Sorry to hear of your injury. We're here for you.

I was assaulted in a similar way on June 23, 2000. I got whiplash and a concussion. My wife says my personality changed.

There are a few things you need to look out for. Is you neck/upper neck still symptomatic? You may need to find an Upper Cervical Chiropractor to check this out. NUCCA.org has a referral list.

How are you sleeping? Do you dream and wake up refreshed? If not, your sleep needs to improve. My neck is still a problem if I sleep with it in a bad position.

Of course, you have learned the hard way about alcohol. No more than one serving ( a beer, glass of wine, no hard liquor) per sitting. Try to limit your caffeine to one cup per day.

I swear by vitamins and other supplements to help my brain work at its best. B-6, B-12, folic acid, all of the anti-oxidants, Omega 3's, Vit D3, etc. I and others have many posts about nutrition. Do a search. The injured brain needs extra levels of these supplements, first to overcome existing deficiencies, then to heal.

The road is long and slow for some of us. Get to know the new you, at least for the present. Work with your recovering brain, not against it. Slow down in your study intensity. take breaks from the books frequently. Avoid pushing it when you feel foggy brained.

Focus on lowering your stress load. The injured brain does not heal when under stress. It needs good REM sleep and lots of it.

I hope this helps. It is easy to get over-whelmed with a concussion that persists.

My best to you.

Hey thanks for all the help it is really appreciated and nice to hear from someone else who has been through it. How are you doing now? Have things improved?

Luckily for me sleep hasn't been an issue. I am feeling pretty refreshed when i wake up and sometimes it seems sleep is the only escape from all this. However with things getting busy, it seems my time to sleep can get limited.

I never had any issues with my spine in terms of pain or anything. Do you think it is still a good idea to see a chiropracter? How about exercise, i so badly want to get back to the gym.

Anyways thanks for your advice. I am definitely going to pick up some supplements.

First off, you do not need to feel discomfort to have an upper cervical problem.

There is a BIG difference between an Upper Cervical Chiropractor and a generic chiropractor. You want to avoid any chiro who does the twist and pop neck adjustment. The C1 to cranium and C1-c2 joints can be out and not corrected by normal chiro techniques.

You can also get an injury to a major brain artery (vertebral artery) when struck at the base of the skull. Neck inflammation can slow this blood flow.

Regarding exercise, I would suggest getting a wrist type blood pressure monitor. You want to keep you BP and pulse at lower than normal exercise levels. Do a search for "buffalo" on this forum. There are plenty of posts about the Buffalo protocol for concussion.

Regarding sleep, you must make time for good sleep. You will not heal without lots of it. The neurons only heal and recuperate from the days activities during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. Bosses and instructors need to know how important good sleep is for you to heal.

If you do not allow your brain to heal, it will take years to get any better, if at all. You can't heal a torn ligament by continuing to use it under load. Same goes for your brain, except your brain does not generate new cells like structural body parts. It needs to repair the damaged cells. They can only repair will resting.

Your screen name looks like you may be military, possibly a Staff Sargent. Tri-Care should have good help for Post Concussion. It is a big problem with the troops.

Regarding my condition, I am on permanent disability. I had my first severe concussion in 1965. Since then, I have had many minor bumps and a few moderate bumps, the assault and hitting my head on an overhead beam. I have Post Concussion Syndrome from Multiple Impact Syndrome.

I have been knowingly living with PCS since 1971. My daily function is very high even though my dysfunctions are drastic. I have very little immediate or short term memory in both visual and auditory areas. I use the computer screen as my short term memory to help me keep my thoughts going. I have central sleep apnea so it is difficult to get consistent REM sleep.

I would suggest to anyone who is reading this to make every effort to avoid the next head impact. Studies show that subconcussive impacts are more problematic that the rare concussive impact. Subconcussive impact are devastating football athletes.

My best to you.

I am such a hypocrite. This evening, I will be watching the Boise State Broncos beat up on the Virginia Tech Hokies. Hope their brains survive.

hello and welcome

the assault is and issue and something that may be hindering your recovery.I got my brain injury in an assault I cant remember much of it , but the fact someone else . was responsible. can really gnaw at you, and develop into ptsd or worse

cant say I have had much help in this direction . but if you can, get some help it may. clear the way for you

Thank you for the BP advice; didn't even think of that! I love learning new tidbits from your posts.

And...I love the humor you add, as well! Thank you Mark! (I did literally Laugh Out Loud on that one!)