Hang in there, and on here on NT, All Posters -
There is a wealth of supportiveness and understanding, excellent longterm experience here on NT. Please do not feel alone in all you endure. Keep posting! We're here for you, and we *do understand* from our own experience.

Sincerely,
Theta
In year#4 of PCS

Anna,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

It sounds like you have not given your brain enough time to heal. It needs quiet rest. No loud sounds, busy visual images, socializing with multiple people talking or other excessive stimulation. If you want to get back to your studies and a job, you need to take the time to rest your brain.

When you can go two weeks without any symptoms, you can start slowly adding activities. Try adding one activity and wait a day. It is not uncommon for over-stimulation to feel OK but cause symptoms to flare up the next day.

You also need to avoid caffeine, alcohol, MSG, artificial sweeteners (aspartame, Nutrasweet, Equal, Splenda, sucralose) high fructose corn sweetener and trans fats. Natural sugar in moderate amounts is OK.

There is more I can add but this is a start. If you give you brain enough quiet rest, it will slowly start to heal. I can post a list of good brain nutrition to help too. Check my post under "New Here, Hello" by patty.

My best to you.

Thank you for the replies.. I am feeling better this morning.. I have noticed that at my worst over the last few weeks I have just felt foggy-headed.. and I pick up on sounds a little bit louder.. like when I'm chewing something crunchy...this mostly happens when I am feeling nervous or stressed.

This past week I had a friend who was killed and it has been eating away at me.. I don't know if I am more emotional than I was before... I have always been pretty mellow dramatic but it's like a fight every day to not get upset over something...but I pretty much refuse to take medication for it.

The headaches are pretty much gone, but I never had a ton anyway..

I am avoiding loud noises in excess but I can't avoid everything altogether, and the bills are coming in and I don't really have an option to just wait it out...

It's been a little over 2 months... this is my first concussion (that I am aware of).. and I think it was probably prolonged out of fear.. no one told me what was wrong...

I agree with the diet aspect, which seems a little harsh but I can definitely try to cut out caffeine and, obviously alcohol ( I don't think I could handle it anyway)...I'm 23 years old, pretty good health.. always suffered from anxiety...that's pretty much it.

Has anyone on here gotten better in 3-6 months or are most of you multiple concussions...and a few years recovery??

I am a 62 yr old widow who was rear ended on the way home from my job as a psych nurse. It wasn't a high speed accident but i haven't been the same since that day. I was An A type personality. taking care of my parents and grandson and now i can't work, drive or even set up my own meds. I have lost my personality, independence and drive. I forget most things and lost the ability to smell and taste, but I am here. I get in a fog, brain freeze and exhausted. My adult children want their old mother back they have already lost dad. I have wonderful partner who takes care of me, he loves me,but due to financial reasons we can't marry.

Hi,

i am going thru Physical Therapy after my injury (hit my head, whiplash etc).. The myofascial release massages definitely helps with the pain and that may help with the headaches sometimes, but not fully.
*edit*

If you are doing PT, you should ask your therapist about that. If not, ask your doctor if it's ok for you to get one.

Like everyone else, i also have issues with the following:
- Watching TV/reading too long
- Difficulty with simple math problems, simple strategy, new memories
- Difficulty/confusion when multiple people are talking at the same time
- Dealing with conflicts/general communication - it does take me a lot faster to get angry or lose control of my emotions since the accident
- Driving tires me out faster.


I'm on constant OTC pain meds to manage the headaches/migraines (i've been told this helps but you gotta consistently take it to keep the pain meds in your blood stream to help with controlling the pain) but sometimes you get what they call "breakthrough pain". There are options to manage them, but you need to discuss with your doctor on what they are and which one works best for you. Unfortunately there is no best formula and it's different for everyone. for reference, I am headache/migraine free a few hours a day on the current regime.. but i'm probably gonna be switching it again soon.

Finding a good doctor:
- Some doctors are not equipped to treat brain injuries, in fact, there is a whole lot of unknowns around it. Don't blame them. It's not their fault. It doesn't help that you're likely to get angry/[enter negative emotion] faster due to your concussion.. So try to find a doctor that can explain the situation to you better. Or ask for a referral, and if possible, do it nicely. (I'm going thru this challenge myself right now).

There is also a really good website (podcasts, so no reading involved!) that talks about brain injuries. Can't post links yet, *edit*

I'm still struggling A lot with not being able to work, fearing i'm gonna lose my job, and the financial things that go along with that..along with the concussion symptoms, on top of having to deal with friends and family who don't quite understand/know how to react around me. But, glad to know there's a support group at least.

I have found cranial therapy works wonders. and being able to talk to other like yourself helps with the depression and loneliness. keep sharing, we all need each other for the long haul.

Lots of hugs!
Rabbit

What kind of cranial therapy have you had ? Classic CST is of little use to most. Some CST therapists have other techniques that can help, like subtle neck manipulations, etc.

I have the soft manipulation on my skull base, jaw, face, neck, and spine. it seems to get worse at first, but after about 5 treatments i was able to feel the difference. she also tries to balance my spine fluid. she also does acupuncture. It did not seem to help at the start, but i stayed with it and my head pressure, dizzy spells had gotten better. you have to do alot of research to find a certified and well trained therapist, some do not know what they are doing and can make things worse or not help at all. they need years of training. good luck!

Rabbit

concussionsontario.org very good info in downloadable pdf

How do you deal with the insomnia?