I was a very physically active and healthy person prior to my concussion. Now I'm not even close to the level of physical activity I was before, and it seems many aspects of my health have gone downhill since.

The latest blow was being told by my doctor I have high (LDL) cholesterol. I found this quite depressing as prior to my injury I was extremely fit. Also, did I mention I'm only 23 yrs old? I generally eat a healthy diet, although around the holidays more sweet snuck into the mix. Now I'm being extremely careful on what I eat (low fat foods, no red meat, hardly any cheese, incorporating phytosterol enriched foods). I'm pushing a bit more on doing light-moderate exercises (walking and stationary bike) as I really want to get my cholesterol down for when I see my doc again in 4 months.

I'm finding it difficult to balance getting adequate physical activity to lower cholesterol without flaring up my concussion symptoms. Another difficult balancing act I find is lowering my caloric intake to lose weight (to help lower cholesterol- my BMI is just under 25 so I'm not technically "overweight" but could lose a few pounds) while often a snack will help my concussion symptoms if I'm having a bad day.

In the past, when I was down about not being able to exercise, my mom would reassure me that it would quickly come back once I had recovered. But now, after being told that my cholesterol is high, the stakes have been raised and I feel increased urgency to work-out ASAP.

Has anyone had similar experiences? Could this possibly be related to the concussion?