Hello fellow TBI sufferers. I joined the NeuroTalk community today so I could read other people's stories, and hopefully receive some support myself. It's nice to live in an age where you can be a part of a supportive community of people with similar ailments without even leaving the comfort of your home. Now, on with the story...

It was just over 72 hours ago that I received my trauma. It was a rainy day, and I had the bright idea of longboarding with some of my friends. My confidence was up, and I decided to take a sharp turn. Due to the damp conditions, my board began to slide in the middle of the turn. I then lost my balance and fell backwards onto the pavement (this is where it gets exciting.) Out of instinct, my left hand went down first in an effort to stop my fall. Then my lower back hit, whip-lashing the back of my head into the pavement. Luckily, I suffered no amnesia or unconsciousness. I got up immediately and was somewhat in shock. Feeling rather dazed after the incident, my friend gave me a ride home.

When I arrived at home, my vision and equilibrium were off. Walking felt a bit odd and I was seeing stars (you know, like in the cartoons.) I was concerned but figured I would just lay down for a bit and see how I felt. After laying down for about an hour or two and drinking a ton of water, I decided that I had better go to the hospital. Head injuries are something to take seriously, and I was not about to take chances with my health.

I arrived at the hospital with my girlfriend who was kind enough to drive me. My vitals checked out, and I proceeded to my own room. When the doctor arrived, he asked about my symptoms which I described. He told me that my head trauma was mild, as I was never unconscious and experienced no nausea. He did, however, recommend I get an x-ray for my wrist. The x-ray showed that nothing was broken, so I simply received a splint for my wrist. I went home feeling better, having had professionals examine me. I rested the rest of the day, and went to bed hoping that my symptoms would subside by morning. The next day, I was happy to wake up and not be in a coma. However, my vision and equilibrium were still off. As the day went on, my condition fluctuated between relatively fine and not so good. About 36 hours after the original incident, I decided to go back to the hospital as I was worried about my brain.

It was my 2nd time at the hospital, so the doctor recommended I get a CT scan. This was quite amusing to me...what an amazing $2 million piece of equipment. After a man in New Zealand reviewed the scan, the doctor told me my brain looked just fine. Upon checking out, he told me it is normal to experience symptoms for days, weeks, and sometimes even months after a concussion. This was reassuring, and explained why I still felt off.

It is now 72 hours after the incident, and my equilibrium and vision still feel off. It is hard to explain what it's like, but I just don't feel 100%. Today, I purchased some DHA/EPA supplementation from the health story. I have also been drinking water and taking multivitamins, as well as resting. I am definitely someone who struggles with anxiety, and I can't help but I worry about my symptoms. I wonder If my brain will ever be back to normal, and my vision and equilibrium will return to normal so I can just go on with my life already. Thank you for reading, and I hope my story wasn't too boring. I'd like to hear what you guys have to say.

There is a ton of advice on this board on this stuff. I guess the one thing I would say from my own limited experience (making slow but steady progress from an MTBI that occurred 7 weeks ago) is take it super-slow - meaning physical and cognitive rest - until you get better. This might be a week or two; it might take longer. Be patient.

Here's a basic primer on concussions from a Canadian website that you might find helpful:

http://thinkfirst.ca/programs/concussionqanda.aspx

Longboarder-

I want to second the previous post! Take it slow!!! Both in terms of physical recovery and mental/cognitive recovery!

I was in a car accident in which I experienced bad whiplash and a concussion. (No vomitting, no immediate loss of conciousness, but in and out for an hour in the ER). I followed up with my primary care a few days later on a Friday and told him to return me to work that Monday. It got worse over the weekend, so I had him put that on hold.

Here I sit 5 months later! Although I did not return to work physically, I did work from home and tried to "push through" the symptoms. BIG MISTAKE!! After 3 weeks of that and drastically worsening symptoms, I went to a neurologist who has had me at home doing nothing ever since. At 4 months out, I tried to return to work, but after 3 days my symptoms were back full force.

Long story short, DON'T RUSH your recovery. I believe those first 3 weeks where I tried to push through, are what have me sitting here 5 months later.

Just remember, the adage "No pain, no gain" is the WORST thing you can do for your head injury!

Wishing you a speedy recovery and better days ahead

I really appreciate the support. You never appreciate your health until you no longer have it...strange how that is.

What do you do? Is the nature of your job strenuous?

I worked at a private school for special needs children, mainly autism spectrum disorders and emotional distrubance.

My classroom was high school aged boys who needed emotional/social support. It actually wasn't going back to my job that did it.

My boss didn't tell me that my dr.s office didn't fax him my return paperwork. He waited 3 days to tell me, and then wanted me to lie to people about the situation so he wouldn't get in trouble for not having it. He threatened to not pay me for working those three days to shut me up. The stress of this situation really put my brain over the edge. By the following morning, I was back to where I started 5 months ago.

Its really sad, because physically doing my job did not cause my complete regression. I was able to do my job, with tolerable symptoms (and the support of very helpful coworkers.) It was the added stress of my boss's lying and threatening me that did me in.

The work I did from home for the three weeks at the beginning was creating lesson plans, progress monitoring, report cards etc.

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that...that sounds very stressful.

lindberg,

You are still very early in your recovery. It is most important to just relax and let your brain heal. Your current symptoms do not predict what your long term condition will be. Some people will spontaneously recover to a point where they feel 100%. Others will have prolonged symptoms. There is no legitimate way to predict your outcome. Only time will tell.

You can do lots to help your brain heal. First, avoid any further trauma to your head. This includes things as simple as a ride in the car over a rough road or with lots of turns. Find a place to get quiet rest with good support for your head and neck. Part of your injury will be a whiplash like cluster of symptoms. The neck muscles can get strained and the rest of the neck can cause spasms that can lead to various confusing symptoms.

I suggest the TBI Survival Guide at www.tbiguide.com

Avoid any mental work that causes any confusion or spacing out. No loud music or heavy beat music. No house full of talking people. You brain can only handle a single stimulus at a time while it tries to heal. That means one auditory stimulus (voice, music, rattling dishwasher, etc.) Same goes for visual stimuli. Low light is usually better.

Getting good sleep is the most important. Healing only happens during REM sleep.

Again, you are very early in your recovery process. Relax and just wait and let time help your brain heal.

btw, you should be seriously consider hanging up your skate board. Your brain will not tolerate further trauma. Each concussion causes much worse injuries to the brain with more severe symptoms with a greater likelihood of permanent damage.

My best to you.

I think I am going to call it quits on the skateboarding...it was never a huge passion of mine, just an occasional pastime. I am feeling very discouraged and scared right now...I just worry that I will never be the same. I have to keep in mind that it was a minor injury and with time I will probably recover.