[SpaceCadet]

I've searched high and low on this forum and Google (search Google and only my threads pop up lol) for a thread or an article about someone who has this same problem as me. I can't find anything. I think one person replied to my thread about playing video games that said they get foggy when they play or watch someone play.

I can't watch TV. At all...last night I tried to watch a movie on my smart phone. I figured its such a small screen, it shouldn't cause any problems. After 5 minutes of watching I became very spaced out and foggy. Why am I the only one with this problem? I've read about people getting dizzy or getting a headache but no one has complained about becoming fogged up to the point they can barely speak. That's what happens to me. The longer I watch the longer the fog lingers when I'm done watching and the worse it gets. I've tried watching without volume, with low volume, in the dark, on my phone, on a standard definition TV...????

Same thing happens when I fill out my Unemployment claim every week. About halfway through filling out the page I'm a space cadet. Same thing with the computer...5-10 minutes of computer time and I can't think properly. I have to browse the internet from my Blackberry.

This didn't start until November and my injury was in June. EEG was normal so its not seizures...I've been taking B12 since late October (1000mcg a day, just recently bumped down to 500mcg but I added the B-Complex) so I don't think its B12 defiency (waiting on blood test results). What the heck man?

What else could it be? Why am I the only one?

[Klaus]

I've never had the problem that I physically can't watch TV (though this has been the case with very stimulating TV like action films or dance music videos), however I did recognise that there was a point during my recovery during which TV was overtaxing my brain, making me feel foggy and light headed, so was bad for me and was preventing me from healing.

To me it sounds like you've got a similar problem, but more extreme.

I spent about 2 months watching very minimal TV, maybe 2 hours a week of programmes that I really liked and were chilled out (a nature programme and a history documentary).

During that time I could not read books either, for a simlar reason. I got by through listening to audiobooks, and by going for short, peaceful walks in a park.

It was very boring but it seemed to do my brain a lot of good. I'd just stop trying to watch TV for a while if I were you. Audiobooks are a lot easier on the brain and you get through them suprisingly quickly. You can get them off iTunes if you use it.

All the best.

[Klaus]

I can't find anything. I think one person replied to my thread about playing video games that said they get foggy when they play or watch someone play.

I would have replied to your thread about video games making your head foggy except it was probably during the months when I wasn't using the computer because it was making my head foggy

[EsthersDoll]

Maybe your brain is having a difficult time processing the information you're getting from the TV which is why the same thing happens when you fill out paperwork.

Are you trying to watch really slow TV shows that seemed boring to you before the injury?

When I started watching TV I could only watch really light and fluffy shows on HGTV.

I can't watch a lot of TV without overstimulating my brain either. But I don't think I miss TV as much as you do, or maybe I'd be more upset about it.

I've taken up a sewing project to keep me occupied. And I do crossword puzzles. And I practice simple math. Maybe you could try one of those things to try to eradicate the boredom?

[SpaceCadet]

Originally Posted by Klaus

I've never had the problem that I physically can't watch TV (though this has been the case with very stimulating TV like action films or dance music videos), however I did recognise that there was a point during my recovery during which TV was overtaxing my brain, making me feel foggy and light headed, so was bad for me and was preventing me from healing.

To me it sounds like you've got a similar problem, but more extreme.

I spent about 2 months watching very minimal TV, maybe 2 hours a week of programmes that I really liked and were chilled out (a nature programme and a history documentary).

During that time I could not read books either, for a simlar reason. I got by through listening to audiobooks, and by going for short, peaceful walks in a park.

It was very boring but it seemed to do my brain a lot of good. I'd just stop trying to watch TV for a while if I were you. Audiobooks are a lot easier on the brain and you get through them suprisingly quickly. You can get them off iTunes if you use it.

All the best.

Thanks...I just tried the Audiobook thing. I downloaded an app on my smart phone that has like 3800 audio books. Well..I tried a couple different books but had a hard time following along in the beginning. Too many description words??? Also there is people here at the house and they are making too much noise. I'm gonna try again later tonight when I feel up to looking for some headphones.

How far were you in to your recovery when the "overtaxing" thing started??

Yeah I should just stop trying...I try like once every week that passes and it's discouraging every time. Its just so frustrating that I'm still this sensitive after 7 months. Every month that passes without improvement just brings more anxiety.

There's a part of me that wants to continue to try, little by little because I've heard talk about the brain needing to create new pathways and such. So...I sometimes think that trying to push my brain a little is beneficial.

Originally Posted by Klaus

I would have replied to your thread about video games making your head foggy except it was probably during the months when I wasn't using the computer because it was making my head foggy

LOL, it's cool bro!! Yeah...I find that browsing from my phone is a lot easier on my brain. I completely gave up on video games in November.

Originally Posted by EsthersDoll

Maybe your brain is having a difficult time processing the information you're getting from the TV which is why the same thing happens when you fill out paperwork.

Are you trying to watch really slow TV shows that seemed boring to you before the injury?

When I started watching TV I could only watch really light and fluffy shows on HGTV.

I can't watch a lot of TV without overstimulating my brain either. But I don't think I miss TV as much as you do, or maybe I'd be more upset about it.

I've taken up a sewing project to keep me occupied. And I do crossword puzzles. And I practice simple math. Maybe you could try one of those things to try to eradicate the boredom?

Hi again ...

I've tried all types of different shows. One thing I noticed, if I hook my TV up to my laptop and stream TV shows from the internet...I could watch more. I guess because the quality is so low?? I don't know.

When did you start watching TV again?

...and I miss TV!!! Yes, I do. My favorite show is King of Queens...it's been off the air for awhile but that show always gives me a laugh!! I miss a lot of things. The only thing I can do is lay in bed, do light house work, go for short walks, light internet browsing from my phone and small talk with the family. Yes, it's freakin' boring...I know it's what I need to do in order to heal my brain...It's just...like I said, frustrating that it's been so long without an improvement.

I don't know how to sew...I never had anyone to show me how to do it...and I'm not so sure my brain could handle learning a new skill right now??? Doing math is way out of the question lol..I was horrible at math before the injury and I'm even worse now. I'll try some crossword puzzles, thanks for the suggestions EsthersDoll .

I feel like vegging around at the house kinda makes me worse at times? I'll try to explain...like my social/people skills are diminishing due to not being in contact with hardly anyone. Also my brain isn't being stimulated by much to retrain it and create new pathways because if I do ANYTHING my brain gets overtaxed super fast.

Still waiting for that magic brain injury pill...

[Eowyn]

I had a VERY strong reaction to computer and TV and other reading for many months after my injury. I could not tolerate them at all. They would instantly bring on a severe headache and/or make me dizzy.

Things got a lot better after I did ten weeks of vision therapy. Turns out my brain was having trouble combining the two images from each eye into one and holding it, and also switching between near and far.

Have you had any vision therapy? Or had a vision efficiency evaluation?

Plus, a lot of TV is very sensory intensive. There are visuals, background music, the shots are edited together and switching perspectives all the time. It is a lot to process. Even when I started feeling better, it was one of the later things I could do.

The first things I was able to tolerate were slow-paced PBS kids' shows (like Caillou) and old black & white movies where things move pretty slowly. Modern stuff is really made to overload the brain, I think.

I can definitely relate to feeling bored. Here's my list of things I came up with that I could do without hurting myself: http://eowynridesagain.wordpress.com/game-basics/ Coloring was a good one for quite a while. It makes the time pass and I felt at least a little creative You might also try cooking or baking very simple things, and then you have something yummy to look forward to on the other end!

[SpaceCadet]

Originally Posted by Eowyn

I had a VERY strong reaction to computer and TV and other reading for many months after my injury. I could not tolerate them at all. They would instantly bring on a severe headache and/or make me dizzy.

Things got a lot better after I did ten weeks of vision therapy. Turns out my brain was having trouble combining the two images from each eye into one and holding it, and also switching between near and far.

Have you had any vision therapy? Or had a vision efficiency evaluation?

Plus, a lot of TV is very sensory intensive. There are visuals, background music, the shots are edited together and switching perspectives all the time. It is a lot to process. Even when I started feeling better, it was one of the later things I could do.

The first things I was able to tolerate were slow-paced PBS kids' shows (like Caillou) and old black & white movies where things move pretty slowly. Modern stuff is really made to overload the brain, I think.

I can definitely relate to feeling bored. Here's my list of things I came up with that I could do without hurting myself: http://eowynridesagain.wordpress.com/game-basics/ Coloring was a good one for quite a while. It makes the time pass and I felt at least a little creative You might also try cooking or baking very simple things, and then you have something yummy to look forward to on the other end!

I love Caillou!!! LOL...for real. People (used to) look at me weird when they came over because I'd be watching kids shows and there were no kids in site. Hahaha...funny.

I could see how it would be easier to watch light, cartoon-based shows. When my ex-fiance was here she would have the TV on all the time...I noticed watching bits and pieces of Family Guy was alright...still foggy and uncomfortable afterwards but not as much?

Haven't tried vision therapy. I don't really have any vision problems, except when I lay in my room in the dark and text or surf the internet from my phone....Afterwards, I can't see 5ft in front of me. My balance is intact, my coordination only gets off when I'm foggy...can't seem to get my brain to send the right signals to my body parts. Do you think I would still benefit from vision therapy? Maybe my eyes are having trouble tracking everything happening on the TV and it's sending a poor, scrambled signal to my brain???

Thanks for the link to your list of things to do. I'm going to check it out right now...I question my ability to color, since I can't even fill out a short Unemployment claim? I haven't tried it yet but I will.

I struggle with cooking...reading the directions, following them in the correct order and forgetting I have something cooking. Hahaha. Maybe I should print out some recipes and keep practicing. Thanks for the info!!!

On a lighter note, after my last post I had a conversation with my sister. I didn't have problems speaking at all...where I usually have a lot of "Uhhhh"s and "Ummmm"s. So maybe this vegging out/doing nothing at all thing is starting to pay off.

Good to see a little improvement like that.

[EsthersDoll]

Originally Posted by nwsmith1984

Thanks...I just tried the Audiobook thing. I downloaded an app on my smart phone that has like 3800 audio books. Well..I tried a couple different books but had a hard time following along in the beginning. Too many description words??? Also there is people here at the house and they are making too much noise. I'm gonna try again later tonight when I feel up to looking for some headphones.

How far were you in to your recovery when the "overtaxing" thing started??

Yeah I should just stop trying...I try like once every week that passes and it's discouraging every time. Its just so frustrating that I'm still this sensitive after 7 months. Every month that passes without improvement just brings more anxiety.

There's a part of me that wants to continue to try, little by little because I've heard talk about the brain needing to create new pathways and such. So...I sometimes think that trying to push my brain a little is beneficial.



LOL, it's cool bro!! Yeah...I find that browsing from my phone is a lot easier on my brain. I completely gave up on video games in November.



Hi again ...

I've tried all types of different shows. One thing I noticed, if I hook my TV up to my laptop and stream TV shows from the internet...I could watch more. I guess because the quality is so low?? I don't know.

When did you start watching TV again?

...and I miss TV!!! Yes, I do. My favorite show is King of Queens...it's been off the air for awhile but that show always gives me a laugh!! I miss a lot of things. The only thing I can do is lay in bed, do light house work, go for short walks, light internet browsing from my phone and small talk with the family. Yes, it's freakin' boring...I know it's what I need to do in order to heal my brain...It's just...like I said, frustrating that it's been so long without an improvement.

I don't know how to sew...I never had anyone to show me how to do it...and I'm not so sure my brain could handle learning a new skill right now??? Doing math is way out of the question lol..I was horrible at math before the injury and I'm even worse now. I'll try some crossword puzzles, thanks for the suggestions EsthersDoll .

I feel like vegging around at the house kinda makes me worse at times? I'll try to explain...like my social/people skills are diminishing due to not being in contact with hardly anyone. Also my brain isn't being stimulated by much to retrain it and create new pathways because if I do ANYTHING my brain gets overtaxed super fast.

Still waiting for that magic brain injury pill...

When you find that pill, please post about it so we can all get one.

In all honesty, I hadn't watched TV for personal entertainment for about 10 years before the injury. I work in the entertainment industry, so I watched stuff on monitors at work, for work and on stage etc. but that's what I got paid to do. I had stopped enjoying doing it personally for the most part and my lifestyle was very active. I did like to watch foreign and art-house films though. (Neither of which can I handle yet still.)

After the injury, it became apparent to my boyfriend and I that I needed a TV to help entertain me because I couldn't be active anymore. I think we bought the TV we have at some point in April and I started playing old video games from the 90's that we downloaded to the Wii and I watched some very tame stuff on Netflix - so that would have been about 9 months after the initial injury. Then we got Cable in July or August and that would have been about a year after the initial injury. We just recently switched to Dish Network and I was watching a LOT there from August thru December.

During that time though, a lot of my cognitive functioning has returned, so now it's not as entertaining to me as it was during those months. And that's perfectly fine with me.

I'm hoping my cognitive functioning continues to improve to a point where I can watch foreign and art-house films on a reliable and regular basis again.


If people are making too much noise for you to follow an audio book, maybe that's the same reason it's too hard for you to follow a TV, but you're so overloaded that you don't even realize it. I mean, when our brains work well, the TV can usually drown out the background noise, but when we're recovering from a tbi, all the background and foreground noise isn't filtered the same way, so it's way overstimulating.

And I agree with Eowyn that TV is designed to be very stimulating. Older shows (like 10-50 years older) will do that much less so because of the design and editing trends. The older the show, most likely, the less stimulating it is in general. Maybe try to watch some old classics. Maybe try to hook up a pair of noise-canceling headphones to the TV set to help with everyone around you making so much noise. (I wish they wouldn't do that. I wish your family understood better what you're going through and what you need in order to get better.)

I don't know if you have Netflix, or if you like Star Trek - but I re-watched the entire Next Generation series and had a blast doing it.

I know it's frustrating. Believe me I know! But just keep at it.

[EsthersDoll]

^^I'm really glad you're starting to recognize some improvement!!

Originally Posted by Eowyn

I had a VERY strong reaction to computer and TV and other reading for many months after my injury. I could not tolerate them at all. They would instantly bring on a severe headache and/or make me dizzy.

Things got a lot better after I did ten weeks of vision therapy. Turns out my brain was having trouble combining the two images from each eye into one and holding it, and also switching between near and far.

Have you had any vision therapy? Or had a vision efficiency evaluation?

Plus, a lot of TV is very sensory intensive. There are visuals, background music, the shots are edited together and switching perspectives all the time. It is a lot to process. Even when I started feeling better, it was one of the later things I could do.

The first things I was able to tolerate were slow-paced PBS kids' shows (like Caillou) and old black & white movies where things move pretty slowly. Modern stuff is really made to overload the brain, I think.

I can definitely relate to feeling bored. Here's my list of things I came up with that I could do without hurting myself: http://eowynridesagain.wordpress.com/game-basics/ Coloring was a good one for quite a while. It makes the time pass and I felt at least a little creative You might also try cooking or baking very simple things, and then you have something yummy to look forward to on the other end!

I love your list!

[purplesue]

Don't be so hard on yourself. I had a brainstem hemmorhage and it takes time to heal. Sleep ,rest and don't think your brain has to function normally. All the input you want to give it, like tv, maybe it is just not up for it. I'd feel foggy too if I had been hit.