[PlasticMonkey]

I'm not sure what do about this, i still have a few symptoms if PCS which are

brain fog - anxiety - dizzyness - fatigue - concentrating on things is still slightly difficult, i still forget some things and a few others i cant think of right now. The anxiety i think is getting a lot better, but im not entirely sure yet.

My parents are getting to the point where they cant really afford the house we live in anymore because our landlord is really screwin us on our rent.
They plan to move sometime soon im assuming, and with me still having PCS obviously getting up and lifting all the heavy objects in our house isnt a good idea at all and i really dont want to make things worse than they already are.

The problem is either my parents dont believe me when i say i feel terrible and explain some of my symptoms to them, or maybe they just think im trying to get out of things.
So when it comes time to move they might just think im making a big excuse so i dont have to do any of the work.
Every time i tell them i dont feel good they ask why and like the other day i told them about my sinus pressure and having really bad fatigue, and still being dizzy.
They shrugged that off and simply said "oh its probly just allergies"

Even after i've told them that i might have a sinus infection, literally all they said was "you might" and that was the end of that.
Incase you all are wondering Im 18 and my parents currently pay for my bills because im under their health insurance plan and im in no shape to get a job
i have Ulcerative colitis and now PCS, i dont even have an ID to get a job if i wanted to because they keep putting it off.

I have been wanting to go in and get a CT and MRI for a couple weeks now just to be safe and to reassure myself that i'm fine, and that the symptoms are really just PCS. And maybe have them refer me to someone to help with Anxiety.

but what can i really do or say to get my parents to take me without them saying "you're fine you're just stressing yourself out and still experiencing PCS symptoms" When on the other hand when it comes to something they want me to do, they think im fine and cured as if i never had a concussion..

Things are getting so frustrating, and im sure everyone here knows what i mean because i know all of you have been frustrated with PCS since the day it began.

Things are getting better i think, im still a bit concerned about heart palpitations.
Earlier today i started getting an anxiety attack over it because i was constantly thinking about it. At first i got REALLY fatigued and dizzy and started to panic a little, when it started i calmly stood up, sat down on my bed and took deep breaths and within a few minutes i didnt feel so bad but even now i still feel really dizzy and fatigued.

Should i maybe just chill out and continue to get rest? I am still a bit early in my recovery, I was diagnosed with PCS and a contusion on march 15th.
The reason im concerned about heart palpitations is because on my mothers side, her family has a history of heart problems. What should i do?

[Scott in Fenton]

First, I'm sorry to hear about your condition. You are still quite early, perhaps too early to even call it PCS but everyone is different. The first thing I would ask is are you under medical care right now for the injury/PCS conditions? It might help to have your attending doctor explain to your parents, again since I"m sure they've heard it, how long PCS can last.

I would also ask about your injury, what happened and what were your symptoms prior to now. What has improved or gone away completely? How are you treating your symptoms?

PCS can take a very long time, months to years even, to "go away". Some symptoms last a lifetime, depending on many factors. The greatest of which is how many concussions have you had in your life. That is a hard question to answer, because you may have had several that just weren't diagnosed. You could easily have "hit your head" and thought little of it because you didn't have any symptoms beyond a bad headache and a knot on the noggin, yet it is still a concussion and adds to the list.

It sounds like the biggest question you have is how to deal with your parents, and again I would go back to my first question, do you have a doctor working with you right now, because that should be your best advocate in this matter. Or, you could point your parents in our direction, let them read some of our stories. Maybe that would help?

Finally I would suggest you go to YouTube and look for a video called "you look great" which is the story of a man with a TBI from a car accident and his struggles to understand PCS and explain them to his family /friends. It's a good video, helps to explain what a TBI is and how PCS can affect people.

Hang in there, my gut tells me you are well on your way to a full recovery, but be very careful not to hit your head or engage in activities that might "jog" your brain around, and get plenty of rest.

Originally Posted by PlasticMonkey

I'm not sure what do about this, i still have a few symptoms if PCS which are

brain fog - anxiety - dizzyness - fatigue - concentrating on things is still slightly difficult, i still forget some things and a few others i cant think of right now. The anxiety i think is getting a lot better, but im not entirely sure yet.

My parents are getting to the point where they cant really afford the house we live in anymore because our landlord is really screwin us on our rent.
They plan to move sometime soon im assuming, and with me still having PCS obviously getting up and lifting all the heavy objects in our house isnt a good idea at all and i really dont want to make things worse than they already are.

The problem is either my parents dont believe me when i say i feel terrible and explain some of my symptoms to them, or maybe they just think im trying to get out of things.
So when it comes time to move they might just think im making a big excuse so i dont have to do any of the work.
Every time i tell them i dont feel good they ask why and like the other day i told them about my sinus pressure and having really bad fatigue, and still being dizzy.
They shrugged that off and simply said "oh its probly just allergies"

Even after i've told them that i might have a sinus infection, literally all they said was "you might" and that was the end of that.
Incase you all are wondering Im 18 and my parents currently pay for my bills because im under their health insurance plan and im in no shape to get a job
i have Ulcerative colitis and now PCS, i dont even have an ID to get a job if i wanted to because they keep putting it off.

I have been wanting to go in and get a CT and MRI for a couple weeks now just to be safe and to reassure myself that i'm fine, and that the symptoms are really just PCS. And maybe have them refer me to someone to help with Anxiety.

but what can i really do or say to get my parents to take me without them saying "you're fine you're just stressing yourself out and still experiencing PCS symptoms" When on the other hand when it comes to something they want me to do, they think im fine and cured as if i never had a concussion..

Things are getting so frustrating, and im sure everyone here knows what i mean because i know all of you have been frustrated with PCS since the day it began.

Things are getting better i think, im still a bit concerned about heart palpitations.
Earlier today i started getting an anxiety attack over it because i was constantly thinking about it. At first i got REALLY fatigued and dizzy and started to panic a little, when it started i calmly stood up, sat down on my bed and took deep breaths and within a few minutes i didnt feel so bad but even now i still feel really dizzy and fatigued.

Should i maybe just chill out and continue to get rest? I am still a bit early in my recovery, I was diagnosed with PCS and a contusion on march 15th.
The reason im concerned about heart palpitations is because on my mothers side, her family has a history of heart problems. What should i do?

[PlasticMonkey]

Thank you for such a quick reply =D What happened was, i was outside picking leaves up and left a gardening rake laying around.
I didnt see it and ended up stepping on it hitting myself in the lip and above my eye. I didnt lose consciousness but it felt like i was going to, i got a little dizzy and saw stars.
(Happened around the 3rd or 4th of march)

I thought nothing of it till about a week and a half later out of nowhere i went from being completely calm to having a panic attack.
Couple days passed by and i ended up going to a walk in clinic and that was when they diagnosed me with a contusion and PCS.

During that week and a half after getting hit, i dont recall having any symptoms at all.
I just went about and did what i normally do, only thing that i worried about was my lip and the the tooth behind where it hit because that part of my gums were sore for a couple days.

Two days before the clinic was HELL i felt like i was dying, i sat there shaking full of anxiety and being completely dizzy and nauseous.
I couldnt even watch a movie because i just felt so scared. Things got better of course symptoms started easing up.
Then i felt i had enough energy to mow the lawn and i scared myself because i felt my heartbeat, which i thought was extremely high and started getting symptoms back.

Which is weird because, before i dont remember having brain fog or difficulty concentrating/remembering things. Those symptoms just kind if appeared out of nowhere.
No i am currently not under medical care, the Nurse practitioner basically said "this is what you have, go home get some rest" patted me on the back and off you go skippy, kind of thing.
He also told me a few things i should avoid taking like Naproxen and advil cold and sinus etc.

Right now the only thing im taking is an allergy pill, cetirizine to be exact. I take one every day along with a daily muti vitamin, the off brand of One A Day Men's health formula.
Other than that im on no meds for anxiety or headaches or anything, Everytime i get a headache i just take tylenol and it clears it up.
Cept once it got really bad and i couldnt help but take a naproxen.

I've been trying to eat as healthily as possible, i have been getting plenty of rest and just recently i've gotten the energy to get up and start using the computer for more than just a couple hours a day. (i know its not good but i cant help it >.<)
A few days ago i was just too out of it, to dizzy and fatigued and thinking about random stuff so i ended up sleeping a good 14 hours a day.

As far as i know this is the only time i have had a concussion and have been hit that hard.
I had a fight back in the 8th grade and the dude managed to hit me once in the eye but it wasnt hard enough to do any damage at all really.
It left a small bruise and that was about it. I also had a fight with my brother and he hit me on the top of my head with a plastic pipe which left a bump but no concussion like symtoms which happened a couple years ago.

[Mark in Idaho]

Here's the link to the YouTube video series. It has six parts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Xso...ature=youtu.be

I suggest you get up and do some light work helping with packing and such. if you take it slow, you can be a lot of help. A day or two of work will not set you back by much. Just do not get too excited/pumped by the work. A good effort done slowly and with deliberate care will be a good experience.

And, lighten up on the hypochondria. A CT or MRI will just be expense and discomfort that nobody needs. It does not sound like you have any symptoms that call for imaging.

But, as you go slow, don't be lazy, be deliberate with your slow actions. I can do lots of hard work if I properly pace myself. When you need to do a lift, stop, take a deep breath, release it, and make the lift without jerking.

You can be a big help to your parents and to yourself.

My best to you.

[PlasticMonkey]

eh its not like im trying to make myself worse or anything lol. If i sound like a hypochondriac i dont mean to be. After almost dying from losing to much blood, most people tend to worry a little bit more about themselves when situations like PCS occur or any serious health problem for that matter...

Im still really young and this is the first time i have experienced PCS. I doubt you were a bag of giggles when you found out about your PCS.
I'm still learning not to worry about symptoms so much, but when your entire family has died from heart problems you tend to wonder a little when your heart starts racing from simply sitting up a little bit in your chair.

Sometimes it makes people feel a lot better getting their MRI or CT scans back saying they look fine. But i guess you are right, getting an MRI or a CT isnt worth the hassle. (=

Anyways thanks for the advice.

Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho

Here's the link to the YouTube video series. It has six parts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Xso...ature=youtu.be

I suggest you get up and do some light work helping with packing and such. if you take it slow, you can be a lot of help. A day or two of work will not set you back by much. Just do not get too excited/pumped by the work. A good effort done slowly and with deliberate care will be a good experience.

And, lighten up on the hypochondria. A CT or MRI will just be expense and discomfort that nobody needs. It does not sound like you have any symptoms that call for imaging.

But, as you go slow, don't be lazy, be deliberate with your slow actions. I can do lots of hard work if I properly pace myself. When you need to do a lift, stop, take a deep breath, release it, and make the lift without jerking.

You can be a big help to your parents and to yourself.

My best to you.

[SpaceCadet]

If your insurance will pay for an MRI, why not get one?

I suffer from anxiety. Once I got my last MRI and the neurologist told me there is nothing wrong with my brain besides the previous damage that was done...it made me feel a lot better. It gave me peace of mind.

So, if you think it will make you feel better...and its not going to cost you anything but a trip to the hospital/clinic...why not?

I'm sure others will disagree.

Nick

[Mark in Idaho]

Asking for imaging that is not medically necessary is a good way to get a negative medical report such as somatoform or psychosomatic or hypochondriac. Then, any follow-up risks more doctors concurring.

Nick, it sounds like you have struggled with doctors reading your medical history and making diagnoses based on anxiety. You were extremely fortunate to be seen by your most recent neuro. Had you not found him, you would have another negative/anxiety report to deal with.

[PlasticMonkey]

Yeah i agree with mark, i dont need an MRI or CT. I think most of what i have right now is just Anxiety..Mostly what i feel now is just light headed, anxiety, fatigue, and brain fog.

Which all could be psychological or since im still really early in my recovery, still having PCS.
Everytime i notice a change in my body i try my best to ignore it, yesterday i felt a type of pain pressure in my right shoulder and it scared me a little. My heart started beating pretty hard but i took a few deep breaths and within a minute i felt completely fine.

It feels like im slowly starting to get back to my old self, things are LOADS better than how i felt 3 weeks ago.

Thank you for everyones help (= im really glad i found this website

EDIT: I've also noticed while sitting at the computer, at random times i'll feel pressure on my throat. Its not BAD pressure like i cant breathe or anything, but its enough pressure to make it just flat out annoying lol Anyone else know what this might be? I have been ignoring it and focusing on games and all, but it just doesnt seem to want to go away.

[Mark in Idaho]

I have said this many times before.

Anybody with PCS needs to have a home blood pressure kit. Then, when you have symptoms like the pressure in your throat you can check your BP to see if it is the cause.

If your BP is elevated during this symptom, then you can take steps to lower your BP with relaxation or reducing over-stimulation.

It's not rocket surgery or brain science to understand how this BP system works.