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Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Concussion Syndrome For traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post concussion syndrome (PCS). |
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01-04-2013, 05:21 PM | #1 | ||
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Junior Member
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Hi all,
I'm so grateful to find a place like this to be able to get support. Last Thursday (the 27th of December), I fell while ice skating and hit the back of my head on the ice. I'm lucky in that I didn't black out, and didn't even experience any confusion or dizziness. I had a headache, so I went to the ER and they sent me home with some Tylenol and info on concussions. For the next two days I rested, and was feeling better, but the next day I woke up feeling hungover - a terrible headache and nausea. I went back to the ER and the doctor told me I was probably experience post-concussion syndrome. Since I left, I have been experiencing headaches. Not much more than that, though. I've been taking Motrin and a Percocet here and there to manage them. Yesterday, I felt so much better, and I even read for an hour. Today, though, I have a headache that won't go away. I'm feeling extremely anxious as I am a freelancer and have a job coming up on Tuesday that is very very important to me. I am obviously quite worried. I know my symptoms are on the milder end of the spectrum, but does anyone have any words of wisdom, or is anyone experiencing something simliar? What is it like to go back to work? Thank you for your time. |
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01-04-2013, 05:35 PM | #2 | |||
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Member
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Most of us probably couldn't even consider going on the computer or reading at one week! Hopefully you are one of the majority that is better in a couple weeks. My recommendation to you would be to take it very seriously.
No tv, no reading, no computer, no smartphone etc. For as long as you can. It would be best if you limited all noises too. Music, conversations, etc. You'll probably also hear the regular advice of no alcohol, caffeine, sugar, msg, etc. Basically you need to completely rest your brain and give it the best environment and nutrients to heal! Good luck and I hope you recover over the weekend and we never hear from you again! Good luck on Tuesday. CC
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I'm a 39 year old, female, accountant. On July 2, 2012 I crashed my bike at the end of a 65KM road ride. I was fine that day but woke up the next morning to my current world. Ongoing symptoms include: dizziness, blurred vision, light and noise sensitivities, cognitive problems, uncontrollable emotions/depression/anxiety, headaches (but they're getting better), mental and physical fatigue, difficulty communicating and sleep disturbances. Currently seeing a fabulous Neuro Psychologist and vestibular physiotherapist and hoping to soon see a neuro ophthalmologist. I am currently doing 20 minute stationary bike rides daily, 20 minutes of meditating, 15 minutes of Lumosity and lots of resting. I have not been able to work or drive since the accident. The things that have helped me the most since the accident are vestibular therapy, gel eye drops (for blurred vision, sensitivity and dryness), amitriptyline (10mg), and meditating. I am finally starting to see some slight improvements and am hopeful! My brain WANTS to heal itself... I just have to let it and stop trying to get better! |
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01-04-2013, 06:00 PM | #3 | ||
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Member
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Penny you are very early in your recovery. One of the hardest things to learn is patience. PCS is a marathon not a sprint. Be kind to yourself, ask any questions you may have we will try to answer them as best we can.
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49, Male Married, PCS since June 2012, headaches, Back pain, neck pain, attention deficit, concentration deficit, processing speed deficit, verbal memory deficit, PTSD, fatigue, tinutitus, tremors. To see the divine in the moment. |
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01-04-2013, 06:07 PM | #4 | ||
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Junior Member
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Thank you so much for your quick response! That's very helpful to hear. I am 29 and I've never had a concussion before (never played sports, don't ride bikes, don't go in for thrills ), and staying inside all the time makes my mind wander to bad places.
It's hard to say no to my computer and to reading. I'll try just laying quietly tonight in bed before sleep. Not drinking alcohol or eating a lot of sugar has already been very nice to my waistline! Quote:
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01-04-2013, 06:08 PM | #5 | ||
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Junior Member
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Thank you so much for replying! I really appreciate that. I live in New York City and I have a fast-paced job, so I'm not used to NOT sprinting!
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01-05-2013, 12:26 AM | #6 | |||
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Member
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You don't say what area your freelancing is in, but I assume it has something to do with reading? Or is it just having to be out and about?
Rest up as well as you can before your job, and prepare for the fact that you will probably have a "crash" afterwards -- doing it will probably make you feel much worse the next few days, so plan to take it easy afterwards if you can.
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mTBI and PCS after sledding accident 1-17-2011 Was experiencing: Persistent headaches, fatigue, slowed cognitive functions, depression Symptoms exacerbated by being in a crowd, watching TV, driving, other miscellaneous stress & sensory overload Sciatica/piriformis syndrome with numbness & loss of reflex Largely recovered after participating in Nedley Depression Recovery Program March 2012: . Eowyn Rides Again: My Journey Back from Concussion . |
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01-05-2013, 12:34 AM | #7 | ||
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Legendary
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penny,
At this point, you are not suffering from Post Concussion Syndrome. You are suffering from a concussion. PCS is not really considered as a diagnosis until 6 to 8 weeks after a concussion. You may well recover spontaneously in the next few days or weeks. I do suggest you try to lower your stress levels for this job on Tuesday. If you can, find a quiet place where you can work with minimal visual and audio distractions. You have a great opportunity. Many with a concussion will try to push through and tough it out. For some, this is not a problem. For others, this causes a delay in recovery. There are some here who did not learn to get the quiet rest their brain needs until after struggling for 6 months. You would do well to avoid caffeine, MSG, artificial sweeteners, aluminum based antiperspirants, and also try to moderate your activity and work load. It is a lot easier to rest for a week or two more than mess up your job opportunities for the next number of months. Quiet rest means low intensity activities with moderated screen and sound exposures. And, don't forget to use ice on your upper neck and back of your head. The upper neck is often tweeked by the impact and this can be a big part of the head aches experienced. 15 on, 30 off as often as is comfortable. A zip lock baggy with 1 part rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol and 3 parts water will freeze into a crushable ice pack. My best to you.
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Mark in Idaho "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10 |
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01-05-2013, 01:15 AM | #8 | ||
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Junior Member
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Mark, thanks very much for your reply.
The doctor in the ER who attended to me is the one who diagnosed me with Post Concussion Syndrome. I'm learning there's quite a bit of disconnect, disagreement, and misunderstanding about concussions. I suppose time will tell. Today I had quite a nasty headache that wouldn't go away, but it occurred to me that since I had the concussion, I have cut out alcohol and caffeine completely, so I might be experiencing some mild withdrawal from that as well. That idea calmed me a bit. My job is one that requires quite a bit of memory and concentration, so I'm nervous about what to expect. In the last week, I have experienced very little cognitive problems. Should I be concerned about more popping up unexpectedly? Quote:
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01-05-2013, 01:19 AM | #9 | ||
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Junior Member
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Eowyn, thanks for replying. My job has a lot to do with reading, concentration, and memory. I'm a bit worried.
As I mentioned to Mark, I have not noticed many alarming cognitive problems thus far, so I'm hoping that bodes well for the coming weeks. Quote:
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01-05-2013, 07:15 PM | #10 | ||
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Member
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Penny I have seen this stated before If you have seen one brain injury then you have only seen one brain injury. Each is different and no-one can predict how you will feel one month, week or tomorrow. Try not to stress and take care of yourself.
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49, Male Married, PCS since June 2012, headaches, Back pain, neck pain, attention deficit, concentration deficit, processing speed deficit, verbal memory deficit, PTSD, fatigue, tinutitus, tremors. To see the divine in the moment. |
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