I don't really have any specific advice to offer, but I can say that fatigue is one of the few symptoms that improved in my case. I still find myself being tired when I shouldn't be, which I don't know if is normal or not, but the extreme fatigue I had in the months following my injury did pass.

I find that sleep has a big impact on how I feel each day. Either too little or too much can leave me hazy for the whole day. Each day when getting up it takes me up to several hours for my head to clear from a hazy state. That will usually take a much shorter time if I've had an optimal amount of sleep, which for me is not much more than 7 hours.

I know well that unclear feeling in the head when you wake up. Since my TBI, early in the morning has always been my worst time of day, but that too has improved a lot. It's still my worse time of day, but it used to be so much worse. I used to have to get up in the night and walk around because I felt so uncomfortable.

When I tried to get up I felt awful, dizzy, headache, unwell. Having a shower helped a bit but then I was exhausted and pretty much lay on the sofa watching TV all morning.

Have you ever watched TV in the morning? Gees! It's bad. I'm in the UK and it's all about making money out of property, buying a house at auction.......all stuff that I was not interested in, couldn't afford, couldn't do because I was ill, but which I was forced to watch because all I could do was watch TV and that was all that was on. I am so glad that I don't have to watch any of those shows anymore and I can just go to work.

Anyway, I digressed a little there.............One thing that I think helped me is a low dose 10 - 25 mg nightly of amitriptyline. It helps with the headaches and it knocks you out a bit which helps with the sleep. I do feel a bit when I wake up, but I sleep through the night now.

It might not work for everyone, but I thought that I would mention it as I think that it has helped me. I really notice it when I don't take it. I didn't take it for just one night last week and felt terrible, like I used to a year or more ago, so I obviously still have some underlying problems still, but if I can manage to function with the help of drugs then, it's not ideal, but I'll take it.

Good luck, Folks.

CS

I get the same kind of benefit from Neurontin (gabapentin) I take it 1 1/2 hours before bed. It helps my body and nerves relax. It has less side effects than amitriptyline (Elavil) The Amit does help with head aches for some. I just take some acetaminophen (Tylenol) with the Neurontin if I am head achy.

Hi Shelley,

"I am (or was) a teacher, and am not able to work yet", too.
"It's very frustrating. I don't know whether or not I will be able to go back to teaching...." too.
I KNOW how you feel, truly.

I am (or was) an elementary music teacher with 2 bands. With all the singing, dancing and the noise level from beginner instrumentalists, there is no way I could even enter that space today.

My injury occurred in March 2010 and struggle with headaches and fatigue when I overdo it.

I recently was asked to sing at a funeral for a dear friend. Thinking I would sing something I knew, I said yes. However they came back the following day and requested 2 songs I didn't know. Being the professional, I worked for 3 days learning these pieces amidst pounding headaches. My working memory is one of my impairments so I struggled at something which would have been very simple for me to accomplish.

The end result was I performed them BUT I was in bed for 4 days straight after unable to do anything.

A hard lesson indeed.....

Ah Shelley, I tell this story because I tried to do something which I used to do very easily, no stress at all.
But now it is definitely different. I accomplished it but a great price.

Yes, it was very HARD to face this. In order to teach music, I was constantly learning new music throughout the year and performing it for my students. However this common activity today was like climbing a colossally high mountain and collapsing at the top and wondering how was I going to get down.

With that said, however I am not disheartened because I did learn 2 new songs and sing in front of over 300 people. Something I would never have been able to do a month ago.

Yes, there is slow progress but progress like the concussed scientist, Mark of Idaho said and the many others too. And I hold and treasure that as I continue this journey of understanding the new me.

I too am exploring other avenues of teaching, not necessarily for right now, but for the future. It is my passion and I guess even sharing in this forum is a way of teaching only different.

This forum continues to strengthen me and gives me advice for questions I don't get answered anywhere else.

As I go forward, my hope is that the skills I have, will be used. However I have given up, the how they may be used. I truly believe that life will provide a new way for me to teach, for I am being taught now in a new way.
This life is a mystery... I am grateful I am alive.

From one teacher to another....

Peace
Grady Lady

Grady Lady,

Thank you for your beautiful reply. I am (have been) an elementary school teacher. And teaching is also my passion. But right now I do not have the energy to do it. The fatigue is the worst thing about this. It never leaves. I still hope that may change, but I can only trust that somehow I will be guided in the right direction.

How brave of you to learn the songs and sing them at the funeral. But I well know the price you have to pay whenever you overdo things.

Your words are truly inspiring. Thank you for writing.

I do believe that you will find a way to teach in some way. It is such a part of my being, and, I am sure, yours as well.

Be well.
Shelly

Hi Shelly,

I don't know whether this might help, but I tried Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment (HBOT) about 2.5 years after my trauma, and my fatigue did improve quite a bit, to the extent that I can manage to work all day now. Of course, it may be that my fatigue was due to improve then anyway, so it's hard to say what was the result of the treatment and what was the result of the natural healing process, that needs time.

At any rate, I really wish that I had tried it earlier. I am curious to know if it would help someone closer to the start of their healing process. I think that it would be worth a go. If there is somewhere that offers it near you, it might be worth trying a few sessions to see if it helps with the fatigue. Let us know if you do.

Best of luck, and I hope you get some more of your energy back soon.

CS

What is cranial sacral therapy? Anything preceded by the word 'helped' I will certainly investigate. Thanks!

Here is a link from wikipedia....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniosacral_therapy

sr10

Cranial sacral therapy is an alternative healthcare method that is based on the belief that the eight plates of the skull are movable. The belief goes on to diagnose and treat by attempting to move the plates back into proper position.

It is a common practice among Osteopathic Doctors. In fact, It is a required course in the osteopathic schools.

It goes on to treat the whole spine down to the sacrum. The spinal therapy is slightly similar to chiropractic or the manual manipulation practiced by some Physical Therapists. The spinal manipulations can be beneficial when done by an expert and gifted practitioner.

It is highly controversial to the point that one of the OD instructors at an OD college has written against it.

The research into its efficacy has been focused on the diagnostic portion of the practice. They had multiple CST practitioners diagnose the same subjects. There was very little in common between the different practitioners' diagnoses .

The main stream medical and anatomy community hold that the sutures between the plates of the skull fuse by 8 years old and become solid bone by mid 20's.

Some research suggests a placebo value of CST that may approach 60%.
The original developer of the Activator Method of chiropractic believes the cranial plates can be subluxated needing correction.

Once, an Activator trained chiro tried to adjust my cranial plates. I stopped him and did not return for a follow-up visit.

For those who can afford it and are also highly susceptible to suggestion, the placebo value may be worthwhile. I would still stay away from any attempt to move the cranial plates.

I am starting my second week of NUCCA chiropractic therapy. NUCCA stands for National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association. There is a parallel group called Atlas Orthogonal that is based on the same techniques. It was founded by the family of one of the two founding partners of NUCCA when that partner passed away.

I am hopeful but skeptical about the view of the NUCCA practioner who thinks NUCCA will cure most every ill. I just want my C-1 vertebra properly fitting with my skull. I have had chronic problems with my left occipital condyle getting inflamed and stiff. The occipital condyle is where the C-1 (Atlas) vertebra fits into the skull at the superior facets, one right and one left.

I have to honestly say the one thing that helped my fatigue very much.
Was that I had to add Iron to my life. A test found the need for it.

I don't know that my fatigue would have gotten better on its own.
So one of my suggestions is to have your primary doctor check your
iron. But remember to continue having it double checked.

Mine didn't happen right away, it took a little while..

And I can state that in my 29 year old son's situation. He was very
anemic, and adding large doses of iron. Changed him a lot.

So give it a try. The other thing I did was go to physical therapy for
my balance issues.

Donna