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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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04-28-2013, 06:08 PM
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Hopefully, getting back on the antidepressant will be a short term help. Getting good nutrition to your brain will make a big difference. I know that it can become tedious opening all the bottles to take each supplement. I solve this problem by filling snack size zip-lock baggies in advance. I fill a month or two or more at one time. I then just have to grab one baggies and take the contents.
Remembering to take them is much easier because the tedium is less. When I make my breakfast, I grab a baggie out of the cabinet and leave it on the counter. If it is still full, I know I need to take them. If I see the empty baggie, I know I already took them. I have used this system for 12 years. Each morning, I take 21 different pieces of vitamins or supplements plus a few meds. What anti-depressant do you take ? Have you tried taking L-Tryptophan instead ? The vitamin regimen plus L-Tryptophan may be what you need.
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Mark in Idaho "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10 |
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| "Thanks for this!" says: | DFayesMom (04-28-2013) |
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04-28-2013, 06:36 PM
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#32 | ||
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It was a life saver for me, literally, and it took trial and error to find the right meds, so I'd be hesitant to switch. I also think it helps with my ADHD. That said, if it didn't work for me, I'd go to a specialist and try something new!
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I have recovered my cognitive function, and I've overcome severe vertigo through sensory integration therapy. Wellbutrin has helped me escape depression. I have recently had a few stress-related migraines, as well as headaches stemming from eye strain. I'm also dealing with tinnitus, lack of stamina, extreme light sensitivity, and eye pain. Diagnosed with 9 different vision issues: convergence insufficiency, pursuit eye movement deficit, egocentric visual midline shift, photophobia, visual information processing delays, accommodative insufficiency, saccadic eye movement deficit, lack of coordination, and central peripheral visual integration deficit. *First concussion: October 2010. I was pregnant and got rear ended. I associated my mild PCS symptoms with baby brain and blamed my light sensitivity on allergies and dry eyes. *Second concussion: December 2011. I hit my head on a wooden beam, saw stars but did not lose consciousness, and I had very disturbing PCS symptoms but didn't go to the doctor. *Third concussion: August 2012. I caused a car accident as a result of PCS symptoms. Thankfully no one was injured but me. My husband confronted me, and I finally sought help and took medical leave from work. My symptoms worsened, and I developed severe vertigo. *Fourth concussion: November 2012. I was riding in a car with a friend and we were hit head on by a driver who lost control of her car. I didn't have a big increase in PCS symptoms. |
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04-29-2013, 12:24 AM
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My disconnected feeling/brain fog lifted for half a day late last night. I felt as if something has been plugged back into place that has been loose for 4 months. Although it was only for a short amount of time it felt AMAZING!! Its good to know that my body is making strides to be back to normal. Im sure yours is doing the same. Know that it will get better and keep on fighting.
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04-29-2013, 06:40 AM
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I have a little different situation. My ex husband suffered a brain injury years ago in a car accident which we think caused hydrocephalus. Since surgery he has undergone a complete personality transformation, not for the good. Unfortunately, he is extremely verbally abusive towards me only. In saying that, whether you are the patient or the caregiver, it affects both parties. Your day sounds exactly like mine and I feel so sorry for both of us. Let me know if you just need someone to talk to. It gets lonely without support of others. Susan
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| "Thanks for this!" says: | DFayesMom (04-29-2013) |
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04-29-2013, 10:03 AM
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#35 | ||
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I was in a snowboarding accident on January 19, 2013. I caught an edge on my snowboard while carving down the mountain without a helmet. I smacked the back of my head hard on the ground. I was not knocked out and it took about a week for symptoms to come into full effect. Since my accident I have been in a cycle of feeling better and then relapsing. It has happened many times. Although I think the overall trend is slowly traveling up. My symptoms included headaches, anxiety, sensitivity to light and noise, dizziness, fatigue, confusion, trouble concentrating, brain fog, loss of social interest, irritability, and mood swings. Many symptoms have since resolved and I am left with slight dizziness, sensitivity to large crowds and busy environments, small amounts of anxiety, and brain fog off and on. I am currently under the care of a neuropsychologist at the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Clinic. I am also undergoing balance/vestibular physical therapy to help with my remaining symptoms. |
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| "Thanks for this!" says: | DFayesMom (04-29-2013) |
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04-30-2013, 02:59 PM
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DFayesmom I just wanted to let you know that you needn't feel obsessive about posting your struggles here. I've been reading but not posting as much, but I used to be one of the more frequent posters here on the board. No one ever treated me like it was obsessive or excessive. This is a place of support and we all need to unload somewhere safe and accepting. You are just as deserving of listening ears (or reading eyes) as the next person! Hope you are having a blessed day.
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About it: October 26, 2012 I fell backward on an icy parking lot at work. I was on Workers Comp for 9 months. My PCS : everyday headaches became once in a while headaches, and neck pain became manageable. Still have occasional mild dizziness, sometimes fullness in the ears, convergence insufficiency, sequencing struggles, short term memory struggles, verbal processing delays. CT neg, MRI neg. Therapies: prism glasses, acupuncture, icing neck, resting, supplementing, Elavil 20mg at bedtime. NEW: Completed 12 weeks of physical therapy and returned to work full time. About me: I'm a marketing manager, a mom with a blended family and wife to a heart attack survivor. I believe my brain injury taught me more than it cost me. I'm grateful to still be me! |
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04-30-2013, 04:31 PM
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When I was at my worst, I almost never posted on here. I mostly never read stuff on here, except when searching for answers to specific questions i had. I was worried that thinking too much about my PCS might make it permanent, and I thought the less I thought about what was going on, the better off I would be. Maybe this was true for me, maybe it wasn't--I don't know--but I did get extremely anxious reading anything vaguely negative on this board, so that's why I restricted my access to it. It was only when I started feeling better that I really wanted to share my progress with others, to encourage and give support to those who were not as far along in their recovery . I know there were times i felt so worried that I wouldn't get any better, so i wanted others to know it does happen!
Anyway, it kind of came as a surprise me that I would really need a forum like this one at this stage in my recovery. But I do. I'm doing better today after a couple hard days. The lethargy was really bad yesterday, so I forced myself to take my daughter on a long walk. It was hard, but i started feeling a little better afterwards, so I'm thinking of starting every day with exercise. Tomorrow is my daughter's birthday, and she's turning two, so I have to remind myself that even though these last two years have been the hardest of my life, they have also been some of the most rewarding. It really is important to keep things in perspective! Thanks for reading.
__________________
I have recovered my cognitive function, and I've overcome severe vertigo through sensory integration therapy. Wellbutrin has helped me escape depression. I have recently had a few stress-related migraines, as well as headaches stemming from eye strain. I'm also dealing with tinnitus, lack of stamina, extreme light sensitivity, and eye pain. Diagnosed with 9 different vision issues: convergence insufficiency, pursuit eye movement deficit, egocentric visual midline shift, photophobia, visual information processing delays, accommodative insufficiency, saccadic eye movement deficit, lack of coordination, and central peripheral visual integration deficit. *First concussion: October 2010. I was pregnant and got rear ended. I associated my mild PCS symptoms with baby brain and blamed my light sensitivity on allergies and dry eyes. *Second concussion: December 2011. I hit my head on a wooden beam, saw stars but did not lose consciousness, and I had very disturbing PCS symptoms but didn't go to the doctor. *Third concussion: August 2012. I caused a car accident as a result of PCS symptoms. Thankfully no one was injured but me. My husband confronted me, and I finally sought help and took medical leave from work. My symptoms worsened, and I developed severe vertigo. *Fourth concussion: November 2012. I was riding in a car with a friend and we were hit head on by a driver who lost control of her car. I didn't have a big increase in PCS symptoms. |
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04-30-2013, 11:41 PM
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#38 | ||
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Enjoy your daughter! She will grow up too quickly. You are lucky. Not easy to parent with this injury. The impact on my children is what breaks my heart. A good reason to keep on healing and working toward that goal!
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What happened: Legs pulled forward by a parent's hockey stick while resting at the side of the rink at a family skate....sent me straight back. I hit the back of my head (with helmet) on the ice, bounced a few times, unconscious for a few minutes. September 11, 2011. Off work since then…I work part-time at home when I can. It has been hell but slowly feeling better (when I am alone☺). Current symptoms: Vision problems (but 20/20 in each eye alone!) – convergence insufficiency – horizontal and vertical (heterophoria), problems with tracking and saccades, peripheral vision problems, eyes see different colour tints; tinnitus 24/7 both ears; hyperacusis (noise filter gone!), labyrinthian (inner ear) concussion, vestibular dysfunction (dizzy, bedspins, need to look down when walking); partial loss of sense of smell; electric shocks through head when doing too much; headaches; emotional lability; memory blanks; difficulty concentrating. I still can’t go into busy, noisy places. Fatigue. Executive functioning was affected – multi-tasking, planning, motivation. Slight aphasia. Shooting pain up neck and limited mobility at neck. Otherwise lucky! Current treatments: Vestibular therapy, Vision therapy, amantadine (100 mg a day), acupuncture and physiotherapy for neck, slow return to exercise, magnesium, resveratrol, omega 3 fish oils, vitamins D, B and multi. Optimism and perserverance. |
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05-21-2013, 07:41 AM
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#39 | ||
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I think I've come out the other side of this depression. I know that the antidepressants are big reason why. I also had an underlying health issue that was contributing to my problems. I had a sinus infection but didn't know it, because I wasn't having the typical symptoms and I have such bad allergies that I just thought that was what was going on. Then I started having terrible sinus pain like I've never had in my entire life. Once I started taking antibiotics, I started feeling so much better. A lot of my lethargy left me, which I am extremely grateful for, because I thought I was getting better and was worried that I'd set myself back. I'm sure the Wellbutrin is also helping on this front, but it's hard to tell what's causing me to have more energy and stamina. I don't care! I'm just glad to be feeling better! I feel resilient! I don't think I've felt this strong in ages.
On the downside, my husband is not doing very well. He just becomes a cloud of negative energy when he's depressed. I sent him an email at work today to try to get him to look at things differently. (I sent him one yesterday and he said he really appreciated it.) It feels good to be using my writing skills for a good cause! I hope I managed to give him some perspective, and I also pray that other people struggling with PCS and depression find hope in my story. A quote for today: "Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results." --Willie Nelson I hope everyone has a good day!
__________________
I have recovered my cognitive function, and I've overcome severe vertigo through sensory integration therapy. Wellbutrin has helped me escape depression. I have recently had a few stress-related migraines, as well as headaches stemming from eye strain. I'm also dealing with tinnitus, lack of stamina, extreme light sensitivity, and eye pain. Diagnosed with 9 different vision issues: convergence insufficiency, pursuit eye movement deficit, egocentric visual midline shift, photophobia, visual information processing delays, accommodative insufficiency, saccadic eye movement deficit, lack of coordination, and central peripheral visual integration deficit. *First concussion: October 2010. I was pregnant and got rear ended. I associated my mild PCS symptoms with baby brain and blamed my light sensitivity on allergies and dry eyes. *Second concussion: December 2011. I hit my head on a wooden beam, saw stars but did not lose consciousness, and I had very disturbing PCS symptoms but didn't go to the doctor. *Third concussion: August 2012. I caused a car accident as a result of PCS symptoms. Thankfully no one was injured but me. My husband confronted me, and I finally sought help and took medical leave from work. My symptoms worsened, and I developed severe vertigo. *Fourth concussion: November 2012. I was riding in a car with a friend and we were hit head on by a driver who lost control of her car. I didn't have a big increase in PCS symptoms. |
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05-21-2013, 05:10 PM
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#40 | ||
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It is really hard to keep in touch with what you feel and why, but here are a couple of things I found which seems to boost my morale and motivation.
1. I spend far too much time alone (we all do). PCS is such an isolating disorder. I have joined a athletic club. I have tried restorative yoga (anyone can do it) and it really makes me feel good. The athletic club gets me out and meet other people. I am 14 months pcs and can't work so my whole word resolves around my house and kids, I am the only adult in the house. 2. 21 Day meditation challenge. Someone sent this to me, I have never done anything like it before, but it is 15 minutes a day of positive messaging and keeps you thinking positively. (It really works, I was unsure at the beginning). 3. Baking. I make muffins, bannana bread, cookies etc., but somehow I feel accomplished by doing this. 4. Talking to a positive friend on the phone, try to avoid negative people and situations. 5. Keeping my stress under control, I asked myself is there anything I can do about this and if there is nothing I can do I don't worry about it. I use to waist alot energy being stress out about not having money and getting my kids to support me, but there is nothing I can do so waisting precious resources on worrying about does not help. All the above said I do have some really bad days and it hard to keep going but I try to recognize what might change it and ask someone for help if you need it. You need your feelings validated in order to move on. Keep truckin we are all cheering for you!!! |
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