Three weeks ago I slammed my head into a cabinet as I was picking something up on the floor (I do not have a memory of the event...my family told me about it). I went to the er and was told I have a mild concussion. I am still having severe headaches, just like I did when the incident first happened. I have a huge, hard bump on my head that hurts when touched and creates pain around my the top of my eye socket and toward the temple. The bump is on the right side of my forehead, near my hairline. I still feel nauseated, dizzy, depressed, foggy, cranky and I weep all the time. I have an appointment on the 30th, but I am concerned about my symptoms. Is how I am feeling normal or do I need to be concerned?

Welcome to NeuroTalk Corki!

I'm so sorry about your injury but I'm glad you found us!

I hope you'll heal and the symptoms will eventually subside.

Hi Corki,

I had a lot of those symptoms after my concussion as well, so I don't think it is at all uncommon for you to experience those symptoms. It was very upsetting and frightening for me because I didn't know what was happening to me and I feared it might get worse. I had a lot of tingling and numbness in my hands and feet in addition to the symptoms you mentioned. And, sometimes I struggled to breathe in the beginning.

The first few months were the worst, but slowly I am seeing some significant improvement. It took almost nine months for many of those symptoms to resolve, but I still have a ways to go before I'm back to my old self. I'm getting more encouraged as time passes.

For me, it helped to put my recovery in God's hands and trust that He will heal me in time. I had to surrender my fears to Him daily and keep my thoughts on healing. I learned to be more patient with myself and to reach out to others for support and understanding. I'm still a work in progress, but now I have hope again.

I pray that you will find new hope, healing, and recovery soon.

Don

Hi Corki and welcome to NT!

I'm sorry about your injury. All of the symptoms you are describing are "normal" for a brain injury patient.

Your injury occurred recently and there is every hope that you will make a good recovery. However, I must caution you that there is nothing "mild" about a brain injury - and, frankly, it is not a good sign that you don't remember the accident. Many doctors are not well-versed in concussion, so I would urge you to educate yourself so that you get the best treatment possible.

During the healing process, it's important not to do anything that might hinder your progress. Rest and good diet are essential. It's also important to stay away from alcohol. I have no doubt that members more knowledgeable than I will chime in with good advice on supplements and treatment options.

Understanding PCS is an important step in recovering from it. Some excellent sources for further reading include: the Brain Injury Association of America www.biausa.org; www.tbiguide.com and our own TBI forum here on NT http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum92.html If reading gives you headaches, there are a number of excellent TBI videos on You Tube. (Who knew it wasn’t just idiots surfing on cars?)

Do not take comfort in a "clear" MRI or CAT Scan. Standard MRIs and CAT scans cannot detect damage to the millions of tiny axons that control the brain. People who are obviously cognitively compromised often test "clear." If your symptoms persist, you should have a neuro-psychological examination to determine how your brain is actually functioning.

I hope I'm not scaring you: I just want to make you understand that there are treatments available, but you will have to be prepared to be your own advocate. People have made incredible recoveries from brain injury. For example, a woman who got a serious TBI from a fall in her teens is now a neurologist in Canada. Never give up!

Cheers

Hi Corki,

THe majority of people who suffer a concussion completely recover in 6 months. So as others have suggested, rest, a good diet, low levels of stress and plenty of water and sleep are the best things for you to do right now. If you are working or going to school, you should probably take a month off just to rest and return to action slowly.

If after 6-9 monhts you don't recover, then you need to intervene with therapies. Some therapies you could try are neurofeedback and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. You could also look into vision therapy if you have residual vision problems. However, if you have the money and time, you could also start these right away.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Hi Corki,

I'm sorry you have had this injury, but I'm glad you found this group. It has been very helpful for me to be a part of it. I had my injury 6 months ago, and am still experiencing the symptoms I had from the beginning.

The good part about it is that I'm managing my symptoms better, and learning more about what's going on with me. This gives me a greater sense of peace and I can give my brain a rest from all the stress and worry.

Keep learning about what's going on with you. I hope you will not have a prolonged post concussion syndrome. Hopefully with some rest and healing, you'll be better soon.

I hope your appointment on the 30th goes well, and I hope that you are meeting with a neurologist that has knowledge of brain injuries. Good luck!

Hi, one of the best things about finding this site is that you realise that there are others experincing the same as you.

The best thing that you can do is rest. I didn't at the beginning and I think that is the reason why my symptons are still with me 8 years on. I simply did not understand that while I was fighting the symptons for so long I was making things worse for myself. Dorothy Gronwall kept talking to me about "waiting to get better" - I never knew what she meant until after she had died. I don't think I was rational enough to understand!

My MRI and CT scan did not show anything. The only test which showed was the QEEG.

Has your eye socket been checked out - the sound of that does concern me. Perhaps you should go back and have that looked at.


Good luck
Lynlee

Thank you for your reply. No your information did not scare me; it's always best to be fully informed even if it's not what we want to hear. I saw my GP and he just write up a referral to a neurologist who I will see on January 20th. The scariest part is the painful bump on my forehead that has not gone away (the accident was on 11/15) which hurts everyday and nothing works to reduce the pain. Unfortunately I was born with ITP (low blood platelets) so I cannot take NSAIDS. I've been taking fiorecet, which I normally take for my "regular" migraines, but it does not do anything for the headaches I have been having since the concussion.

I am 20 years old, and will turn 21 in April. I have had multiple concussions as I participated in Football and Wrestling in high school, and then went on to play a year of college football. I've been playing rugby, until last spring during a game I was kneed to the head, received 20 stitches, and another concussion......I then returned to play 3 weeks later, with no real problems. The next week at a rugby tourny the first game I felt concussion symptoms again and then took my self out of the game. That was May of '09 and I have had this hell since. Symptoms are/were nausea, migraines, hazy, no motivation, depression, dizzy, zoned out. I was on Amitriptyline for 6 months, which I've recently weened my self off. I have not been able to lift weights or train since, which was the biggest part of my life. At first I pushed through it like athletes are taught, as it was engrained in me to do so personally. Drinking is up and down as some times Ill feel fine and laugh and be loud as I usually am, and then other times I'll feel stuck or in a haze, basically feel like garbage. I've always been the loud, funny, and people person my whole life, and now it all seems gone.....Depression is what becomes of this, which no one ever wants to admit, but when your whole life has been taken away for damn near a year, it what becomes of it.......if anyone has any advice I'd appreciate it greatly or strories of someone who has become them selves again after a long struggle with Post Concussion Syndrome.....I'd appreciate it more than anyone could imagine.......Thank you very much

hey muddy, ive had pcs for two years, and i know what youve been going thru and its a living hell. i was always the loud funny person, up until this **** happened. but at about 25 months into it my symtoms just started to fade, im doing much better now and im totatlly myself again. i still have problems with dizziness and that weird pcs haze on rare occasion, but compared to what it was before, im doing fine.

Things that help you get through it - Distractions, no joke- any kind, friends, girlfreinds, hobbies, working out, stay busy as you can, you can totally lift yourself out of the hazy depression pcs throws at you by staying busy.

How to get better- Generally doctors will say "wait" itll go away in time. this may be true, but theres actions you can take. this is how much i recommend them in order.
1. -EEG training/LENS, very new technology your doctor might not know
2. -Chiropractor of the neck, cervical chiropractor
3. -Optomologist, which is an eye/brain type doctor
4. -Acupuncture, not as far fetched as you may think
5. -Neurologist medications, i personally dont like this one

i have heard many stories of people recovering comletely from each of these treatments. the thing about pcs is that its not fully understood so doctors often dont know what to tell you. But ive researched and talked to people and i KNOW many people who have gotten better as a result of these. and for others like me, its just a matter of time.

Stay strong. You have PCS, PCS does not have you. feel free to email me if you have any questions.
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