I know just what you are saying.You are not alone..I go to talk about something,and cannot find the words..I was wondering about being tired all the time???I am.keep smiling it will be okay..we are here for you..

I don't really know why everyone is saying to slow down when I haven't done all that much. I mean really, I have not done that much I don't know how much more I can "slow" down unless I stay in a dark room in bed all week which is pointless. I know I don't have PCS; my doctor confirmed this and staying in the house is making me feel worse. I need to return to some type of routine. I am in pretty good physical condition and if anything, getting back to running and working out has significantly helped my recovery. I also am pretty strict with my diet; I don't eat much bread or processed food at all and mainly eat fruits/ veggies and lean protein. I already take a multi with extra Vitamin D and a B Stress supplement. I am just shocked by how everything has fallen apart none of which has to do with the concussion or not being recovered.

Runnergal,

You are still recovering. You intolerance to stimulations is probably the most common and most frustrating part of PCS. The doctors can not test you for your tolerance to stimulation.

Slowing down does not mean staying home and in bed. It means re-entering the stimulating environments carefully and slowly.

The most valuable skill to learn is the early signs of over-stimulation. They are different for everyone but have some commonalities.

Visually, one might start to blink and strain to recognize an image or word. One mighty need to reread a sentence. One might get a moment of "What just happened." These are all signs of over-stimulation.

If you realized that you needed to get away from these situations earlier, you will be able to reduce the highs and lows of the roller coaster of PCS.

PCS recovery is about managing the symptoms and your life as your brain slowly responds by developing greater tolerance for stimuli.

I don't have PCS though. I had a concussion, it's effects are not like post-concussive syndrome. I'm not re-reading stuff or wondering what just happened. My doctor who is a concussion specialist said that I don't have PCS. I don't see how I am still "recovering". I am incredibly depressed from being kicked out of a semester of graduate school. I could easily re-enter a classroom, take tests, make A's like I have always done, and write papers. Cognitively I am still the same person who is really struggling with depression and anxiety after being kicked out of a master's program.

You said you had to leave a concert because it was overwhelming and you lash out at friends, and feel isolated.

If you don't have PCS you are blessed.

You still have depression and other things going on that can be side effects of PCS.

No matter what, it's up to you to find defintion in your life. Take or leave the advice here, but here is wishing you some peace

Sincerely,

pm

runnergal,

You do have PCS. Your doctor is not a concussion specialist if he does not recognize your sensitivity to over-stimulation. He is at best trained to follow one of the many sports concussion protocols such as ImPACT, Heads Up or CNS.

You said "I don't have PCS though. I had a concussion, it's effects are not like post-concussive syndrome." The effects of a concussion are exactly the same as Post Concussive/Concussion Syndrome. The only difference is PCS is not a term used to describe concussion symptoms within the first few weeks after the concussion.

Now, your condition has been complicated by anxiety and depression. It makes concussion symptoms much worse and can make life miserable. It may help to get some help with your anxiety and depression. Finding some interim activities until you can resume school will be beneficial, too.

You sound like you may also be struggling with OCD. It is a common concussion symptom and part of the anxiety disorders.

Are you taking a strong dose of B-12 methylcobalamin plus B-50 complex, D3 and the anti-oxidants ? It should make a noticeable difference.

I understand your struggles because I have had a very difficult past 8 weeks. Things are finally starting to settle down in my head thanks to a course of meds that hopefully will be short term while some outside stressors get resolved.

My best to you.

No offense but are you a doctor? Depression after a TBI does not mean that you have PCS. By having had a TBI it more than doubles your risk of depression. I was tired after going to a concert because I had such terrible anxiety the entire day beforehand. My doctor knows my emotional struggles and I had testing done that shows I am normal. He understands that it is circumstantial. I never had an ImPact test because I did not have a baseline but I had other testing done that went into detail. To say that I sound like I have OCD is completely ridiculous and offensive. I have no symptoms of OCD. You may want to be careful going around labeling people on the internet with severe mental health disorders. I am experienced in the field of psychology and know that I am not experiencing OCD. I am however experiencing depression and generalized anxiety related to having my life completely torn apart. But whatever coming on here was useless since I had to repeat myself 10 times to ask if other people were emotionally distressed after a TBI. I just didn't expect to be talked to like a child who knows nothing about health or concussions or to be told I have illnesses by people who have no doctorate behind their name.

Runnergal,

I haven't read the entire thread, only your initial post, but I did want to say, as a teacher, don't discount the idea of finding a job later in the summer. Many times, teachers sign contracts in the spring and then find out they cannot fulfill them for whatever reason... spouse is being relocated, personal issues, medical reasons, just to name a few... so positions often do come up later in the summer. Also, if you go ahead and start applying to jobs as they come open, often schools will hire as long as you are reasonably sure you will be finished with your program in time to start the school year.

You can do this! Take it one day at a time

runnergal,

I'm sorry. I did not mean to be or sound offensive. I have lived with concussion induced depression and OCD/anxiety on and off for decades. It is a tough road to go down. Very little is mentioned about concussion induced depression and OCD/anxiety in the various concussion protocols. The Zurich protocol, ACT, SCAT II, and the ImPACT/Heads Up protocol (even without using baseline testing) are focused on the clinical observations and rely heavily on self-reporting. Unfortunately, they tend to not consider over-stimulation tolerance as well as they should. Some doctors even go so far as to discount over-stimulation intolerance as self-induced.

It is very difficult to come to terms with the delays and possible needs to change career paths and lifestyles after a concussion. The rigidity of thought concussion induced symptom makes this a miserable time. The person often finds themselves screaming inside their head "I want my life back." The concussion specialists rarely help the patient with this internal struggle much less recognize the intensity of these desires to return to a normal and often well planned life path. Add the financial strain of lost tuition/scholarships and classes needing repeating and concussion misery is at its worst for the accomplished student.

My heart goes out to the many students whose lives have been disrupted by concussion. I had to change paths completely. I was a pre-dental major and also a white male in the days of the Bakke Decision. The limited quotas for white males entering grad/dental school made it very unlikely that my roller coaster post concussion grades would make the cut. Dental School had been my plan since 9th grade.

I was flying blind because there was no support at all for the accomplished student who was struggling with the stress load of college due to PCS. I had to figure it out myself with trial and error (Failure)

So, again, my heart goes out to you as you struggle with trying to salvage your educational path. And I am sorry if I sounded offensive. It was not my intent.

My best to you.

Hi runnergal,

It's been over three years since I sustained a concussion that completely altered my life, well-being, realationships and career.

I'm not making as much money as I was before and I'm not able to work as much as I used to or even in the same capacity.

My career has taken a major hit because I wasn't able to enter Grad School as I had intended AND there is stigma surrounding brain injuries that I am dealing with and will have to continue to deal with in my "small world" field for the rest of my life.

I still need help with little things and I was "higher functioning" before the accident I was in. I am unable to drive for more than a few miles at a time still because I get too fatigued to be able to handle the cognitive demand that driving takes for an extended period.

And I was very independent and athletic to boot and now I suffer from physical limitations as well.

My ego has taken a major hit as I've tried to redefine who I am.

I think anytime anyone deals with health issues or medical issues that it is distressing.

My opinion is that distress, depression and anxiety that are caused by anything related to one's health is completely normal.

I have been seeing an excellent therapist to help relieve some of that emotional turmoil that I deal with.

I have grown to accept that I am not the same person I was and I still try not to long to be that person I was.

I have three friends with MS and I know some cancer survivors as well - and we all deal with emotional turmoil that comes with having to deal with our lives being altered by something completely unwanted and out of our control.

I recommend that you find a therapist to help you through it.

Very few people can understand what you are going through. I've found the same to be true in my situation. Especially if you are "young". Young people are usually very healthy and don't know what's involved in dealing with a serious medical or health issue and how profoundly it impacts one's life. If I hadn't been in that car accident, *I* wouldn't know either.

My step-mom recently bought me a book called "Life Disrupted" which covers some of what happens when someone has to deal with such things in their 20's and 30's and how different it is than when someone has to deal with such things at a later stage in life. I haven't read it yet... but maybe it will help you if you read it.

People look at me and often wonder why I walk so slowly, like an 80 year old at times, even though I look so young. And I judge myself because I've gained so much weight. I just think of it as par for the course, but it took me a while to finally just accept that most people aren't going to "get it". If people think you should "just get over it" I hope you decide that you would be better served to "get over" your friendship/relationship with them.