Is it possible for a "mild" head injury to have serious long term effects?

My concussion was over 10 years ago, yet I am still feeling the effects - mostly in the form of bad headaches and extreme mental fatigue. My symptoms get that much worse when I don't get a good enough sleep. For me a "good" sleep is at least 9 1/2 hours without interruption.

This injury has really affected my life. Because of my mental limitations, I work as a security guard; this fact is shocking to people who went to school with me. I have, or at least had, a very high IQ.

I read on Wikipedia that PCS symptoms almost always resolve completely within a year. Why then am I still suffering these effects? I can't even read the newspaper without having to stop what I'm doing.

Shane,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. You can to the right place for good information.

Yes, a concussion can have lasting symptoms. Wiki is dead wrong but that is common for most of the medical establishment when concussion is the issue.

You ongoing symptoms may be all from your concussion or they may be due to a combination of causes.

You need for sleep may mean you are not sleeping properly. By that I mean, your brain does not get the full cycles of sleep including REM sleep. It is only during REM sleep that true brain rest and rejuvenation occurs.

Tell us about your sleep. Do you have dreams? Are they pleasant or stressful? Do you wake up refreshed, ready to take on the day? Or do you wake up with tired eyes and need caffeine to keep them open?

Have you ever had a neuro-psychological assessment? You might benefit from one to help you understand your symptoms and brain dysfunctions. Then you will be better able to plan your life. High intelligence is rarely severely impacted by concussion. Instead, the person just needs to learn new ways of using that intelligence.

So, tell us more about yourself and your symptoms/struggles and we may be able to give you some help and direction.

My best to you.

Thanks Mark - it's good to be here.

OK, thanks. Here is something else I just read on Wikipedia: "Even a mild injury can sometimes result in a serious disability that will interfere with a person’s daily functioning and personal activities for the rest of their life."

and

"Even a mild incident can have long term effects or cause symptoms to appear years later."

I (and my doctors) have ruled out just about everything else. My blood work was normal and I do not have a thyroid problem or sleep disorder. Aside from the "head symptoms", I am quite healthy.

This was an angle my doctor and I considered. In fact, I was even prescribed a low dose of an antidepressant for its sleep-aiding qualities. It turns out that no matter the duration and quality of my sleep, my problems remain.

From Wikipedia:

"Mental fatigue is a common debilitating experience and may not be linked by the patient to the original (minor) incident. Narcolepsy and sleep disorders are common misdiagnoses."

Objectively speaking, my sleep is fine. I dream plenty, and I would say the majority of my dreams are neutral or pleasant. However, I wake up feeling lousy and that feeling doesn't really fade as the day progresses.

Btw, I don't drink caffeine because I heard it's not good for people like us.

I would see a neuropsychologist if I thought it would be worth it. But based on the phone consultation I had, there is not much that can be done about the mental fatigue which is my single biggest problem.

In recent years I've come to acquire much more insight into the subtleties of my condition. Experience has taught me just what my abilities and limitations are.

Thanks again...

Shane,

Have you ever heard of the Ketogenic diet? It is designed to increase the availability of ketones to the brain. The brain usually uses blood glucose to function. Some people's brains do not utilize glucose well. For them, ketones can make a difference.

Ketones are the energy component given off by the liver when it has exhausted its supply of glucogen. Some people with Alzheimer's and other dementias respond to ketones. MCT oil (Medium Chain Triglycerides) is one way to increase ketone availability.

Google 'ketones' and 'coconut oil' and you will find some interesting information.

My best to you.

hi shane. i am mike. although this site doesn't get much activity, i can appreciate how u feel. i hope my situation helps u to understand your situation and also i hope it has improved in the past 13 months.
i played jr, hs and college football from about '88 - '96. also my first concussion occured at a young age when i fell out of my dad's van and again playing basketball (i don't even remeber how old i was then). in those 2 cases i believe i lost consiousness briefly although others have said the basketball accident was along time. the majority of my fooball head injuries where minor but they were very frequent and ended my playing daysmy senior yr in college. i was voted recipient of the C. Dale wolfe Award for most inpirational player, by my teemates. i suffered w/ tunnelvision , feelings that i can only describe as like i was made of concrete, and minor brain seizures for well over 6 months and had a hard time completing my senior year. 16 yrs later.. i still occasionally get these symptoms & if i shake my head to hard i get symptoms galore. just the otherday i hit a pothole driving the forklift at work and immediatly became dizzy, dissoriented w/ blurry vison and that RINGING in my head - so bad it has been making me crazy for 2 days now. i typically bcome very short temperd and nasty and somewhat lethargic, or some may say depressed. just a side note. i attended a pretty good school and also have a very high IQ of near genious ranking, so i can aslo relate to your job issue as i always said i was a perpetual underachiever, typically working in retail or manual labor. my memory is deteriorating rapidly these days and i am begining to think i need to see a neurologist. i hope something i said might help.

inspirational player,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear of your struggles.

Your symptoms sound like Multiple Impact Syndrome combined with a lifetime of sub-concussive impacts. I can understand the pothole on the forklift incident. I have similar problems.

There is not much you can do at this stage except for feeding your brain the right stuff so it can work at its optimum level. You did not mention whether anybody ever got you started on a brain healthy diet.

You can do you brain a good favor by supplementing your diet with B-12 (500 to 1000mcgs), A B-50 or B-100 complex, D3, Omega 3's, a potent multi-vitamin like GNC Mega Men or equivalent, all of the anti-oxidants, some meat protein (pork is best) to get BCAA's. .

Limit caffeine and alcohol to one serving per day max.

You return of symptoms may be caused by a combination of events. First, you recent bumps and jarring of your brain. Second, your age. As one approaches 40 years old, the brain becomes less tolerant of past injuries.

I doubt a neuro will do much for you. Better to learn to take care of your brain so it can function better.

This nutritional regimen will take a few months to start to notice a difference as the brain needs to flush out the toxins built up in the tissues after so many injuries.

Hope this helps.

My best to you.

I've had my fair share of concussions through out my life
i did have one many years ago
approximately 1970 where my head went through the windshield of our family car and there was a visible crack in my skull
i can still feel the dent to this day
it wasn't until years later that i started looking back at my school records and realized my problems started shortly after this accident
nothing has ever really looked or felt the same since
my education was well below average and i always felt there was something missing i honestly don't believe i received much of a formal education after the accident and socially i am a little to (intense) for some
has anyone here ever felt this way

brogreg,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Introduce yourself and tell us how we can help you. There are plenty of great people here.

That Wiki is way wrong. Many here have suffered long-term effects from an mTBI.

I went through a windshield head-first. No breach of the skull, but since then...CFS, myalgia, migraines, personality changes.

The accident was 36 years ago.

Hi all,
I've been doing a bit of research about the potential long-term effects of multiple concussions and wanted to talk to people who had concussions years ago to see what is actually happening with their brains. Statistics online about incidence of dementia and Alzheimer's aren't helpful, so I hoped someone here could give me some sort of idea of what to be prepared for in the years to come.
I am currently a college freshman competing in D1 field hockey and track. I have had at least five concussions in the last four years. My most recent was from a car accident in June and the most severe occurred about a year ago during a field hockey game where I was knocked unconscious and returned to the game and was hit another two times in the head. My neurologist told me that statistically, I should be dead or severely mentally handicapped; but I am academically back to normal and even graduated as valedictorian. I lost my photographic memory after my second concussion and up until the most recent two, I have been able to recover completely.
That being said, I don't think I ever recovered from my concussion last September. I was kept out of school for three months to avoid taxing my brain. I have suffered from visual problems like blurriness and inability to focus and post-impact nausea lasted for months. I still struggle with sensitivity to light and concentration. My biggest problem is the pervasive headaches. If I do not take Advil in the morning, I usually cannot make it through the day without headaches, and I am unable to practice without more meds. As a college athlete, this concerns me. I do not want to be dependent on pain killers to practice, but at the same time, cannot perform when my head is spinning.
I have already decided that if I suffer another head injury I am done with contact sports, but I am still very concerned about the permanent damage I may have already done. I wonder if these residual symptoms will ever go away, considering they have been here for a year post-injury. Any advice anyone can offer would be much appreciated.
Sally