed turn out normal). My point being, from my experience PCS is diagnosed based primarily on symptoms and/or measurable signs (reaction time, balance, etc.), not on brain scans, since a brain scan will often look normal for a PCS patient.

Good luck in your recovery.

Max,

Since my accident my legs can feel like they are noodles and it is one of my lingering deals. It can really worry me.

I have to go by the actual evidence which is they have never quit me.

Bud

Thank you for the replies guys.

3 days ago the headaches seem to reduced and until yesterday it was almost a reduction of 50% but its back today. I thought my brain finally started to recover and with this feeling of weakness in legs which is giving me huge bouts of anxiety im really stressed.