[Glacier Guy]

I fell on an icy surface in Dec. 2012, dusted myself off, and continued on my way to work. It was after the holidays, upon return to work that I experienced headaches, extreme fatigue and dizziness. I have been off work (more or less) since.

The following are some of the major points on the journey. After three months, I tried to return to work for 2 hours a day, but I only lasted 2 weeks until I had a major setback.

In month 8, an occupational therapist started me on attention training. I worked my way up to one hour, three times a week, and then had a major setback in month 10. It was suspended, indefinitely.

Also in month 8, I began seeing a psychologist who has been tremendously helpful in dealing with the challenges of PCS.

In month 12, I saw a behavioural optometrist who prescribed new eyeglasses with a prism in one lens, and vision training to help with tracking.

Also in month 12, I was encouraged to increase physical activity. I returned to swimming, which I love, but it resulted in severe neck pain and I "crashed" the following day. After three times, I stopped. I have been referred to a head-neck-jaw physiotherapist.

I appreciate the generosity of those contributing to this forum, and I have learned a lot. Thanks!

I'll describe my current symptoms and how I cope:
1. Headaches.
I've decreased my cognitive demands to the point where I can avoid headaches most days. Sitting alone in a quiet room for an hour, 5 times a day, seems to work.

2. Cognitive Fatigue
I limit the duration of reading, watching tv, computers, and socializing to short times spans.

3. Sensitivity to Noise
I find environmental filtering very draining. Sometimes I use an earplug in one ear to reduce the load.

4. Vision Problems
I have been prescribed eyeglasses with a prism lens, and I will get them this week. I have also started vision training exercises.

5. Sleep Disruption
I just try to practice good sleep health. I've needed 10 hours of sleep for months.

6. Tinnitus
I just tend to try to ignore it.

As for nutrition, I just started to introduce the vitamins regime from the sticky. I have given up alcohol. And, I am trying to give up my one cup of coffee a day.

I welcome any comments and suggestions from your experiences.

[Mark in Idaho]

Glacier,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. You already are doing a good job at minimizing your symptoms and triggers. You could try using head phones or ear buds when viewing/listening to TV or videos on screen. Reducing the ambient sounds will allow you to better process the targeted sounds.

Why do you use just one ear plug ? I find I can hear through the yellow foam ones quite well. They do a good job at blocking the background sounds.

Have you had any diagnostics of your neck. The neck often suffers whiplash like injuries in a fall like yours. These can make PCS symptoms much worse. Tenderness behind the ears is a good sign of a neck injury. C-1 and C-2 can have fine injuries causing inflammation that disrupts all kinds of brain functions.

Let us know how else we can help.

My best to you.

[poetrymom]

Hi there

I read your post, but I mostly scan when I read. It's one way I cope with screens.

Like Mark said, it sounds like you're on a good start so keep the nutrition going.

One thing that helped me especially with stress and worry -- was acupuncture. I thought it helped my tinnitis too, but there is an amount of that you just have to live with.

If you can find someone who does the community works model of acupuncture, it is less expensive than billing insurance etc.

Just learn to listen to your body so you can find out what are your triggers and you can avoid or minimize them.

Sincerely,

poetrymom

[Glacier Guy]

Mark, sorry for my delay in responding. I had a bit of crash following the arrival of the new eyeglasses.

I will definitely try to experiment further with noise-filtering foam plugs. The ones I have been using (29 dcb) cut out too much sound, and therefore I have only been wearing one. Thanks also for tips on TV and video.

Regarding my neck, I have been concerned about starting physio without any analysis. You have confirmed that such diagnostics are advisable.

Thanks for your encouragement and helpful advice.

[Glacier Guy]

Poetrymom,

Thanks so much for the encouragement.

Addressing the stress and worry would be great, and I must confess that it had never occurred to me to do anything about the tinnitus, mostly because it is the least of my concerns.

You've encouraged me to investigate further. Even if I can get a little relief, then that would be great. I will look into this further.

Thanks!

[Mark in Idaho]

GG,

There are foam ear plugs that do not block as much sound. I find the yellow cylinders block the most and the orange ones shaped like a horn let more sound through. You could experiment with different brands to find a suitable pair. The shooters ear plugs that have rubber or silicone fins may also be worth trying.