[JakeWaves]

I hope some of you may be able to relate to what I'm currently going through. A few weeks ago i got a concussion via a snowboarding accident. Ever since, it seems as though I've been downgraded from my old spontaneous and lively self. I've been feeling foggy and my concentration has been muddy. I've had extreme anxiety and panic attacks like you wouldn't believe and falling asleep at night intimidates me and I'm suddenly trying hard just to keep my eyes shut long enough to fall asleep. Rarely do I get the full needed 8 hours of rest. The dreadful part is that I was getting better after a couple of weeks and there was a point where i had thought i was really coming around. Until I heard about a brain injury story that had me panicked and my Symptoms started to flare again and i was back to feeling horrendous and unpleasant once again. My doctor cleared me and told me that he didn't think anything was wrong with me but my old Psychiatrist believed i have PCS. I declined taking any medication for the anxiety but it really seems to be the symptom that has the most effect on me. That week when i was getting better i had almost no anxiety or panic attacks and It felt as though my symptoms were pretty much vanishing. But after the anxiety and complete doom hit me again the symptoms started to fluctuate and increase once again. The anxiety gives me a really upset stomach, dizziness, shortness of breath, Nausea, pretty much the classic symptoms of an anxiety attack. I thought I was getting better and now i feel downgraded back to where i started when i first got the symptoms. I was wondering if anybody has had the same experience or if they have any encouraging words to spare? I'm 22 and this is my final year of college and I'm fearing something horrible is happening and there's no way out of it. My girlfriend has been really supportive but my personality has changed and i feel like I cant be that guy she first set eye on anymore. = /

[vini]

hi jake

anxiety attacks are not a symptom of pcs in all cases but the general low mood and fogginess could trigger an episode especially if you have suffered in the past if your sleep patterns are out of sync that can also play a part go see your doctor to talk through your options please don,t get PCS mixed up with TBI we share this board so it can happen PCS is disruption of brain function TBI is brain injury you can also help in the healing process by keeping your self hydrated and taking good multi vitamins and most of all taking omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acid,s rest and no more bangs to the head keep going back to the doctor if you are worried keep us posted

kind regards vini

[JakeWaves]

Originally Posted by vini

hi jake

anxiety attacks are not a symptom of pcs in all cases but the general low mood and fogginess could trigger an episode especially if you have suffered in the past if your sleep patterns are out of sync that can also play a part go see your doctor to talk through your options please don,t get PCS mixed up with TBI we share this board so it can happen PCS is disruption of brain function TBI is brain injury you can also help in the healing process by keeping your self hydrated and taking good multi vitamins and most of all taking omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acid,s rest and no more bangs to the head keep going back to the doctor if you are worried keep us posted

kind regards vini

You don't think its PC's? I thought that any form of mild concussion was a form of TBI? Whats the difference between the two?

[rydellen]

Hi!
I also got PCS from a snowboard-crash.
Im gonna write more another time, but what you say about the anxiety-attacks and so on. Believe me when I say that EVERYTHING that the brain deals with gets affected. I also have had stressproblems, axiety, nervous-breakdown etc and YES it has to do with my brain beeing more sensitive and out of balance. BIG mistake to think a concussion is a structural damage. My dad has a stress-related problem after working to much for long periods of time in his life with lots of pressure. We can seriously see the same pattern. He hasnt hit his head yet we are the same way. Fatigue, stress, hard to sleep, koncentration-difficulties etc etc!!

[benjamin]

Concussions are a scary thing to go through. For some people, especially young people it can trigger an episode of acute anxiety and stress. It sounds like you've got yourself very scared about what could be going on in your head physically which is very easy to do if you start reading around on the internet. The personality changes, the fogginess and slowness are all common symptoms of ANXIETY and so not necessarily evidence that you are suffering from PCS (although PCS just means you are ill after a concussion so it could be called that).

My advice is to STOP reading on the net about what might be wrong with you and to take it very easy for a while. Do things that you enjoy, be kind to yourself and find ways to calmly distract yourself from things which trigger your anxiety. Getting some medication for the anxiety may help. Some therapy may also be beneficial especially if you have suffered anxiety or depression in the past.

I suffered a relatively mild concussion from which I thought I had recovered a few days later. I've been struggling with depersonalisation, derealisation, anxiety and depression for the past 8 months since but am about a million times better than I was 7 months ago. But when I took a look at my life pre the accident I realised that I had been dealing with all these things already. The concussion just seemed to tip me over and bring everything crashing down so I had to rebuild my life.

Wish you all the best. I'm certain you will be back to yourself. In fact you will probably be happier once you get through this. Just give it some time and don't for a minute think that you have brain damage cos that will suck you straight back into panic land!

[vini]

hi

Benjamin is right he was in a similar place and is well on his way now , you hit your head and hurt your brain your scans were normal so there is a very good chance you will come right in time and rest, if your scans showed structural damage this would be TBI . PCS is after concussion whether you were knock out or not, the brain has to kind of de frag it,s self , like when you can out, you check your self out to see if you are hurt, and this ,takes time and our functions run slow, but in TBI the components are missing or damaged, the panic you feel maybe due to a kind of informational over load and a kind of realization that we are not invincible , like you have recover enough to think wow I was lucky , with TBI there is often as in my case no memory before and after, I was the same motor cross cliff jumping ect when I was young see, if you cant get the sleep thing sorted

hope you feel better real soon

keep us posted

vini

[JakeWaves]

Hey everyone thank you for all the help and comments. As it turns out I don't have PCS, Instead a specialist believes I'm suffering from post traumatic stress, which would explain why i only start to feel completely hopeless and ill when the anxiety and flashbacks of the incident occurs. I've been prescribed some relaxants and an antidepressant. With time this should all pass and I'll return back to my carefree and less irritable self. I thank everyone for their support.

[Mark G]

Originally Posted by JakeWaves

I hope some of you may be able to relate to what I'm currently going through. A few weeks ago i got a concussion via a snowboarding accident. Ever since, it seems as though I've been downgraded from my old spontaneous and lively self. I've been feeling foggy and my concentration has been muddy. I've had extreme anxiety and panic attacks like you wouldn't believe and falling asleep at night intimidates me and I'm suddenly trying hard just to keep my eyes shut long enough to fall asleep. Rarely do I get the full needed 8 hours of rest. The dreadful part is that I was getting better after a couple of weeks and there was a point where i had thought i was really coming around. Until I heard about a brain injury story that had me panicked and my Symptoms started to flare again and i was back to feeling horrendous and unpleasant once again. My doctor cleared me and told me that he didn't think anything was wrong with me but my old Psychiatrist believed i have PCS. I declined taking any medication for the anxiety but it really seems to be the symptom that has the most effect on me. That week when i was getting better i had almost no anxiety or panic attacks and It felt as though my symptoms were pretty much vanishing. But after the anxiety and complete doom hit me again the symptoms started to fluctuate and increase once again. The anxiety gives me a really upset stomach, dizziness, shortness of breath, Nausea, pretty much the classic symptoms of an anxiety attack. I thought I was getting better and now i feel downgraded back to where i started when i first got the symptoms. I was wondering if anybody has had the same experience or if they have any encouraging words to spare? I'm 22 and this is my final year of college and I'm fearing something horrible is happening and there's no way out of it. My girlfriend has been really supportive but my personality has changed and i feel like I cant be that guy she first set eye on anymore. = /

I just joined this site today and I am not sure if this is the place to post this or not. I fell on the ice on Christmas morning of 2008 on my way into work. Later that day I went to the ER at my local hospital. I had 2 skull fractures and two bleeding spots, one on my frontal lobe and one on my temporal lobe.Had Xrays and a CT scan. Spent the night in ICU, where the staff allowed me to dehydrate( had an IV line but no fluids) Next morning they hydrated me and gave me another CT scan and sent me home. My neurosurgeon said I could go back to work 3 days later although I had an extreme headache and he did not perform any sort of neurological test on me. He relied solely on the X-ray and CT scan to tell me I would be fine, just don't lift anything over 50 pounds. Went back for another CT and again, no exam. Then I went for an MRI with contrast. It was incredibly loud and painful. I was not told about how much it would aggravate my headache etc. The neurosurgeon then pronounce me fit to return to work with 50 pound weight restriction, once again without any sort of neurological test( check my pupils, memory, strength etc) I then went to a neurologist who diagnosed me with PCS, gave me an anti-depressant( I think it started with and A) and Darvocet for pain. I am still not able to this day to sleep well, concentrate or feel like my old self. I have experienced headaches on a daily basis, I feel confused and disoriented a lot of the time. I have poor short term memory and I am easily frustrated and angered. I sometimes have ringing in my ears and feel worn out and out of place when I go out in public a lot of the time.My libido is very low and i have blurry, out of focus vision and at times double vision when trying to read. As far as reading books goes, I have given up on that, although I used to be able to read 2 or 3 books a week. Most of the time I feel like I am in some sort of daze or fog. My girlfriend has been very supportive but after nearly 6 months she is getting tired of the whole situation. I was 50 years old when I fell, I am now 51 and my employer was kind enough to fire me from my job 2 months after it happened, even though I am still on Worker Comp. Even if I was physically, mentally and emotionally well enough to work , I am sure it will be difficult to find a job, given my age and the fact that I am probably considered an health or safety risk now.I hope I have not gone on too much, but after reading some of the posts here I feel like there are finally some people who can relate to what I am going through.

[Mark in Idaho]

Mark in PA,

You are having a normal experience with Work Comp. Do you have access to your own doctor? Have you talked to a Work Comp attorney?

I would strongly suggest finding a Work Comp attorney who understands head injuries. Head injuries are very hard to get handled in a Work Comp situation. Does your employer have a disability program for employees?

Ask an attorney if your firing should instead be a "laid off due to disability?" This starts a clock for Social Security Disability. Some states do not allow an employer to fire an injured worker. Check this out with the attorney.

Also, find a brain injury support group and go with your girl friend. You both need to understand what is happening. Download Dr Glen Johnson's TBI Guide at www.tbiguide.com

Print it out and have anybody close to you read it.

Regarding attorneys, you might want to check with a personal injury attorney. Since you were going into work, this may not be a proper Work Comp situation. Employers try to use Work Comp because it protects them better by limiting the benefits to the injured employee.

At your age (over 50), Social Security considers you to not be retrainable. If you cannot return to your last job, then you may qualify for SSDI.

I am 54 and now on SSDI after a Work Comp head injury in 2001. Work Comp in California is a nightmare. The Governator (Ahnold) has made it very difficult for the injured to get legal representation. I hope PA is better.

Hang in there, you may be in for a long ride. The best you can do is wait and try to relax. Stay away from alcohol and other toxins while your brain tries to heal.

btw, Could you go by Mark in PA rather than Mark G? It confuses my brain damaged mind because I am also a Mark G. Just go to your profile and change your screen name. I see Mark G and think it is me. I quickly correct myself, but....

[Mark G]

Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho

Mark in PA,

You are having a normal experience with Work Comp. Do you have access to your own doctor? Have you talked to a Work Comp attorney?

I would strongly suggest finding a Work Comp attorney who understands head injuries. Head injuries are very hard to get handled in a Work Comp situation. Does your employer have a disability program for employees?

Ask an attorney if your firing should instead be a "laid off due to disability?" This starts a clock for Social Security Disability. Some states do not allow an employer to fire an injured worker. Check this out with the attorney.


Regarding attorneys, you might want to check with a personal injury attorney. Since you were going into work, this may not be a proper Work Comp situation. Employers try to use Work Comp because it protects them better by limiting the benefits to the injured employee.

At your age (over 50), Social Security considers you to not be retrainable. If you cannot return to your last job, then you may qualify for SSDI.

I am 54 and now on SSDI after a Work Comp head injury in 2001. Work Comp in California is a nightmare. The Governator (Ahnold) has made it very difficult for the injured to get legal representation. I hope PA is better.

Hang in there, you may be in for a long ride. The best you can do is wait and try to relax. Stay away from alcohol and other toxins while your brain tries to heal.

btw, Could you go by Mark in PA rather than Mark G? It confuses my brain damaged mind because I am also a Mark G. Just go to your profile and change your screen name. I see Mark G and think it is me. I quickly correct myself, but....

starting here and working backward, I made several unsuccessful attempts to change my User name but no dice. Sorry.

I do not use any drugs other than Pamelor (nortriptalyn) and darvocet as prescribed by my neulogist. I dont use alcohol or any tobacco products and I have been a vegetarian for well over 20 years. I was in excellent physical condition until my injury.

SSI here is a joke, just not funny. I have already spoken to SSI regarding some assistance. I have to be out of work and completely unable to do any sort of work at all in order to get SSI. I can apply for DSS( disability security income) but over 90% are turned down and then you need to hire an attorney to plead your case. I am also ineligible for SSI because I make too much on Comp.

At my age and with my condition I may not be trainable but they can try to force me to do some work that I have done in the past. I have had several well-paying jobs in supervisory/managerial positions. But again, at 51 and injured the chances of scoring a decent job are minimal at best.

I have an attorney who handles the majority of Comp cases in this county and she seems to know what she is doing.I can not sue for personal injury in this state as I was on Company property and going into work at the time of the accident. I guess it is the Commonwealth's way of protecting employers. I have contacted several personal injury attorneys who said the same thing, I have no grounds to sue my employer or the corporation other than Worker Comp.

MY girlfriend found this site while searching for info on PCS. She has read may of the posts and she is the one who told me about this. I will look for support group locally but in the meantime this will have to do. Thanks for the info and the reply. Best of luck in your recovery.

Mark G in Pa