[claritan]

ive posted here in a couple threads and have read numerous threads and yall have all been helpful.

my PCS started 2/14/12 and i re injured myself 3/30/12 by partying like a moron and was worse than before but literally over the last 4-5 days and basically last 2 weeks i have been feeling better than ever like im getting back to normal. its basically been 4 months from actually hitting my head and 2 months since partying

since the last few days these symptoms have disappeared or been hardly noticeable when they were once reeking havoc on my life

-ice pick/tension headache(barely even getting them now)i
-anxiety(haven't even needed my ativan)
-"flashy aura" vision and sensitivity to light(no longer sensitive to light but still have a tiny bit of flash)
-sensitive to noise(no longer need ear plugs to go to sleep and loud noises dont go through me)
-fatigue seems to have went away. ive been working out like i used to and my legs havent been off balance like they wanna give out and this was a big problem for me

overall im feeling like 95% better now. im not gonna push it and still wait to at least July until i go 100% back to normal but is it safe to say im out of the woods and might have turned the corner in my PCS because a couple weeks ago i was in really bad shape now i feel great and it has been 4 MONTHS since impact so time should be on my side here

[Mark in Idaho]

Good to hear you are doing so well.

You have most of it right. What you need to do, though, is slowly try returning to 'normal' life. You will likely find that you do not tolerate stress well. It can bring back symptoms. The stress can be emotional, mental, physical or nutritional.

As you slowly return to normal, remember that activities on Saturday may not show an increase or return of symptoms until Sunday or Monday. This lag makes it difficult to connect the activities to the return of symptoms.

You should still try to limit caffeine and alcohol. A single serving per day is OK. Getting buzzed will very likely cause problems.

Take it slow and be grateful for your recovery but celebrate carefully.

My best to you.

[claritan]

Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho

Good to hear you are doing so well.

You have most of it right. What you need to do, though, is slowly try returning to 'normal' life. You will likely find that you do not tolerate stress well. It can bring back symptoms. The stress can be emotional, mental, physical or nutritional.

As you slowly return to normal, remember that activities on Saturday may not show an increase or return of symptoms until Sunday or Monday. This lag makes it difficult to connect the activities to the return of symptoms.

You should still try to limit caffeine and alcohol. A single serving per day is OK. Getting buzzed will very likely cause problems.

Take it slow and be grateful for your recovery but celebrate carefully.

My best to you.

thank you. all of your post in this forum have been very helpful

once you are healed are you always in danger of PCS coming back? is it always going to linger over me?

[GlassHead]

Hi claritan,

Spontaneous recovery from PCS is actually quite common and I experienced it myself the first time I had PCS. One theory I read was that the blood perfusion in the brain can correct itself resulting in very fast relief from symptoms in some cases. But of course it is highly dependant on the type of injury to begin with

PCS is very tricky in that it can make you feel normal again, but underneath it all the brain is still fragile and vulnerable. So if you feel normal you probably aren't yet. Many people including myself felt completely normal until a night out or going for a jog, just to see everything return with full force. Feeling normal is actually a critical phase in your recovery as you take down your gards and expose yourself for a relapse. I learned it the hard way, trust me.

Just be careful and remember to gradually build up tolerance to alcohol, exercise, staying up late and so on as to avoid relapses. I would avoid the alcohol though as it makes you do many things that can bring back the PCS, it makes you careless.

Congratulations with feeling better

-GlassHead

[Mark in Idaho]

Glasshead is right except for the alcohol. The concussed brain will be much more intolerant of alcohol. You will likely get a hang-over from a mild buzz. The research shows that the one serving per day is usually well tolerated but more than that is not.

The first neurologist that I ever saw for PCS told me to avoid it completely. That was back in 1971, long before the concussion understanding of today. He was dead right. I can tolerate one serving but if I have a second, I will have PCS foggy brain the next day.

I believe the simpler and lower stress lifestyle that is best to prevent relapsing PCS also is good for general brain and emotional health. Research shows that a healthy brain is damaged by stress, even if it is only working hard in a multi-tasking way. Planning ahead for stressful events and tasks by resting up before or planning time to rest up afterward would be well advised.

[windseeker242]

My initial injury resolved itself within 16 days. I injured myself again about 3 months later and have yet to recover. DON'T HIT YOUR HEAD AGAIN!!

I can only hope I see a recovery like yours. I've had PCS for 3 months now

[Jeffrey]

Glad you're feeling better so far.

I love this topic title. Been 23 months for me & I have chronic nerve pain in the roof of the mouth.

Haven't seen any info on how to recitfy this. Not sure if any doctors on the planet know.

Here's hoping it will suddenly vanish, for myself & everyone else.