Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Concussion Syndrome For traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post concussion syndrome (PCS).


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Old 08-29-2013, 01:53 PM #1
OwlinFL84 OwlinFL84 is offline
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Default Well I'm alive, but is that enough?

on July 9th, 2013 I was in a severe auto accident where I rolled my SUV 3-4 times and ended up in oncoming traffic. While I avoided even minor physical injury to my body, my car had roof collapse and I hit my head really hard.

I got the concussion exit sheet from my ER physician and within three hours of my accident, walked right out of the ER. I felt fine, but knew that I definitely escaped the clutches of death by a miracle. I went to bed that night thankful for my life.

I woke up a different person. I had severe cognitive deficits right upon awakening. I couldn't do math in my head at all and I was having trouble with word searching. I was extremely foggy and it was immediately apparent that my injury was more severe than anticipated.

I had an MRI two weeks to the day after my accident and it was shown that I had a focal point contusion to my right parietal lobe. I found it surprising that my injury showed so long after my accident, but I can't find anything to say if that is significant or not. Also, I'm a left-handed person, so I have to deal with some issues related to that.

While I have improved slightly, I still have a very difficult time with math and my word-search difficulty is made worse depending on the type of day I'm having. I do finance and accounting for a living! D'oh!

I just reached out to the BIA for my state. I wonder how they can help me.

So the title of my post: I am alive, praise be to God. But, I suffer so much

I desperately want a full night of sleep. I use a pink-noise generator app on my tablet, which I keep bedside. Thankfully that helps to reduce distractions in the middle of the night but I still find myself waking up frequently. My Neuro gave me an RX for xanax to help with panic attacks, which popped up a couple weeks ago, and just last week he gave me a RX for lexapro. I so desperately hope it helps...

I can't get my mind to calm down. I am being tortured by forgetfulness, lack of focus, fog... It is refreshing to know that I am not alone in my suffering. That is primarily why I am posting here now. I want to say thank you to all of you who share your experiences. I know I am being whiney but I had to get that out
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Old 08-29-2013, 04:23 PM #2
Mark in Idaho Mark in Idaho is offline
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OwlinFl84,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear of your accident.

I suggest you try to avoid the Xanax. It is a benzo and they are rough on the brain. Read the vitamins sticky at the top. It will help your brain cleanse from the injury toxins then start to heal and deal with sensory struggles.

Try to limit sensory stimulation. Your injured brain just can not tolerate sensory stimulation like it could before your injury.

You are still early in your recovery. Your injury will likely require diligence in pursuing quiet rest. A few hours of over-stimulation can undo a week of good quiet rest so try to moderate your daily life.

My best to you.
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"Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10
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Old 08-29-2013, 05:24 PM #3
OwlinFL84 OwlinFL84 is offline
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Thanks, Mark. I hate the xanax but it does keep me from having panic attacks in the middle of the night. I've tried other sleep remedies but nothing knocks me out. I am trying to do a slow draw-down on it now so that I can let the lexapro do its thing. Every day is a struggle. Thanks for the encouragement.
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Old 08-29-2013, 05:37 PM #4
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Hi OwlinFL84,

Sleep is my nemesis as well after suffering a concussion. Somedays I sleep well and other days I can't fall asleep.

I too suffered anxiety attacks, but am not able to control them by either meditation or breathing through them. I used a cd called Let Go by Eli Bay. I can't tell you the number of times I have listened to it to try to bring myself to a calm. I have also used many of the supplements that Mark has mentioned and they help alot as well.

I had a lot of great advice from seeing a naturalpathic doctor about natural remedies vs seeing a MD.

The two supplements I find help me the most for sleep issues are
- Magensium Citrate (Natural Calm Brand)
- Melotonin (Spray kind)

Its a long journey and mine isn't even close to ending but what I can say is after going through this tough part of my life, I appreciate little things more and realize that no task can be more difficult then fighting your own worst enemy (Your brain)
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Old 08-29-2013, 05:59 PM #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlinFL84 View Post
Well I'm alive, but is that enough?
Hi Owlin. Being alive is certainly a good start, especially considering the alternative!

I don’t see you as being whiney at all; sharing our experience, strength, and hope is why we are here.

Your accident was relatively recent as head injuries go. At my two month mark I was still in the hospital in the neuro-rehab unit. I shared your difficulties with math, to the point where I was shown a 7 + 4 = ? flashcard and I couldn’t figure it out. Three months later my math skills were rated “superior” in a follow up neuropsychological assessment.

The fact that you have improved slightly already is a good sign. Are you currently having any form of therapy for your cognitive deficits? I found occupational and speech therapy very beneficial in this regard. Things I continue to find useful for alleviating the anxiety and “mind chatter” nearly three years later include yoga and mindfulness meditation.

Wishing you a steady recovery. Let us know how things progress, and don’t be reluctant to ask questions; lots of experience can be found here.

Best to you.
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What Happened: On November 29, 2010, I was walking across the street and was hit by a light rail commuter train. Result was a severe traumatic brain injury and multiple fractures (skull, pelvis, ribs). Total hospital stay was two months, one in ICU followed by an additional month in neuro-rehab. Upon hospital discharge, neurological testing revealed deficits in short term memory, executive functioning, and spatial recognition.

Today: Neuropsychological examination five months post-accident indicated a return to normal cognitive functioning, and I returned to work approximately 6 months after the accident. I am grateful to be alive and am looking forward to enjoying the rest of my life.
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Old 08-29-2013, 08:42 PM #6
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I am blessed that I work in the family business and my father is also my employer. I have an amazing support system in place. My sister is a Speech Pathologist. I have not seen an occupational therapist but I think that is on the list of questions for my doc.

Today I was trying to collate some papers. One set was 2-sided, and I needed all of the pages on the same side. So instead of having 10 pages of paper I needed 20. It took me the entire day to sort the damn things and my Dad was not getting why I was making an easy task so difficult. The problem was, each time I turned over a piece of paper, it was staring back at me as if I had just started. The back of the second sheet was the same as the front of the first! I could NOT figure out why each time I flipped the paper, it appeared as if I had done nothing at all. It completely stressed me out and I was exhausted. That is the hard part for me. the seemingly simple things are soooooo difficult, yet I can have moments of complete clarity and discuss portfolio diversification and market theory.... so weird!

One of the things I have picked up on is to write a goal sheet for the day on a note card. I will put things like "go out for coffee" or "call xxxxx back" "stay calm" "cook a real dinner" and try to see how many things I can accomplish. On the back of the card, I write how my day went, and which tasks were too daunting or which were easy. I've found that I can then trace back a few days and see if I have something that I just can't overcome so then I can ask for help.

My family can't understand why I have panic attacks in the middle of the night but not when I'm driving. I don't have any anxiety about driving at all; I am totally cool with my accident. **** happens, right? no big deal. What makes me so worked up in the middle of the night that I start hyperventilating? I wish I could give them an answer. I just hope the meds start working soon. They are worried that I'm withdrawing and being anti-social because I don't want to "go out". Holy crap, dudes, I'm exhausted! No, I do not want to be around people because I am so freakin tired! What part of that don't you get? LOL! Let me finally get some rest and MAYBE I'll have enough energy to deal with people... I haven't had a good night's rest in WEEKS. Catch me on a Monday after I've had the entire weekend to relax. You'd probably think I was totally fine. Today (thursday), and tomorrow especially, not so much. I'm pretty much ripping at the seams. I will likely sleep in much of Saturday and feel a lot better. Its so frustrating!

Anyway I feel the desire to write so much but when I sit down to do it I find the task very difficult. it took me 20 minutes to write all of this down. I do feel some relief by documenting my symptoms so I think I might treat this thread like a blog of sorts. We'll see. Thanks again for all the support and well wishes. It does mean a lot to me.
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Old 08-30-2013, 03:43 AM #7
teaaquinn teaaquinn is offline
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I second not taking the xanax. I went to a quality concussion clinic and they told me to avoid it at all costs because it affects the brain like alcohol which is really not good. So sorry about your accident. It honestly sounds like you are better than you could be at only a month and a half or so out. So try to stay positive and make sure to take around 2000 Mg total EPA/DHA of omega 3 fish oil and b 12 vitamins at least. Read the vitamin thread. Also try resveratrol it helps with inflamation. Everything will be ok and you will improve. Also try melatonin for sleep and ask your dr about gabapentin for sleep. Its helped me. Good luck my friend.
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Old 08-30-2013, 03:46 AM #8
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Also you need to take time off work if possible. This is a serious problem and you need to rest your brain so it can heal.
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Old 08-30-2013, 09:54 AM #9
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The first few months are the worst because of not knowing what is happening to you but it does get better, but very slowly . Its best to stop working and to rest . Every day. Rest your brain dont think dont plan . Dont get stressed. Avoid tv and computers. In the early days of my cuncussion ,making breakfast was too much . Try not to think about the problem . I was prescribed elavil for my headaches and mood swings. Get the people close to you to research what cuncussions are all about so they understand what your going through and can help. Your life is on hold and has changed suddenly and youll need to come to grips with that and realizing that will give you some peace.
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Old 08-30-2013, 11:45 AM #10
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Well the BIA-FL called me back today. The woman who called was very nice and said she would email me some information about TBI, and also send a list of physicians in my area who can help me. I didn't expect much more than that but it was nice to tell her about my injury and to hear that what I was experiencing was normal. She suggested I get a neuropsych evaluation so that I can get some idea for treatment or management of my symptoms.

Not sure I'll learn anything new since I have pretty much read the entire internet's worth of research about TBI, but maybe it has stuff I can forward to my family. We shall see!
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