I suffered a severe concussion 18 years ago. When I was 8 years old I got into a bike accident and was not wearing a helmet. I do not remember much about the accident or much of the events afterwards, but from what my parents have told me and from what I can recall, I momentarily lost consciousness. I was able to walk home and my parents drove me to the ER and I realized that I had lost my vision.

Some symptoms I experienced right after the accident were temporary blindness (it lasted about 4-5 hours), extreme confusion (I kept asking if my backpack was okay and talked about brothers that I never had). I do not remember much after the accident (probably a combination of the accident and the time that has elapsed).

I have since had at least one other known concussion (I very briefly lost conscience and had blurry vision for about an hour, but it was not as severe as the first concussion) after I fell backwards off of a swing. I may have also suffered a third concussion in my teens during a hockey game, but I am unaware that I experienced a loss of consciousness.

I am now 26, but have been experiencing several issues over the past few years that may be associated with my past concussions. I have tried to look up any information but have to been able to really find anything relating to effects over years and decades.

Over the past few years some of my issues are:

1) I have been experiencing extreme short-term memory loss. This has been a significant problem since I was about 12 but has gotten much worse over the past few years. I have forgotten shows I had been watching as soon as the first commercial. One incident I remember was when I was 13 and a friend called me. As I was hanging up the phone my mother asked me who called and before I had put the phone on the hook I forgot which friend I had talked to. I forget what I've been talking about mid-conversation and it has interfered with my work/school life and has created a rifted between my fiancee and me.

2) I experience migraines occasionally. They usually are not too often, but they are debilitating when they come. Bright light seems to aggravate them.

3) Since I was a teenager I have had anger management issues. I have been seeing a psychologist since I was 12, but I have reduced my need of seeing him over my adult years. I still have trouble managing my anger but I am much better than I was growing up.

Sorry if this is long. I probably have other symptoms but I cannot think of them at this moment. I was wondering if there is anyone else who has lived with post-concussion symptoms many years after the incident.

Thanks for reading this and I hope to hear from someone soon.

Nicole

Nicole,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear about your concussion history. It sounds so much like mine. I had a bad head injury from a bike accident at 10.

It sounds to me like you are suffering from Multiple Impact Syndrome and likely Cumulative Sub-Concussive Impact Syndrome. Playing hockey likely caused more than one concussion. It sounds like you have an expectation that a concussion is an intense injury that usually includes a loss of consciousness. Hockey is known for concussions and sub-concussive impacts. Any time when you felt dinged, that was a concussion. Anytime you had a hard hit/body check, it was likely a sub-concussive impact.

Your current symptoms are not unexpected considering your history.

I guess you are concerned about how to go on. My suggestion is simple. Treat your brain and body like it has suffered a recent concussion and needs to heal. The first thing to do is get your nutrition up to a brain focused level. You also need to avoid the foods that tax the brain, like caffeine, alcohol, MSG, and artificial sweeteners (aspartame, Equal, Nutrasweet, sucralose, Splenda)

You should seriously consider a supplement regimen including:
B-12 (1000 mcgs daily)
a B-50 or B-100 complex
C
D3
E
a high potency multi-vitamin like GNC Mega Women
Omega 3, 6, 9 fish oil
calcium
magnesium
good meat protein for amino acids (pork is real good)
cumin (tumeric)

and some other things I can't remember right now.

It would help to get some blood work done testing for:
Thyroid (4 tests)
B-12
folate
magnesium
hormones, progesterone, estradiol, testosterone, DHEA,

It is not uncommon for a concussion to mess up hormones and women are more susceptible to hormone imbalances.

A good source of good hormone assessment can be found at https://www.womensinternational.com/..._referral.html

You can also look for a specialist in life-extension / anti-aging medicine. You want the specificity of bio-identical hormones if your hormones are out of balance. Most doctors use a very broad range for hormone levels. A specialist will do much better for you. Your B-12 should be about 1000 pg/mL and folate should be above 20.

You want to be near the top of the 'normal' range. The injured brain needs more nutrition than an uninjured brain. This regimen will help your brain detoxify from years of living in an injured state. It will take a few months to see a difference.

I have been on hormone therapy for years. I only need DHEA now.

It will also help if you can minimize stress in your life. Stress is a prime cause of Post Concussion Syndrome symptoms.

The anger management issues are common. We need to learn the triggers and other signs of an outburst building. We can help you with some ideas. PCS anger issues have some unique problems.

Thank you for how you formatted your post. The short paragraphs make it much easier for many of us to read your posts.

Please feel free to ask any question or share any other information about your struggles. There are plenty of good people here.

My best to you.