Concussion?
 

Hello! I hit my head very hard on a metal ridge over a month ago. I did not pass out and did not vomit. However,, my ears clogged, got ringing in the ears and i felt off/groggy.

I have had tension headache, but those are better. Now over a month later my clogged ears are better but still feel diffrent and i also feel a bit off. I also have gotten a big bump from where i hit my head which cause alot of tension on my head.

I have had no cognitive problems at all, but i still feel a little off - which is causing anxiety. Is it possible that i have post concussion syndrome? I have only rested for a week.

Ludde

Lula,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

Please try to not get caught on a diagnosis. At 1 month post impact, most docs would say you are still just recovering from a concussion. PCS is usually not the diagnosis until after 6 to 8 weeks. Some even do not use the term for 3 to 6 months.

Bumps and lumps can take a long time to resolve. They can leave tender spots that cause one to focus on the injury.

The best thing you can do now is to adjust your life to accommodate feeling a bit off. Slowing down and trying to find things to stay distracted with so you do not get caught in anxiety about your condition would be good. Anxiety can become worse than the original injury.

You are still early in your recovery so try to be patient.

My best to you.

Thank you for the fast answer! It is closer to two months but im feeling a little better. I will try to not have anxiety, it is difficult.

I will try to really rest for a month or two. Do you have any suggestions on activites i can do and still get sufficent with rest? or something i could do to recover faster? I am an action oriented problem solver so i need to try to do something to make recovery faster.

Thanks

Ludde

Your c1 c2 maybe have gotten misaligned..
Some reading & info to explore -
http://www.upcspine.com/self.htm

Okay, i will look it up. Thank you soo much! :)

Your brain does not need rest other than good sleep at normal times. Trying to force rest and naps is counter to recovery. Your brain just needs low stress. The 'need to do something to speed up recovery' is stress.

Find low intensity things to do. The 'get it done' person often struggles to find low intensity tasks and activities. Reduce your cognitive load while maintaining or increasing your motor function load. In other words, physical activity. It can be just manual tasks to getting out and raking leaves. Paint a room.

As Jo*mar said, consider your upper neck. For example, painting a room could mean looking up. It may not be good. The subtle upper neck injuries need gentle care and disciplined posture.

What do you mean by 'a little bit off'?

Okay, roger that. Thank you. I feel pretty okay, but i believe the ringing /pressure in one ear, the tension in the scalp(from bump?) and somewhat blurry vison makes me feel not as alert as i used to, like more off.


Ludde

had no problems according to CT-scan. I am going to an ear doctor tomorrow to adress trouble with pressure and ringing in ears. Any thoughts on going to a chiropractor? Feels good to try to adress the problems, but i need to keep the anxity in check.


Ludde

The CT Scan shows you do not have any brain bleeds or contusions (bruises). This does not mean you do not have a subtle neck injury. If you can find a chiro who uses gentle techniques, it may be helpful. Upper cervical chiros or physical therapists who understand upper cervical issues can help.

Check Jo*mar's link or FAQs | National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association

Your neck may improve by just improving your sleep posture.

Eardoctor said ear look ok and the clicking in the ears and tinnitus may fade away with time. The clicking is ears is diffrent preasure in ear he said. I feel anxiety is under control and sunglasses and earphones make it easier to relax.

Hey, same here! I also have tinnitus with weird pressure changes. You're not alone. It's true that chances are high it would fade. But only time can tell. My eardoctor said the same.

Also like the others said, check if you don't have neck issues. I recently found out that the tinnitus for me was a result of a neck injury and not just the concussion itself.

Also anxiety makes tinnitis worse so its good you can relax :cool:

Okay, we will do this together!! How long have you had it for? I try to mask it so i dont try to look for the sound. Recently bought sleepphones which help. I have also tried ginko biloba, which i believe helpes for the ringing, byt i am not sure if it is good for the concussion recovery? Any thoughts?

Hey Lula,

Any progress? Sorry for the late answer. I didnt saw that you had replied. Well i got tinnitus the day of my concussion which was mild at first. Than 2 months later severe. Now 3 months later moderate. Like pcs, you can not put a date on when it will dissapear. Only that we have a chance for it to go away. I know this can be dissapointing, but dont despair. I know of 2 people who got it from concussion. For 1 it went away after 5 months. For the other it didnt but became much better 1 year and it doesnt bother him anymore.

I tried ginko but it didnt help for me. It helps for some. I'm glad you feel benefits :) i don't believe ginko is bad for concussion recovery, because it stimulates blood flow. But always ask a doctor before trusting someone on the internet like me ;)

Some tips that helped for me: try to think of it as less as you can. I know this is very difficult. At first i felt horrible. I could hear it over te tv, radio, etc. I couldn't concentrate at anything. But when i started forcing my focus on external things, the more i would forget about it. And eventually i mostly only think of it when someone asked me how my tinnitus was. It's like i sometimes forget i can hear it.

Secondly: relax. Stress makes it so much worse, even if it's somatic tinnitus like i have. Watch some comedy, talk about fun things with someone, take a hot shower. It will take your mind of it. If i stress, then it becomes louder. Also lack of sleep makes it worse, but i know sleeping is very difficult for most of us with pcs.

The last thing that helped me was listening to music at a level where i could still hear the tinnitus, but i was distracted enough to not feel bad about it. It made me get used to the noise much faster then trying to escape from it.

Hope it helps. And who knows maybe you dont need these tips, because it already had dissapeared ;)