Hello,

I just wanted to introduce myself and share a little bit about why I'm here.

I'm a 24-year-old female living in Minneapolis. I've been working in the political/health care fields since graduating college a little over a year ago. I've always been a high-functioning, multitasking person, so living with a TBI has been a bit of an adjustment for me!

I suffered a mild-moderate TBI as a result of being run over by a car on August 27. For the first couple of weeks, I had pounding headaches, as well as all the typical symptoms of TBI: fatigue, dizziness, sensitivity to light/sound, loss of sense of smell. I've noticed a definite improvement over the last month, but I'm still not where I should be!

Currently, I'm having problems because I appear normal to people from the outside, but I am definitely not normal yet. The biggest issue is that I'm noticing cognitive problems, that I'm just not able to process information as quickly as I used to. I'm also struggling with anxiety, which I dealt with before the accident, but it's much more intense now!

I begin brain rehabilitation this week, which I'm very excited for. I also start seeing a therapist who specializes in TBI issues later this month. I think I'm getting decent medical care, but I am interested in learning about homeopathic/natural remedies that could work well for me. I already take a B complex vitamin daily, and I'm vegan. I'm making an effort to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

I'm also interested in what people have done to improve their cognitive skills post-TBI. I'm considering signing up for Lumosity - I've read a bit about it being helpful for people with similar issues. I've also started studying for the GRE (oh boy!) though my TBI doctor has warned me not to do too much of this sort of thing yet. I just feel anxious to start rebuilding my brain!

I'm interested to learn more about what has worked for others, and get to know people dealing with similar issues.

So sorry to hear of your plight. It might just be my imagination, but I'd swear that listening to Baroque music soothes and helps heal my brain. As far as I can tell, it's just Baroque (Bach, Telemann, etc.) that works, even though I enjoy other styles.

Best of luck.

Welcome to NT.

Sound like you have a good medical team on your side, I found therapy to rebuild cognitive function one of the most important parts of my recovery.

In addition to the vitamins make sure to get enough protein, which for some vegans can be a challenge.

Regarding non-traditional remedies, I have found meditation and gentle yoga very effective in helping with anxiety.

I'd agree with your doctor in not trying too much too soon. Your injury was just over a month ago, which may seem like a long time but it's actually very recent in TBI recovery.

Stick around and share how your recovery is progressing. Best to you on that journey.

There is a great neuro-opthamologist in Minneapolis. Dr Rubenfeld. She understands brain injury. You should definitely get your vision assessed as it is often damaged (at the brain level) by trauma,
Good luck!!!

Welcome to NT. Sorry to hear of your injury.

You are still very early in your recovery. A lot of spontaneous recovery may be coming. The Lumosity claims are very misleading. There is a huge difference between recovering skills and functions lost due to injury and building weak and under-developed skills that have just been dormant.

You may over-task your brain when it needs gentle rehab.

As mentioned, you need protein with a diverse combination of essential fatty acids. It is near impossible to get the full array on a vegan diet. There are some seaweed sources and such that try to make up for the meat based EFA's. They have their own limitations and complications.

Please do not get your hopes too high for a quick recovery just because you are starting neuro-rehab and therapy. Your brain has its own schedule for recovery. The best doctors and therapists can not over-rule your brain's timing.

Take it slow, try to keep your stress levels low and let your brain heal.

My best to you.

I was injured July 9th of this year. We have some of the same symptoms. My advice is to sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep and then sleep some more. Did I mention to sleep? Oh, and if you AREN'T sleeping, call your Doc ASAP. Don't be afraid of anti-anxiety medications, they can be your savior (they were for me!) Most of all, everyone here is super supportive and you can cry, yell and scream and we'll all rub your shoulder and give you a hug.

Did I mention to sleep? Oh and be sure to rest

Actually, sleep and drug induced sleep is not necessarily best. Sleep needs to be proper sleep with good REM phases. The brain heals during REM sleep. Anti-anxiety meds (usually benzodiazepines) are rough on the brain. Avoid them if you can find other ways to reduce anxiety.

The standard is Quiet Rest. This means a low stimulation environment where the brain is not challenged with stress or cognitive tasks. Light activities like manual tasks in quiet atmospheres are best. The hands can not do tasks that over-burden the brain (except at a keyboard or smart phone). Knitting, painting, and other manual hobby like tasks provide low stress stimulation. You need to be active enough to support good blood flow through the brain.

For some, sleep may have been effective but it is not always the case.

My best to you.

I echo Mark's post. Valium may seem like it is inducing sleep, but it actually knocks you out without the deep REM sleep and sleep cycles.

My neurologist put me on trazodone short term to improve sleep.

If you google "sleep hygiene" there are a lot of good practices!

Thanks! It's good to know that I've found a forum for good discussion about this stuff. I've definitely been making sure to get 9ish hours a night!

I certainly haven't been sleeping as well as I did before the accident, and it takes me longer to fall asleep (maybe 30 - 45 minutes now) but I haven't noticed it being too much of a problem for me. I'm grateful for that! It sounds like some people with this injury have more trouble.

As of right now, I'm not on any medications other than occasional ibuprofen to ease the pain of my leg that was run over. I've weaned off of Vicodin, and though I'm working with my doctors to find a longer term headache medication that would work for me, we haven't found anything yet.

I had an audiology follow-up today and was diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. I had a treatment done in the clinic, which seemed to have helped ease the dizziness. I get to sleep sitting upright tonight (yay!) and avoid looking up or down for the next 48 hours. I have a follow-up in two weeks to see if I require another treatment. Apparently BPPV is pretty common after a traumatic blow to the head! I hadn't thought that my dizziness was that much of a problem.

Hi and welcome to NT.

I have found that pranayama practice (deep, conscious, meditative breathing) allows me to fall asleep easily without medication. In this technique you lie still, breathe deeply and focus on your breath. When the mind starts to wander (and it will) bring your attention back to the in and out flow of your breath.

It takes some practice, but I find it enables me to reduce the brain “chatter” which allows me to fall asleep more easily. While I don’t time it I believe I fall asleep within 5-15 minutes using this technique.

I find this technique helpful in managing anxiety during waking hours as well.

Very best to you as you continue to recover.