Feeling Kind Of Downgraded
 

I hope some of you may be able to relate to what I'm currently going through. A few weeks ago i got a concussion via a snowboarding accident. Ever since, it seems as though I've been downgraded from my old spontaneous and lively self. I've been feeling foggy and my concentration has been muddy. I've had extreme anxiety and panic attacks like you wouldn't believe and falling asleep at night intimidates me and I'm suddenly trying hard just to keep my eyes shut long enough to fall asleep. Rarely do I get the full needed 8 hours of rest. The dreadful part is that I was getting better after a couple of weeks and there was a point where i had thought i was really coming around. Until I heard about a brain injury story that had me panicked and my Symptoms started to flare again and i was back to feeling horrendous and unpleasant once again. My doctor cleared me and told me that he didn't think anything was wrong with me but my old Psychiatrist believed i have PCS. I declined taking any medication for the anxiety but it really seems to be the symptom that has the most effect on me. That week when i was getting better i had almost no anxiety or panic attacks and It felt as though my symptoms were pretty much vanishing. But after the anxiety and complete doom hit me again the symptoms started to fluctuate and increase once again. The anxiety gives me a really upset stomach, dizziness, shortness of breath, Nausea, pretty much the classic symptoms of an anxiety attack. I thought I was getting better and now i feel downgraded back to where i started when i first got the symptoms. I was wondering if anybody has had the same experience or if they have any encouraging words to spare? I'm 22 and this is my final year of college and I'm fearing something horrible is happening and there's no way out of it. My girlfriend has been really supportive but my personality has changed and i feel like I cant be that guy she first set eye on anymore. = /

hi
 

hi jake

anxiety attacks are not a symptom of pcs in all cases but the general low mood and fogginess could trigger an episode especially if you have suffered in the past if your sleep patterns are out of sync that can also play a part go see your doctor to talk through your options please don,t get PCS mixed up with TBI we share this board so it can happen PCS is disruption of brain function TBI is brain injury you can also help in the healing process by keeping your self hydrated and taking good multi vitamins and most of all taking omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acid,s rest and no more bangs to the head keep going back to the doctor if you are worried keep us posted

kind regards vini

You don't think its PC's? I thought that any form of mild concussion was a form of TBI? Whats the difference between the two?

Hi!
I also got PCS from a snowboard-crash.
Im gonna write more another time, but what you say about the anxiety-attacks and so on. Believe me when I say that EVERYTHING that the brain deals with gets affected. I also have had stressproblems, axiety, nervous-breakdown etc and YES it has to do with my brain beeing more sensitive and out of balance. BIG mistake to think a concussion is a structural damage. My dad has a stress-related problem after working to much for long periods of time in his life with lots of pressure. We can seriously see the same pattern. He hasnt hit his head yet we are the same way. Fatigue, stress, hard to sleep, koncentration-difficulties etc etc!!

Concussions are a scary thing to go through. For some people, especially young people it can trigger an episode of acute anxiety and stress. It sounds like you've got yourself very scared about what could be going on in your head physically which is very easy to do if you start reading around on the internet. The personality changes, the fogginess and slowness are all common symptoms of ANXIETY and so not necessarily evidence that you are suffering from PCS (although PCS just means you are ill after a concussion so it could be called that).

My advice is to STOP reading on the net about what might be wrong with you and to take it very easy for a while. Do things that you enjoy, be kind to yourself and find ways to calmly distract yourself from things which trigger your anxiety. Getting some medication for the anxiety may help. Some therapy may also be beneficial especially if you have suffered anxiety or depression in the past.

I suffered a relatively mild concussion from which I thought I had recovered a few days later. I've been struggling with depersonalisation, derealisation, anxiety and depression for the past 8 months since but am about a million times better than I was 7 months ago. But when I took a look at my life pre the accident I realised that I had been dealing with all these things already. The concussion just seemed to tip me over and bring everything crashing down so I had to rebuild my life.

Wish you all the best. I'm certain you will be back to yourself. In fact you will probably be happier once you get through this. Just give it some time and don't for a minute think that you have brain damage cos that will suck you straight back into panic land!

hi
 

hi

Benjamin is right he was in a similar place and is well on his way now , you hit your head and hurt your brain your scans were normal so there is a very good chance you will come right in time and rest, if your scans showed structural damage this would be TBI . PCS is after concussion whether you were knock out or not, the brain has to kind of de frag it,s self , like when you can out, you check your self out to see if you are hurt, and this ,takes time and our functions run slow, but in TBI the components are missing or damaged, the panic you feel maybe due to a kind of informational over load and a kind of realization that we are not invincible , like you have recover enough to think wow I was lucky , with TBI there is often as in my case no memory before and after, I was the same motor cross cliff jumping ect when I was young see, if you cant get the sleep thing sorted

hope you feel better real soon

keep us posted

vini

Hey everyone thank you for all the help and comments. As it turns out I don't have PCS, Instead a specialist believes I'm suffering from post traumatic stress, which would explain why i only start to feel completely hopeless and ill when the anxiety and flashbacks of the incident occurs. I've been prescribed some relaxants and an antidepressant. With time this should all pass and I'll return back to my carefree and less irritable self. I thank everyone for their support.

benjamin, you're correct on so many levels man. Apparently the stress of the incident (being knocked out of nowhere and having my entire conception of saftey thrown out the window) caused for an acute traumatic stress episode which I've been dealing with on a day to day basis but ever since i was told it wasn't so much physical as mental I've been kind of feeling much better almost like myself again only with the depersonalization factors kind of making things a bit foggy and stressful. But The doctor who specializes in the brain and post traumatic events told me that its just part of the healing and will subside within a few months. I've been sleeping a lot easier with the medication i'm taking even if its just the minimal dose. I've had less flashbacks of the incident and I'm currently paying less and less attention to the event and the emotional after math of it. I've also been taking it easy on the flicks that i watch (I cant even watch my old snowboarding videos i used to make with friends) at least not right now since watching anything to do with snow or mountains causes me to get nervous and the anxiety / nausea comes back. I'm also like hypersensitive right now, any loud sound or even the rustle of leaves outside makes me a bit edgy but apparently all of that is normal with acute traumatic stress. Again thank you so much for your input guys its really been helpful. Hopefully the dissociation and depersonilization will slowly start to fade away again and wont come back. = )

I'm glad you are doing well and getting good help. I hadn't realised you were experiencing depersonalization too, our experiences are very similar. I suffered dp acutely for several months so that my sense of time and space got screwy and I felt completely detached from my emotions, memory and self. It's a really scary thing to experience after you've hit your head because you naturally presume it's brain damage. In fact many people who haven't hit their heads who experience dp are convinced they have a tumor or some form of serious brain disorder (they are of course physically perfectly healthy)! DP also comes with its own set of symptomatic partners like tinnitus, visual snow, poor concentration, low awareness, depression, anxiety etc....all of which are common symptoms of PCS! It gets very confusing but the thing to remember is that these are symptoms of a brain/mind that is out of balance rather than physically damaged and will disappear as that balance slowly restores. And for that to happen it needs rest and as little stress as possible. I'm speaking from experience here rather than as a qualified pro but I know what's helped me and our experiences seem very similar.

The way to beat the DP is to just leave it alone. Understand that it's your mind's way of blocking out stress and that it can't hurt you (though it is very unpleasant) and it WILL go away in time. Try to just carry on with life as normal as possible and keep yourself occupied with things that you enjoy. Maintain social contact too with your friends and family. All these things will slowly reassure your mind that reality is no longer a threat. Don't drink or smoke weed either! It might take some months and don't expect it to be a perfect upwardly linear recovery but you'll get there.

I found a great article that distinguishes the difference between PTSD and TBI. Apparently studies show that victims of TBI usually do not develop PTSD because TBI is more often followed by loss of consciousness and amnesia. As described, the loss of memory can serve as a protective agent against the formation of PTSD. Those who remember and were not necessarily out of consciousness for a long duration at the time of the event are more likely to develop PTSD. They are in fact cognitively healthy and physically healthy. But emotionally they are going through a stressful situation. The symptoms of PTSD and TBI are almost identical in nature. But the anxiety and fear are a lot more severe in those with PTSD. Depersonalization is also highly particular in PTSD patients. The way in which the traumatic stress episode is re-experienced should thus differ depending on the amount or type of memory loss. So if you had a loss of consciousness for a long period of time the chances of PTSD is unlikely. Whereas if you remember the event prior and during and were out for a split second or maybe not at all the chances of developing PTSD are much greater. Pathological memory formation during an alarm response may set the precondition for PTSD to occur. So if you remember the event and there was no significant loss of memory or consciousness there is a good chance you are suffering from PTSD or its acute variant. Remember both have similar symptoms but the depersonalization and severity of stress / anxiety is more common in PTSD.