Patience
 

The road to recovery is slow for many of us. Stay calm and know that time will help. Do all you can to keep symptoms in check.
Su Seb

Hi Ed...glad you feel a bit better.

Two things:
Who checked your vision? (i.e what kimd of doctor? Imine was 20/20 when tested by me optometrist but my vision was completely whacked out and still is whentested bynpeople who know the brain (neuro-opthamologist, etc.)

Do you need to be at work right now? You sound as if you are in the acute phase still.

Hope gabapentin helps!
Take care, m

hey mokey, ur right i will ask for neurooptometrist, ya im at work i guess main reason is becuase worry of losing my job, and also i dont want to be home alone...i think ur right im still having profound symptoms and need more rest...i really hope things work out for my families sake. Please mokey if we can talk in person i can call u from work if thats ok?

ED

Hang in there!
 

Hi Ed,
I know exactly how you feel - and you have had a lot of good advice so far. The most difficult piece - at least for me - is that progress is not linear - you have some better days - and then right out of the blue - you can hardly make it out of bed. I am at the 10 month point right now and still have some days that you have described. Hang in there - hopefully you are seeing some better days.

Ginger, how and what happen with ur injury?
ED

Hi
 

Hi Ed,
Back in January I was exiting a friend's home through the garage - I missed the step, fell backwards and hit the back of my head on the cement floor.
Right now I just miss my old life - currently just having to stay at home because I cannot handle lots of brain stimulation. The bad days are really bad and so frustrating - you feel like you will never get better - the better days - well - I just wish they were a lot better.....
I sense panic in your posts - really - that does not help - but I know that is easier said than done.

Wow so sorry to hear that, I know how u feel I going through it...its hell.., were u unconscious or did you go to hospital? Doctors keep telling me to keep giving the medication a try and so I have and it has helped the symptoms, please ask your doctor for medication relief, whether it be for pain (gabapentin or lyrica), mood (zoloft, cymbalta) there are plenty of meds for variuos aliments..please look into it.

ED

Life gets better...I promise!
 

Hi Ed,

I see it's been awhile since your post and hope your head is feeling better.

Having celebrated my 6th TBI/PCS birthday I've experienced much over the years and I empathize with you greatly. Headaches, for me, have never gone away without medication. While I had migraines prior to my car accident (one every few months), they were nothing like the constant, debilitating headaches I've had since the accident. While the Dr's claim these are migraine due to symptoms, wow...completely different classification of pain for me. Regardless of the classification finding the right medication is life changing.

What I've learned -

• There is a delicate balance between medication, dosage levels, and side effects you can live with that alleviate the headache. It takes time, but worth it!
• You may feel like a guinea pig until you find the medication that works for you. Trial and error is part of the process - it sucks, but when you finally are headache free...man it's amazing...like going from a black & white world of pain to Technicolor wonder. You remember what joy is and Life is vibrant.
• Communication with your doctor is critical. I've had to call the Dr office to get an increase of my gabapentin several times.
• Depending on your insurance coverage the hospital isn't always a good solution. It cost me $1500 and did nothing but rush me through their pre-defined migraine treatment and slap a different prescription in my hand - this from a hospital specializing in brain injury too.
• Be careful if you change Dr's - I've had many change my gabapentin thinking another will work better or most recently removed ALL med's to see what I was like without "modern living through chemistry" and it set me back to step one. I hurt so badly I hit my lowest, darkest place crying on my son's shoulder.
• When you find what works for you - DO NOT let anyone change your medications.
• There are free migraine apps for iPhone and Android to track your headaches that allow you to input your meds, dosage, triggers, pain level that can be converted to a printable document for your doctor. They're a great tool.
• Note triggers after finding a Rx that works - when the barometric pressure drops I'm toast so while it's totally cool to know when it will rain or snow....I take Midrin those days to help.
• Find a doc that specializes in TBI/PCS headaches AND is the type you can communicate with to adjust meds over the phone. (I contacted Craig Hospital which is near me and specializes in TBI. While they don't do post-TBI, they referred me to my current doc who's a physiatrist specializing in TBI headaches. Not only does he get TBI he works with me knowing I'm an expert of my own body. Best doc I've seen to date.)
• Adding new med's can change how current ones work so note any changes and tell your doc.

After my many trials and terrible medication errors - I take gabapentin 300 mg twice/day and 600 mg at night. The medication makes me feel as if I've had a few drinks and I walk like I'm on a moving boat at times, but no headache. On break through days I add Midrin or 800 mg ibuprofen. Now I forget how bad the headaches were and I can live life feeling free.

I wish you well and am here if you have questions.

Kris