PCS 5 weeks in
 

Hi All.

This is my first post.

At the end of august I fainted and fell and hit my head on a door. Went to the hospital and had all the regular checks, CT, EKG and blood work and all came back normal. The doctor gave me the all clear. She said she wasn't sure if I had a concussion because I was already unconscious before I hit the door. I was fine the next two days and then suddenly the head aches started along with the 100 pound head and the feeling I was swaying to the right. I went back to the doctor and he diagnosed me with PCS. Of course they say to me to take time off but thats impossible, i'm in the middle of a police academy and I can't afford to take time off as I would loose my job.

The next 5 weeks have been hell. I have got through everything so far but it has been really hard. The first two weeks were absolutely hell.

I have had no motivation to do anything because literally all I have thought about since that day is my symptoms and when I will be back to my self. This whole thing has been hard on my wife also because she has seen the changes in me also.

My doctor prescribed my elavil and meloxacam for the headaches. He also gave me lorazepam for anxiety which really helps me calm down at night. I notice that when I am relaxed my symptoms aren't as bad. I want to go see a specialists but my doctor says my HMO won't let me until after 3 months.

All I want is information and all I get told is to rest and I have to wait for it to go away.

I suppose what I really want people to help me with is to shed some light on what the recovery process is like and when can you tell its gets better?

This entire thing has me pretty down and depressed, Mainly because I don't have answers.

Thanks

Hi bdud

Welcome to NeuroTalk :).

I hope that other members will be able to offer you support and good ideas (I know very little about TBI/PCS).

Best wishes.

It’s early days for you, so you really shouldn’t let yourself get too stressed out at this point.

Odds are you’ll see a good level of improvement over the coming weeks, if you take care of yourself. But the latter part is key. A job is just a job — I forced myself through work, initially, and I shudder to think how much that may have set me back in my recovery. Take your injury seriously.

Also, I think the lorazepam is a terrible idea, as it’s a benzo, which may interfere with healing. Use melatonin for sleep. And Zoloft would likely be a safer choice for anxiety.

Your long term health is much more important than police academy right now..... you also don't want to risk getting kicked out or flunking out by pushing past your limits at this time.

The latest research is not for extended rest, but minimal activity, walking, while paying attention to your heart rate and your headache. A big turning point for us was starting physical therapy where the therapist monitored the headache. If the headache increased 2 points (1 to 10 pain scale), then take a 10 minute break. If the headache settles down, it's ok to continue the activity. If it doesn't go down, time to stop the activity.

You can't push through these head injuries. It's not like any other part of the body. If you'd turned your ankle or hurt a knee, you could try to push through the pain, but not with the head. Trying to push through it will only slow down your recovery.

We also adopted a keto diet (google bulletproof coffee for a good starting point). Keto was a huge help in clearing the brain fog.