Hello again,

Just read over my post and typical of what I do is write "probably got better a lot after ..." I always read over my replies several times before actually posting it and don't notice the grammar mistakes at the time

dagma1 thank you so much for your insight into PCS.

I have a few questions today that I am not finding anywhere.

1) How long did you guys wait before getting vestibular therapy?

2) Did people say your speech is really slow even a week after the concussion?

3) Did anyone have difficult reading a digital clock? (for example if the time is 8:40am, my gf can make out the 8, but not the 4 and 0). If so did it get better?

4) She does not have insurance, so which specialties really helped and should be seen?

5) Did you guys find it possible to return to some form of employment after a few months?


Little update
I don't notice any declines since my last update on day 5. In terms of progress, I think her headaches are not as strong and everything is stable at where they are at. I have switched her over to Advil since yesterday.Right now for pain its just Advil 200mg during the day, but will be alternating with Acetaminophen 650mg if she gets a strong headache and too early for more Advil. At night have been doing a benadryl 25mg with an Advil 200mg. We also have been doing an icepack while administering medicine each time.

Think her concentration is better, but still have trouble understanding situations, tired, still have memory loss, sensitive to light and sound, heightened taste and smell, difficulty finding words.


One negative for the coming week is that she has two large orders that the customer already paid for, so that is often on her mind. I will be doing as much as I can to help her and limit the time she spends on it. After those two orders are shipped out, she will definitely be taking some time off from the business.

Thanks for the response Mark! From the start I made sure her daily acetaminophen intake was less than 1000mg a day (the new standard is 3000mg maximum daily), so we are safe there. I decided to primarily use Advil per the advice on this thread and save the acetaminophen when out of options.

Hi,

Very pleased to hear your gf's headache's are not as strong but be careful, they can be deceiving and right when you think they're gone they're back, not saying they will but again take everything slowly.

My Dr. started my vestibular therapy about 2 months after the concussion, I also had a neck and shoulder injury though so wasn't moving a lot but when I started walking around more I would sway and fall to the side.

Yes, speech was slow a week after my accident, the wrong words would come and I'd forget what things were called, I remember asking my husband for an apple but couldn't think of the word apple, just stared and stared at it but my mind was blank.

I'd also read a digital clock wrong! exactly how your gf is seeing it, If it was 9:30 I'd say it was 8 or 9. It did get better, again it takes time, sometimes I still make a mistake and say it's 7o'clock when my husband says it's 9, then I'll look again and see he's right, very strange.

For me there was no way I could go back to work after a few months, too disorientated, foggy, not thinking straight etc the computer/reading made the headaches worse too.

At one point, early on in therapy, I felt worse, my OT said that's typical, you'll feel worse to begin with then start feeling better.

It's hard to say what therapy your gf needs, everyone is different, best to see a Dr for an evaluation, are you managing to see a family Dr so someone can follow your gf ??

I know this is frustrating, we just want to jump up and be "normal" again, I don't know if you've read the sticky on vitamins, it all helps, eat good food, rest, ( I know if I get over tired a bunch of symptoms come back) reading posts on here helps, just to know you are not alone.

Hang in there,

dagma1, thanks again for the response. She learned the hard way yesterday to not overdo it. She spend about 20 minutes on the computer against my advice. About an hour later she nearly fainted with a headache of 10/10. Luckily it went down within 30 minutes to a 2 with medication, ice pack and some relaxation. It migh've been a necessary warning we had today.

You stated your speech was slow after a week, so how long did it take to return to normal?

I am going to try to get her a primary care physician, but the problem of not having insurance is turning into a challenging hurdle.

Agent,

As much as others can suggest doctors and self-directed treatment, it is futile to try to compare symptoms, recovery, and any other issues. There is a saying, "When you have seen one head injury, you have seen ONE head injury." No two are the same. You appear to be very detail oriented. That is fine to a point. It can become excessive and hamper recovery by putting too much focus on minute to minute symptoms.

I believe a concussion should be analyzed with a week or more as a minimum time interval. Other than the need to deal with head aches as they manifest, all other symptoms will likely have an ebb and flow over many days if not weeks. Recovery is a slow process and requires lots of patience.

Even though dagma1 had similar symptoms, don't expect to find much more in similarities.

btw, The 3000 mgs of acetaminophen is a standard to protect the liver. It does not work as a dosage limit to protect the brain. Acetaminophen has some neuro-toxic characteristics.

My best to you both.

Agent007tj,

Get your girlfriend some crayons and coloring pages. I'm 35 years old and back in 2011 I did a lot of coloring just for something to do (couldn't watch tv, read, etc. or even follow the story while listening to an audio book). Coloring is no stress for the brain, but it will take her mind off her injury and will help her to "kill" time.

Hope that will help.

Marina

@ Mark, Thanks for the advice. I am an ICU RN, so it does make me detail oriented. I am not constantly assessing my gf to exhaustion or anything, but I try to observe her. Its been a rough 11 days for her and I, and I am only trying to understand PCS. Books and articles only tell you so much, but the experiences of others who suffer PCS is more valuable for me these day. I must admit PCS is very new to me. I myself had 3 concussions, but luckily have not had to face any severe PCS. I am mainly on this site to see other peoples experiences with PCS and their recovery. I am completely aware my gf likely won't follow the same path, but I still like to remain hopeful for a quick recovery.

@Marina, Thanks for the advice. She is a creative person, so naturally she was drawing and coloring a few days ago.

As an ICU RN, You are predisposed and trained to look for and track every change. This is counter to brain injuries. Brain injuries, even mTBI's usually result in a roller coaster ride as symptoms come and go. There will be trends developing over time (weeks or more)

11 days is just getting started with mTBI. Symptoms can get worse for up to 6 weeks or more as the brain tries to sort out the permanently damaged areas and those areas that will heal. Minimizing stress and further injury while supporting the brain as it tries to purge the toxins that result from the injury is often all that can be done.

Coma is the brain doing this. It limits functions so that the brain can rest as it slowly gathers the best functioning parts and brings them into use. Drug induced comas are forcing the brain to rest so it has time to re-establish proper fluid regulation.

She needs a simpler form. Simple manual tasks to keep her occupied so her brain gets decent perfusion without cognitive strain are best. Concussions are managed, not treated, in most cases.

Do your best to not let her see your concern or frustration with her recovery/condition. A comment of "You look much better than last week" is the limit. Better yet, You look like you are slowly improving. I am told to expect improvements to be slow. No 'You look good today' because when you do not say it tomorrow, she will want to know why.

Read the TBI Survival guide at www.tbiguide.com

Praying for a speedy recovery for your gf! As the wife of a TBI hubby, I thought I'd chime in . . .

Mark is right - you do sound very, very detail oriented. I'd like to say that CAN work in your gf's favor. My husband is almost 3 years into this journey and we have tried many different medicines to increase his quality of life. My primary role has been to take VERY careful, detailed notes regarding his response to new medicines and dosages. Thru my observations and arguing with doctors when need be, we are finally at a combination of meds that has allowed him to regain some quality of life back.

So, my advice? Don't drive her or yourself crazy with details! Bite your tongue if you find yourself asking 20 times a day "how are you" (been there, done that). But do pay special attention to her reactions to the meds she is given. As I'm sure you have gathered -- everyone with TBI takes a wide variety of meds to manage their symptoms. If her condition persist, continue to do research (& take notes while doing so) and record different meds and dosages, etc. It was very, very helpful to us and trust it will be for you too.