[Spaceman]

Hello,

In late June I got a concussion. It took about two weeks to get better, but I did and felt 100% recovered. A couple of weeks later, I hit my head on something again. I didn't feel like I had another concussion thankfully, but I had a week of headaches. Then a week after that, I bumped my head again. Not very hard, the sort of thing normally a person wouldn't even think about. This led to a week of mild concussion symptoms, nothing involving cognition/slow thoughts really but more just the physical symptoms. A week later? You can guess how the story goes. Very mild bump on the head, nothing that would normally lead to a concussion, but I went through another four days or so of fog. A week after that same story. Barely tapped my head against something, and back to concussion-ish symptoms.

My questions are, is this normal expected behavior, will it eventually stop, or have I become completely unable to have any impact of any kind to my head without a concussion? Assuming it will go away, is it the time from the initial concussion, or is it time from the last time something contacts my head? People tell me to just be careful, but I'm very tall and its just extremely difficult to avoid minor bumps. Thanks!

[Mark in Idaho]

Many people develop sensitivity to any head impacts after a concussion. Your problem likely stems for the fact that you have impacted your head so many times in a short time period. I suspect you have had a lifetime of sub-concussive impacts that have combined to create your sensitivity to impacts. As my neuro wisely advised me years ago, You have likely achieved a critical mass of impacts.

My best to you.