CC - I get the same. I almost overload shut down for even a short while then wake up refreshed - it seems almost like rebooting a PC to clear out all the garbage that has accumulated.

I used to need this at lunch time and early evening. I am down to needing it once a day now.

The sneeziness I had earlier has turned into a full-blown cold. I'm sneezing every 5-10 seconds, eyes watering everywhere. I'm afraid to breathe! It's the first cold I've had with PCS. I do not feel good.

Thanks to all for your christmas stories.

Had a miserable day.

I too cancelled christmas - no decorations, no tree, went to my sister's for Christmas dinner because I am not organized enough to cook it myself. Unfortunately, my husband resented me for all this so he was irritable all day.

Overwhelmed at my sister's (only 8 of us there).

Also, my husband got a surround sound system for Christmas and felt the need to play with it when we got home. I had to leave and go to my mothers because the bass was really affecting me even with my ear plugs in. All quiet now.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas or at least found ways to cope.

Cheers

Sorry to hear that, I posted on a thread a couple of weeks ago about my first cold with a head injury - whether we are more run down because of the injury or the injury amplifies the cold symptoms I don't know but it is truly awful

My sTBI son indicated a few weeks ago that he wanted a big tree, but when it came right down to getting one it was too much to think about so he immediately decided "no tree". I was dreading it anyway because his injury was a year ago today and I spent the next 6 weeks in the hospital with him, and every time I went home there was this huge 7 foot dried up fire hazard monster tree I finally had to face and take down in mid-February with a very traumatized broken heart.

So this year I found a little 32 inch fiberoptic tree, suited us both well, no mess, no decorations, just turn it on and watch the light display, no clean up afterward, just stick it back in the box... Nice! And he got everything he wanted and more for Christmas, I spent a fortune on him spoiling him rotten. He's pretty happy. Up at 5 am this morning to play more video games on his new console. It's all been good.

Happy Holidays to all!

I just wanted to say how much I have appreciated everyone's recap here of their Christmas holidays.

It was for me most quiet and uneventful, thankfully.
I was at home doing little-doggy daycare, for my best friend, with her li'l guy (my fave) from morning until ~ 8pm Christmas night.
He's been a bit peek-ed, not entirely well, feeling under-the-weather as it were ... so required special TLC and could not accompany "His Person" to Gulf Shores for the Christmas day/evening festivities, as in the past years. We did very well.

As I posted previously, it was a ridiculously warm-muggy-humid Christmas morning/day here on the Gulf Coast.
By 5pm, the super-warm-&-humid Gulf air collided with the Cold Front moving in from the NW ... and our weather changed severely, as earlier forecasted.

We were immediately into Tornado Warning.
I turned on the local tv news-weather ... and instantly was viewing live-on-air, in real-time, the 100 mph tornado which did major damage in the metro city ... just 8 miles-across-the-Bay from us here.

By 6pm the Tornado Warning for us on the Eastern Shore of the Bay was cancelled; the severe weather moved-off to the NE, and we were here well South of it. Albeit, the rain, wind, lightning, and temperature-drop was dramatic!!
(Temp-drop of something astounding, like 30 degrees within an hour-??)

I feel most fortunate that we did not lose electrical power! Yay!!
(I could've coped okay having no-heating for the night ... but I was out of candles!! )

Thus all was in fact well here. I simply had to switch the central HVAC from AC to HEAT for overnight.

I did phone friends Over The Bay in the area hit, to inquire of their status.
Everyone was okay; their homes simply were immediately without elec power ... for about 12 hours, until ~ 5am this morning.
A few minor losses on their property.

Awoke today to a beautiful, sunny, cold morning here on the Bay ... enjoyed watching the colorful variety of little birds feeding at the birdfeeders this COLD morning, closeby outside my glass doors next to my dining table...
New Orleans Blend caffe au lait, warm homemade whole wheat banana bread (a gift) with cream cheese ... a good start on today.

My personal cooking clients took me out to lunch today, which was also enjoyable and a great boon. (I cannot afford to dine out.) Whereafter they gave to me the 3 lbs. of most beautiful, cleanest Gulf shrimp, from their New Orleans "Low Country Boil" Christmas dinner, to prepare for their dinner this evening, to enjoy for myself, and to share with friends.

In all earnestness here, my NT friends ... I am not 'gloating here' ... rather, I am simply reporting-in, to be mutually-supportive, and to say to you, by the evidence of my own life, "It can and does get better, I promise you, no matter your age or what you presently suffer."

Honestly, I may perhaps be the person of the most age-years here on NT presently; and I am now 4 years from onset of TBI/PCS.
I hate to say it, yet it's true: despite the rather 'snotty' last words of my neurologist at 1-month post-TBI said to me,
"You'll get better, IF you WANT TO."

Am I "100%" what/who I was prior to rear-ended collision/TBI? NO.
Am I happy/content with "what/who" I am presently in my "recovery" and the rollercoaster-ride that it's been? Definitively, affirmatively, YES.

I am immensely grateful every day to be as well, functioning as well, cognitively and physiologically as well as I am.
I can honestly say, "I am indeed, enough as I am."

Thus I am most grateful to be fine and well after a 'somewhat potentially-eventful' Christmas evening.

Best to each and all here,
Theta

Merry christmas and only good things for 2013! This christmas was better for me, but still so difficult. Noise all over the place (unwrapping of presents!!!!!!! Dinner table....music, etc. ) but as I said in another post, last Christmas I was on a mat in a dark quiet bedroom closet. This christmas I sat at a table and also opened presents with my kids. counted my blessings SO Many times yesterday. Healing thoughts to all who are struggling with this hellish injury. Progress is so slow, but it does take place. Light a candle for neuroplasticity!!!

This helped me... Just needed some hope. The holiday season drags on for me this year... Another celebration tomorrow to face.


I'd like to unwrap:


Ice packs, earplugs that actually work, and a solar eclipse


What I'll get:


A free trip to my dark room after I max out. But the kids will have fun.

The earplugs I love....silicone, most often sold for swimming but can be usd when sleeping, out in public, etc. they stick in my ears and don't fall out like foam ones. Check Shoppers Drugmart.

I also bought fitted ear filters which are silicone but Permit sound to come through. Perfect for when you need to hear but feel it is too loud. Costco audiology sells them for cheaper than other places (they are expensive but for me very worth it). A cheap alternative is musician's ear filters from a music store like Long and Macquade. 15$ or so.


Good luck!