9 Months In (Technically)
 

I had a concussion in late June of 2017 from a motocross accident. I healed pretty well from that one, it seemed But in september I headbutted a friend on accident playing basketball and the next day I woke up with those same darn symptoms. December 13th I hit my head sliding down some stairs while I wasn't even close to being healed from the second. From then until now I've been going to concussion therapy, a neurologist who prescribed me zonisamide, and I'm on a home hospital teaching plan. I finally got over the all day headaches and started feeling better these past few weeks. Long story short I did a calf raise. A singular calf raise semi fast and I felt a shock in my head and the symptoms came back. Ik I don't have another concussion. I'm not having anxiety either like some times before. So what's your opinion on this? Why does something as small as a quick calf raise (could be compared to a very tiny jump) set me back like that? And if it can't am I having anxiety that I'm not feeling like I normally feel anxiety? Any feedback would be helpful. I'm 16 and with no hopes of living the life I wanted I'm scrambling to get myself healed for college.

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Gabeabebartlett,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

I have no idea what a calf raise is. I assume you did some sort of jump. Did you jerk your head? Did you land on your heals?

I'm confused about your whole post. Why are you taking an anti-seizure med?

What kind of 'concussion therapy'?

What is a home hospital teaching plan? Does that mean you are doing school work at home? Why can't you go to school?

Besides the headache that has subsided recently, what other symptoms do you have?

What makes you think this? "I'm 16 and with no hopes of living the life I wanted I'm scrambling to get myself healed for college."

What have you done to reduce the risk of head impacts?

fyi, Nobody ever heals completely from a concussion. Most will recover from the obvious symptoms. Some are more susceptible to later impacts. Some will have more intense symptoms. Research suggests everybody will be less tolerant of stress of all kinds. You need to consider reducing your risk of future impacts.

Yes I did a small jump. I landed on my heels. I am taking anti-siezure medication as a headache preventative that may be working. The concussion therapy I'm doing is called ocular and vestibular therapy. The Home/Hospital teaching plan means I do my work exclusively from home and I have a teacher that comes periodicly to teach me. I can't go to school because of the symptoms that are aggravated there. Well the headache is back now; but other than that I have blurred vision, black spots in my vision, a hard time concentrating, drowsiness and insomnia, dizziness, and pressure in head and sinuses. The reason I think "I am 16 and with no hopes of living the life I wanted I'm scrambling to get myself healed for college" is because I wanted to join the marines and now my head is too sensitive to go into a profession like that. So my backup is physical therapy which I need to get to college for. I've stopped doing any sports or physical activity, limiting going out and not going to school. I am also being aware of my surroundings and alert of things hanging down that might smack me in the head to keep myself from setting myself back. All of the questions you've asked are answered in order.


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Usually the neck /and neck muscles are involved somehow with most concussion accidents..
Consider some therapy for your neck, do a web search on trigger points and muscle spasms to learn more, or get an evaluation by a expert PT or expert chiropractor that uses gentle and soft tissue therapies...
Trigger points can refer pain & symptoms - headaches, foggy/blurry vision, and much more..
You can do some self treatment easily usually with a tennis/golf ball or such.. thumb or fingers if you can reach the spots..
See if that reduces the problems you are having..

Gabe, Some therapists push too much therapy too soon. That can be taxing on the system. Have you had any blood work done? Thyroid and hormones plus B-12, folate, magnesium, D-3, and more are all worth checking.

The common drug for concussion headaches and insomnia is low dose amitriptyline or nortriptyline before bed.

Do you rest or nap during the day? Many think this is good but it is not. You should try to sleep at normal times so your sleep cycle functions properly. A few minutes of eye rest during the day is OK.

As Jo*mar said, your neck is an important issue with a concussion. A subtle neck injury can make concussion symptoms worse or even be the trigger for those symptoms.

I've been working on the neck with my PT and using the tennis balls in the sock massage as well as others. It's been improving my issues over the past month

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I haven't gotten any blood work done. I'll look into a way to getting some for the things you listed. I tried the amitrytaline and it didn't help me at all. I also tried Prednesone to help the headaches and it didn't help either. I do rest during the day and I'm glad you brought that up. I'll take that into account and not take any naps so I can improve my sleep schedule. I am working as well as having people work on my neck to help loosten the muscles.

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