I am at a loss to accurately describe what this is/what it feels like when it infrequently yet repeatedly occurs.

FYI: Age 57, 2 previous mTBI @ age 40+ & age 20. I am at ~ 20 mos. post-mTBI/PCS from high-speed, high-impact rear-ended auto collision in which my little vehicle was totalled by a big mini-van. I was perched to make a right turn when we were struck; my passenger says that we did a 360 and a 180 (turns, not rolls) before my vehicle came to a stop some 30-35' out & away from the minivan and some 60' *back from* our original turning position, facing in the opposite direction.

We were not hospitalized; clear CT in the ER, twice in 10 days.

I am in now what I would describe as the 3rd phase of mTBI/PCS. This is where I can say, okay, I see that I am getting better, not 100%, yet I am definitely better, finally feel again more 'like myself'. (It seemed that my personality was 'erased', all of who/what I knew as myself was just 'gone'.)

And now to my question.

Perhaps the most disturbing and alarming symptom(s) which I experience intermittently, not frequently, is this experience of a sudden 'jolt' or forceful 'push' at the back of my head around the occipital area, base of my skull. It hits me with enough of such a forceful sensation almost as if I were being hit/pushed with force from behind enough to nearly topple me over. (Seems uncorrelated to postural position, head position/ movement/ turning, etc.) I feel weak and shaky afterwards.

Neurologist (unhelpful in all ways) diagnosed as 'syncope' and/or 'migrainous'. There is no headache associated with these episodes. He wrote: "suspect Ms.__ is a migrainor".(??)

At other times, it feels like a 'spinning' inside my head, which is very disorienting. It's not 'vertigo' in the sense of "the room is spinning". It's more like my 'inner gyroscope' has been set into a spin, if that makes sense to anyone?

I have not been checked out by ENT, otolaryngoloist (sp?), MRI, MRA, nor QEEG (plain EEG, normal findings) or for vestibular disorder.

Anyone else have experience of this or anything similar?
Any input, experience shared would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Theta

Sort of! I get this weird sensation when I lay my head all the way back and close my eyes. After a couple of minutes, I get this forceful sensation in the center of my head that feels like a quick spinny/vibrational type feeling and it always makes me open my eyes. A couple times, it's so intense that I jolt up a little and I feel my heart racing afterwards and a little warm. It's not apnea or that dream-feeling where you fall and suddenly wake up. I started experienicng this the night of my injury. Doctors seem clueless.

Clarabelle,

Have you been checked out by a neuro/ear doctor? I forget what they are called but it sounds like you may have a vestibular or other inner ear problem.

Theta,

Was there supposed to be a magnifying glass attached to you previous post? LOL

I will cut and paste it to Word so I can increase the font size. Maybe you can edit it and increase the font size.

Theta,

I was able to read your post. I have an event from time to time that may or may not be similar to yours. I will have a jolt to my head. It appears to be similar to when I start to fall asleep while sitting up. The relaxation of my neck muscles is met with a quick reaction to hold my head up. Does this make sense?

As soon as my head starts to drop forward, it reacts with an almost whiplash to 'right' my head position. Sometimes, the sudden movement results in the feeling of a concussion.

This tends to be more frequent when I am trying to hold my head still with stiff neck muscles. Could it be the muscle tension is causing a spasm of those same muscles?

Thanks. I have managed to change the font size. Sorry 'bout that, Mark!
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Thanks, clarabelle. Yes, what you describe is very similar to what I experience; though I've never experienced it while lying down; always sitting, driving(!), or standing.

Thanks, Mark - It doesn't feel at all like muscle spasms or ligaments; much, much more interior and 'electrical' in sensation is all I can think of
["Brain spasm" is more like it. lol. Oh, here comes to mind all the bad jokes about "PCS spaz"!]

I have had episodes where I hear a loud band or clash inside my head. There is no external sound. If there had been, my wife would have heard it.

Don't get to obsessive about this with a neurologist. They will likely consider it a symptom of your mind, not your brain.

Do you guys think I might have Meniere's Disease? I keep being told by doctors i don't have it, but do you think that sensation I get in my head is related? Nothing "spins," per se, it just feels like a quick zap behind my eyes.

Along with headaches and daily dizziness (though not true vertigo) I have pressure all over my head, inclusing in between my ears. I also feel like my ears need to pop and sometimes they feel really crackly...likemoving my jaw I can hear fluid or something.

I also get tinnitus regularly and a week ago my righgt ear felt kind of full for a couple hours. Yet doctors don't think it's Meniere's. What do you think?

clarabelle,

I would suggest lightening up on the self diagnosis. From what I read about Meniere's Disease, it is more a cluster of symptoms that an actual diagnosis in the early stages. Most of the treatments are just treating the symptoms anyway. This is the same as PCS.

The nutritional treatments, accommodations, etc are all the same as for PCS.

Give yourself a break from the anxiety and try to learn to moderate the symptoms. The internet has plenty of info about self treatment.

My best to you.

For what it's worth, Theta, I have had experience of a sort of jolt also. Mine can be in the brain but it is also in the upper spine.

Like you I was rear-ended by a larger vehicle moving at high speed. I think I have some neurological damage to the upper spine as well as the brain. The time that I have most experienced a jolt, it was more in the upper spine than in the brain. It was almost as if someone had sneaked up behind me and thumped down on my upper back really hard. For a second I didn't know whether I was going to collapse or have a seizure but then nothing else happened.

That was the biggest jolt that I have had but I have what I call neurological spasms much more frequently. Perhaps these are similar but not so intense. It feels as if there were some kind of actual discharge of electricity or something charged. Electricity and charged atoms and molecules are involved in the functioning of the brain so I don't think that it is completely far-fetched that some of processes involving charge might produce some unusual phenomenon when the nervous system has been damaged.

The good news is that these things that I have been taliking about have been getting better and better for me over the last couple of years. Now those jolts or neurological spasms, whatever caused them, are much much milder for me.

I hope that everyone with similar problems will find that they gradually get better also.

CS

Thanks so much, ConcussedScientist, Mark, clarabelle, et al. Yes, Scientist, what you describe is very similar and I do 'get' an 'electrical' jolt sort of sensation. It's late now; will reply better in a pvt. msg. to you tomorrow.

Yes, clarabelle, please heed Mark's caring wisdom, to give yourself a break from worrying so over "Is it Meniere's??" Re-read carefully Mark's reply on Meniere's. I comprehend totally your worry/concern. Stressing ourselves out with worry and fear is in no way self-supportive, self-caring, helpful in any way and certainly not conducive to healing. Feel free to 'vent' if you need in private message to me, if you want. Just know that everyone here is ultra-supportive of you. [ And just so you know, I also got 'lost' in fear, worry, anxiety for well over a year; it's no life at all, no way to live, much less heal and be as well as we can be.] Hang in there, clarabelle, we're all on your team.