When I was at my worst, I was talking to my mother-in-law, and she pointed out, "You are lucky because no matter what problems you are having, you are still essentially you, and we are lucky we still have you." I realized she was right. I may have been impaired, but I was still me. Even now, I can't really do much reading or writing, which I have always thought was necessary for my existence or at least for my happiness, but I am not what I do. I am more than that. So are you!

I got my injury on 5/5/13, so just a few weeks ago, when I decided to try to skateboard. I've been on Narco for headache, soma for head tension and Phenergan for nausea/vomiting. My dr just prescribed Seroquel for sleep. Has anyone tried these meds? I took the Narco, Soma and Phenergan for a couple weeks but stopped because of how druggy I felt and tried Advil only which only tore my IBS stomach up even more. What treatments have been successful for y'all? What recommendations do yall have? Seroquel is most commin,y used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, its ver stron medicine. I've read that psycho-meds are sometimes prescribed to treat PCS. Any tips or advice is welcomed.

Hi - found this thread as i was searching online for some info on my symptoms. Had a mountain bike crash and was concussed for about 6 hours - bust collar bone, according to some medical sites if u can remember to withing 5 minutes of the accident yours s considered mild - ? I can remember to within seconds. About a yer later i had a scooter accident where someone turned in front of me and i took a hard knock to the head although i remained conscious.

For the first 6 months of my recovery i was sleeping about 16 hours a day. At first i thought i twas the pain killers but after i stopped those the sleeping continued. I would wake up at 8-9, and by 12-1pm i couldnt keep my eyes open and would sleep till 4-5 and by 8-9 i was out again.

Its been almost 6 years now and there come moments in days sometimes mornings and evenings when all of a sudden i just get SO drowsy i have to take a nap. Luckily I freelance and work aroud these issues - furthermore my memory which was once razor sharp is quite pitiful - including my capability to learn certain things, like languages, its almost embarrassing!

Is there any therapy that can help me wn back some of my brain? I still program successfully and function fine - but i have noticed a drop in attention, feeling apathetic sometimes, loss of minor cognitive functions -

Basic info:
Im 36, male, non smoker, have the odd drink here and there and no allergies / addictions to anything. I do a moderate amount of sport and eat relatively healthy. What vitamins can help the brain? I tend to eat quite alot of meat and love veggies and fruit.. I also eat 2 sugars ina coffee and over cereals - moderate in most things id say..

thanks!

fstarockr,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. You have responded to an old inactive thread.

My first question to you regarding your sudden need for a nap. How are you sleeping ? Do you dream or have stressful dreams ? Do you wake up during the night, maybe out of breath ?

What are your common activities during the day? Often, there are triggers that cause symptoms to manifest that can be discovered with a bit of looking back at activities and work loads.

Read the sticky thread at the top about Vitamins and Supplements. It has good brain nutrition info.

btw, The info you refer to in your first paragraph is bogus. Amnesia has little to do with intensity of a concussion. People have had severe concussions with full memory before and after the impact. Much of a concussion's damage can take place hours to days after the impact. The memory part of the brain can remain completely intact while other areas are seriously damaged.

My best to you.

my husband suffered a concussion as a young child. he played football in middle school and high school. when i met him in his late 20s, he had just begun to suffer from periodic seizures. we did not know what they were. this went on for some years. his personality began to change. he became progressively moody, verbally abusive, paranoid, sneaky, antagonistic,argumentative...very passive aggressive. it was no picnic. finally we figured out he was having seizures, and he went to a neurologist, where he was prescribed oxcarbazepine (trileptal). it helped cut the seizures down to about one every 6 months or so. upon doing independent research, i requested the neurologist also prescribe antidepressants for him and wondered why it took my asking for this medication when it is apparently a 'given' for people suffering from seizures. he has mild amnesia after each seizure, but he always 'comes back' within an hour. it often takes him days to recover his sense of taste and smell as well as his energy. before a seizure, and this is a new observation of mine, he is particularly nasty and lethargic. he was overweight at one point and the seizures, despite the medication, were consistently present...99 percent of the time he had(and still has) them at night. he lost almost a 100lbs and now they only occur once every six months on average. he is a mechanical genius, and never forgets how to do his job and has since even learned a new mechanical field in appliance repair in addition to the hvac certification he obtained during one of his unemployed periods about 6 years ago. i often think because he is hardwired for mechanics, he is predisposed to remembering those things...his brain is very methodical and 'defaults' to those areas he knows already very well. i have discovered that when he 'remembers' something that makes him angry, we will have the same argument verbatim and repeatedly. i have begun writing things on our bathroom mirror that he needs to remember so we don't have the same fight over and over and over. that has helped. we've been together for 15 years. i don't believe his personality changes were all caused by the seizures or the concussion. i think he was predisposed towards them before the concussion, and the subsequent seizures amplified them...perhaps not all of them, but definitely some of them. i am now seeking more information on the new electrotherapy nodules, similar to the small massage pads you can put on an affected area and administer a small electric current to via the pad, for the head. i am hoping these might help discharge some of the extra electricity, apparent from the mri, in his brain. we are also pursuing at this time a chiropractic regimen in the hope that maybe a nerve or two might be under spinal pressure and, once relieved, might help resolve the seizure the issue. this is the first support group i've ever seen for this. it is difficult to live with someone with this condition. he changes jobs frequently when he becomes unhappy with the inefficiencies he observes at work. up until recently he was getting fired on average, every two years from a job. the new knowledge and practice he has acquired has led to more self-confidence, and the job change has been self-sought. stability is not living in our house due to this. i work full time. are there ANY areas that i've named or not, ANYONE is having success with to mitigate the effects of tbi long term? are there any studies going on anywhere? field trials? thank you. amp

allijesse,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. There are plenty of people here that would like to help you. Many of use, due to our PCS vision issues, struggle to read long paragraphs like yours. It would help us if you could repost it with a double paragraph space every 5 or 6 lines. Then, those of us with visual struggles can follow it from line to line and offer help and support.

My best to you.

Mark, In over a year since my TBI I never realized that was one of my problems with reading! Thanks for pointing it out.