[freezerdoor]

I really feel like there is and never was anything I could "do" to make my healing faster. Seems I could reduce symptoms which doctors seem to be telling me will actually aid in my healing but I'm not finding any real correlation to what I do and how much progress I make in recovery.

I do think in lessening symptoms I feel better because I don't hurt but I don't see any progress that is faster when I hurt or dont' hurt.

So, I keep plugging away at work. I have worked till 1am the last three nights in a row because it's my busy season.

I have been doing my exercises. Bit by bit.

I am seeing baby baby baby steps in my brains recovery. It's all happening but it's taking it's ol sweet time. I'm 3.5 months into this I think.

I'm definitely getting better. I think by 6 months I'll be better enough to really say I'm better and I hope by a year to feel fairly normal again.

[greenfrog]

freezer -

Glad to hear you're getting better, bit by bit. I seem to be improving too, but it has been a slow process - literally two steps forward, one step sideways, one step back.

I've been trying to make sense of the rest versus activity conundrum myself. I know a personal trainer who has worked with athletes who have suffered concussions. He says that where the concussion or symptoms are mild, it can make sense to do some light exercise and "push through" the symptoms. The University at Buffalo Concussion Clinic seems to take a similar approach.

On the other hand, the prevailing view seems to be: physical and mental rest until symptom-free, then gradually introduce activities, so long as they don't trigger symptoms. As a respected rehab professor said to me, "the key really is to respect your symptoms, don’t engage in activity that provokes symptoms. That allows the brain to heal and usually decreases the overall length of symptoms recovery time."

I tend to fall in the latter camp. Rest seems to be working for me, albeit very gradually. But I can easily imagine a different approach working for someone else - this seems to be the case with some of the athletes and non-athletes who have participated in the UB program.

[Mark in Idaho]

The University of Buffalo Concussion Clinic specifically does not promote the 'Push thought" concept. Their protocol calls for exercise that is well below the concussion symptoms level. To add to this protocol is the standard that they do not even start their exercise protocol until at least 6 weeks post concussion.

freezer,

It is very difficult to notice an faster recovery as a result of rest because recovery is always slow and like a roller coaster. Trying to micro-analyze recovery on a day to day or even week to week basis is a losing battle.

If you are in your busy season and must work, then I suggest you learn to live with your symptoms until you can take a much lighter work load. I don't see how you can expect any level of recovery while working the hours you need to work.

I would expect those hours to actually cause you to get more intense symptoms. At least it is what I have experience for the past 40 years. Any prolonged stress, finals, intense work load, new baby, buying a new house, etc. have always cause a return or worsening of symptoms. I actually plan for a need to rest for two weeks or more after the stressful event.

[greenfrog]

Thanks, Mark. That is a more accurate description of the UB approach.

It's interesting, though. If you watch the university's promotional video of one of the athletes who had success with the program, he says, "at first when I started exercising, I had a lot of symptoms come back...but I just kept going with it, and then eventually after about a week or two I started noticing the headaches kind of diminishing...the nausea was one of the first things that went away too."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUEmfnIIhwM

This is what made me think there was an element of "pushing through" symptoms, even if theoretically the UB approach has its patients staying below the symptom threshold.

[Mark in Idaho]

The question is simple. Did his symptoms go away from the effect of the exercising or was it a spontaneous recovery? I have known people who have struggles than in one week or two, all their symptoms are gone. Some times, there seems to be a recovery threshold that is reached and suddenly, great improvement is made in short order.

[Nitro157]

It's possible he recovered spontaneously, but how about the success of all the other patients? It's hard to believe they all spontaneously recovered. And considering the credibility of the institute and the success they are having, there must be truth and reason to their methods.

I am somewhat lucky to be part of sport concussion study right now. In 6 weeks I will be given a regulated exercise program personal to my sport, current fitness level and symptom level. Regardless of the outcome, I'm excited to be part of the study and learn what happens.

[freezerdoor]

yes that is what i'm finding to be so strange. I don't have any increased cognitive symptoms from staying up late and working long hours. I would have expected that I would - but if i walk for 15 minutes.... then i notice symptom exacerbation. weird. I wonder if i'm simply over the cognitive symptoms as maybe they are seperate in nature. I just can't figure itout. I would have thought it would all get better at the same time. In the mean time I'm enjoying my cognition being back to normal.

[freezerdoor]

Someone was mentioning that no one stays to tell everyone they are doing better. I felt 100% normal for the last 3 days. That hasn't happened once through the last 4 months till now. Maybe I'm finally better. I'm also completely off elavil and still feeling this way. After the long nights I pulled recently, this is a shock! Pretty exciting though.

I walked about a half mile today and went swimming yesterday. No issues. It's a bit bizarre!!

[greenfrog]

That is fantastic news - how encouraging! Keep it going!

[carmell]

I just wanted to say that I agree with some of the things said here! For me, when I was recovering from my concussion, I could spend HOURS and HOURS watching TV or on the computer, or staying up late and I would get no relapse in symptoms. But if I ran the car out to a friend's house I would get overstimulated.

I think being in the car was just a whole other level of processing my brain was dealing with. It eventually went away. It's just weird that spending hours reading or on the computer was not stimulating....but doing errands was. I feel like some doctor really needs to take the reins on this and start with interviewing people with PCS. Hell, I would do it if that paid me to