Hello everyone,

I had my first concussion one week ago today. Long story short, I was hit and fell straight backwards, head hitting the ground full force.

Since the headaches have been quite bad, especially in the morning. My dad is a doctor, he checked me out and said I should be okay, although he is not a neurologist.

I've had no real dizziness... no nausea, memory loss... etc. Really the only bad symptom is the headaches that won't go away. I have been taking Tylenol daily, always staying below 4000mg, as I have not needed that much per day.

It's been 7 days now, I read on WebMD that some people make recoveries in 7-10 days, though I don't see that happening here.

Has anyone here made a full recovery from a concussion like this? If so, how long did it take?

Just wanted to get your thoughts, I'm trying to better understand what I'm dealing with here.
Thanks

I should note... My dad is the type of guy that thinks his son is invincible, and of course if the headaches continue I plan on seeing a neurologist.

Problem is I do not have health insurance, and those visits I'm sure are quite expensive. Is there anything I should be on the lookout for... like a sign that I need to go see a neurologist?

I'm a bit nervous, I've never had this type of injury before. I am a business owner, a vegan of 2 years, and have been healthy my whole life.

Thanks again

Etters,
Glad you posted! No two concussions are alike. You are lucky your dad is a doc and can look out for you. You are also lucky to be aware of the potential severity a concussion can cause. I have had five and thinking back to my first and second ones, I didn't really realize the damage the could cause. The hard thing about concussions is that we can't see them. You may start to notice things because you are aware. I noticed that when I would exercise my head would swell (my baseball cap would get to be too tight). I also noticed I was very forgetful and irritable and nauseous. I would just suggest that you pay attention to the signs your body is giving you and don't brush them off. Maybe you will be lucky and recover right away on your own with some time. I certainly hope that is the case for you. Keep us posted on your progress.

etters17,

You're concussion is in the early stages of recovery. Try to rest as much as possible and drink plenty of water. Sleep is the best may to help ur brain heal.

If you notice any of ur symptoms progress such as brain fog (I had immediately after being concussed), memory loss, dizziness/vertigo, nausea, vomiting, unable to focus/concentrate and changes in behavior/mood.

See a doctor right away. Have you had a CT/MRI to check for fractures/bleeding?

We're all here for you. Take care,

Kelly

Hi Kelly, Thanks for the reply.

I have no had a CT/MRI scan yet, as I did not have any of the "bad" symptoms of a concussion.

I am still working on the computer daily, no memory loss, no real dizziness except when I have a bad headache, no nausea, and no lack of concentration.

Is it possible since I have had no real bad symptoms, I may have a shot at a recovery in the near future? I understand some people don't have these symptoms for some time, then they appear, but I have had none at all besides headaches.

Thanks again
Etters

etters,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

There is no way to predict how soon you will recover. As Mist and others have said, your brain needs rest. I call it quiet rest. That means limiting stimulation such as work at your computer, etc.

A vegan lifestyle may leave you needing to find the supplements your diet may be lacking. Omega 3, 6, and 9 are important plus BCAA (Broken Chain Amino Acids). There are other nutritional issues many consider with PCS but those I mentioned are likely the most important.

A neurologist will not be much help unless you start having signs of a bleed. Hopefully, you father has warned you of the signs and symptoms of serious neurological problems.

Head aches may take a long time to subside or they may subside quickly. Again, there is no way to know which.

Remember two things:
Once concussed, always concussed, meaning your brain will have a lesser tolerance to trauma and stress.
Also, If you have seen one brain injury, you have seen ONE brain injury.

So, try to get quiet rest. No caffeine or alcohol.

Hope you get some head ache relief.

My best to you.

Mark,

I would have to strongly disagree with you about the Vegan diet. Since becoming a vegan, my body has healed dramatically faster than before.

Last night I decided to go out and do some controlled alcohol drinking, had about 4 beers, no headaches. I figured today I might wake up with worse headaches.... Nope.

In fact, I have only taken 1 Tylenol today, opposed to more that I needed yesterday. The headaches are going away, without additional "Omega 3, 6, and 9 are important plus BCAA".

Last night my brain received heavy stimulation, excitement, laughter, and I'm feeling much better today!

Just goes to show, playing by the rule book is not always the best option.

Just because your appear to be recovering quickly does not negate what I have said. 85% of concussions recover spontaneously with no regard for nutritional changes. Nutritional changes are more commonly needed by those with prolonged concussion symptoms and are not an over-night treatment. Nutritional therapy takes months to show lasting results.

If the only symptoms of a concussion that you are experiencing is a head ache, you are extremely fortunate. At only a week since your concussion, you still may develop more concussion symptoms. It is not uncommon for symptoms to show as late as 6 weeks after the concussion.

The slightly injured brain often takes time to start killing off the damaged brain tissue. It will try to see if the damaged cells will recover but after a while, will cause them to die and be absorbed.

The issue of Omega 3, 6, and 9 and BCAA's is directed at nerve tissue health and muscle regeneration. If you have had very little nerve tissue damage, good for you. You head aches could be related to a temporary reduction in vaso-control to your brain.

Go ahead, drink up. It is your brain that is effected by the alcohol. Maybe you have not reached the critical mass if brain injury to make your brain sensitive to alcohol.

The online opinions on BCAA's varies.

"Vegetarians and vegans can get a limited amount of leucine from soy products, seeds, hummus and lentils, but are at risk of deficiency unless close attention is paid."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/40...#ixzz21O0TRNhm

I found this at herbalvitality.info

"Soy protein has been shown to be an excellent source of BCAAs. (Medical Reference 13) The requirements of the BCAAs for human growth and development are 66, 28, and 35 mg/gram of protein for leucine, isoleucine, and valine according to the Food and Agricultural Organization/World Health Organization. (Medical Reference 14) Isolated soy protein has been reported to contain 82, 49, and 50 mg/gram of protein for these BCAAs, levels well above above human requirements. Thus, the amino acid pattern of soy protein provides adequate levels of each essential amino acid for normal growth and development. Interestingly, soybeans are the only vegetable to meet these requirements."

Tofu has its own drawback. It is loaded with "free process glutamate." This is the excito-toxin found in MSG. So, soy nuts are the better source of BCAA's.

Vegansoapbox.com has this to say about Omega fatty acids:

<“Omega-3 fatty acids are important for preventing heart disease, depression, and possibly other problems,” begins the factsheet at VeganHealth.com regarding fatty acids. The article continues:

Without diet planning, vegans and vegetarians have low omega-3 intakes and blood levels. Therefore, vegetarians and vegans should moderately supplement with sources of ALA and also supplement with DHA.>

Hope you are recovering spontaneously since you are not interested in others ideas about self-treatment.

I guess only time will tell.

I talked with my cousin last night who has had 3 concussions in the past, and he said his longest one took about 3 weeks to recover.

Instead of looking at my situation as any sort of "nutritional" problem, I think of it as I'm healing twice as fast because I'm extremely healthy.

As I said above, since becoming a vegan my body has healed dramatically faster, my thoughts are more clear, and I have more energy. I think my vegan diet may have prevented me from being injured worse than I was.

One thing I am doing for sure is drinking 2 full glasses of water and taking a vitamin every day. I think this will help me recover faster as well.

Thanks for the advice. As you can tell, we vegans are extremely protective of our diet, because we know what it does , where those who have not experienced it do not. The Vegan diet changed my life completely, and I'd never go back.

I will find out in the upcoming weeks if the symptoms become worse or better, and report my findings back here.

Etters

I was not criticizing your vegan diet. Your friend's experience is just that, his experience. His next concussion may take him much longer to recover. Nobody can say.

A simple vitamin a day with 2 glasses of water is quite minimalistic, especially for someone who consumes 4 beers in an evening.

I bet you also changed other behaviors when you started your vegan diet.

It is likely that your youth has more to do with your recovery than your diet. Plus, an impact to the back of the head without involving the upper cervical vertebra is in many cases the least injurious to the brain. There are less whiplash like forces. Side impacts with/and rotational forces do the most damage.

If you had been a girl at the low point of her progesterone cycle, you may have suffered more damage. Guys have a safety net amount of progesterone flowing through their system constantly that is neuro-protective.

Some researchers think that having some alcohol in the brain during an impact may reduce some injury by slowing the processes of the brain. The research shows that more than a single serving per day of alcohol has a negative impact on recovery.

It appears that you likely suffered a very mild concussion with more of an impact to your skull causing your head aches. But, no one will ever know. Even the best concussion specialists struggle to diagnose the intensity of a concussion at the lower end of the concussion spectrum.