[Poppy's mum]

Hi guys,

I hope that you can give me the benefit of your experience!

I have PCS as the result of a bike vs car accident over 15 months ago, the impact was directly to the front of my forehead - my helmet was totally ruined but this was my only injury. the first few months after the accident i was quite fatigued, confused, unable to think logically, i had trouble following conversations and with light and noise, i was often spatially confused and suffered a lot of headaches but over tiem I felt that i was getting better.

About 4 months after the accident my partner and I took over the management of a medium sized hotel. I thought that I was coping fine but as the stress increases and people want more from me I find i am getting much much worse, I am often tired and confused, i can't focus on tasks, I struggle with simple things that i do everyday (eg feed the wrong food to the wrong animals), my sleep patterns are disturbed, my thoughts are scattered and i have awful headaches and creeping sensations over my head. I am also gettign quite depressed as I am unable to particiapte in life and even just talking to people gets me tired.

I would like to just "drop out" for a while and focus on getting really better but this isn't practical, but now I am wondering if I am doing myself additional harm by pushing myself? CT scans and hormane balances are normal.

I find that small amounts of alcohol help me - it seems to untwist my brain and let me relax. Is this common?

does anyone have any experience/success with natural therapies (eg movement therapy, chiropractors etc)? i have heard that they can help re-orientate the brain.

thanks
Poppy's Mum

[todayistomorrow]

I will tell you my brief experience with chiro and movement therapy. I have only done 3 appointments but I don't trust it and think it's mostly a scam. I've seen no improvement in symptoms and they just want you to sign up for a 12 week plan. I know how hard it is when you're feeling like crap and will try anything to find some relief but this semes like it's all placebo effect.

I had good experience with Acupuncture and if you feel stress(which who doesn't with PCS), this might help your symptoms a lot. It's a lot cheaper and I felt like a different person the next day. Good luck if you end up trying, just make sure you are aware of all the costs and risks of chiro.

[rmschaver]

You need to practice quiet rest. Hopefully you have not settled over the accident!!! You are suffering from PCS obviously. But as you have noticed it is affecting multiple facets of your life. Alcohol is a NO-NO as are several other things. Over stimulation will prolong your recovery. At 15 months you are well outside the parameters for a concussion.

PCS or mTBI is highly probable. If your doctor is not treating you for such you should find a different dr. Be careful and cautious identifying the new Dr as more treat concussion or mTBI as something that resolves with rest. Quiet rest, good nutrition, care for any cervogenic issues. Search out nutrition in this sub-forum for suggestions. You might want to google tbilaw and read up on the survivors guide.

If you have questions ask, we hear and understand what you are going thru.

[Mark in Idaho]

Poppy's mum,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear of your accident and injury.

My first impression is that you wrongly think your only injury was the concussion. Any concussion also includes a stress or outright injury to the neck. Unless neck injuries get treated, often the concussion symptoms will persist at a magnified intensity.

Chiro can be helpful but the many different techniques can make finding good treatment difficult. Also, some physical therapists/physiotherapists can help with neck traction and manipulation and some can help with myofacial release treatments.

Until you find help with these therapies, you should start some self therapy with icing your upper neck and any area with tenderness.

It is very unlikely that you are causing more damage to you brain. You are delaying you recovery. As mentioned by rmschaver, you need quiet rest. This means minimal cognitive and physical activity. Running a hotel sounds rough unless you can stay in the back office and minimize guest contact. Phone contact with a head set may be acceptable.

You need to try to forget about your normal activities unless you can set your own time schedule. Trying to keep up with a preset schedule is too stressful. When you need to do a task like feeding animals, try to go slow and act with purpose. This is a skill you should master. Sometimes, we call it "Stop to Think" or "Stop to Act." Trying to go on like you used to with the same momentum as before will be problematic.

In time, you can return to your prior level of activities. But, you likely need to plan on a month or two of quiet rest with very moderated activities.

The 'vitamin supplement' thread will give you some ideas of how to provide good nutrition to your brain. The injured brain needs additional nutrition to help it flush the injury toxins before it can start to heal.

Please feel free to post any struggles you are having.

My best to you.

[Lightrail11]

Originally Posted by Poppy's mum

I find that small amounts of alcohol help me - it seems to untwist my brain and let me relax. Is this common?

does anyone have any experience/success with natural therapies (eg movement therapy, chiropractors etc)? i have heard that they can help re-orientate the brain.

thanks
Poppy's Mum

Hi and welcome. In addition to to the great advice above, alcohol can inhibit your recovery:

http://www.msktc.org/tbi/factsheets/...c-Brain-Injury

http://www.tbicommunity.org/resource...Spring2008.pdf

Healthier ways I found for "reorienting" include mindfulness meditation, and I also find massage therapy helpful.

Best to you as you recover.

[Abel_in_Fl]

I would have to second that about the alcohol, drinking was probably one of the worst mistakes I ever made after my injury, im not sure how much a small amount is, a single serving a day seems to be generally ok but i for one wouldn't even risk that with my experiences

just a heads up