[MomWriterStudent]

My insurance won't pay for a scan at the moment, so the specialist I saw was left to guess at some things. He did say that while he cannot guarantee that I will ever recover, nor can he give me an ETA for recovery, he thinks that it will be a year or two before I can return to work full time.

He also said he thinks that I fractured my skull during the fall and also possibly have a brain bleed, based on the symptom type, duration of symptoms, and location where my head was hit. Not sure how he would know all this without a scan, but there's probably a good reason why HE is the doctor and I'M not. LOL

He urged me to keep my appt with my eye doctor, as he feels that many of my issues are stemming from the concussion's effect on my eyes at this point. He mentioned that I may need "special glasses" for the rest of my life and said my eye doctor will explain it in more detail.

Oh, and I was also diagnosed with nerve damage. I believe a name was given for this, but I can't recall it at the moment. I damaged nerves during the fall and now have numbness and tingling in my face. Sometimes my nose kind of goes numb, which feels super weird!

Cognitive skills are great, but I have trouble reading for more than a few minutes. Using the computer for work makes me nauseous and dizzy. He believes this will all go away after I visit the eye doctor, but he said to make sure to see an eye doctor who knows how to handle concussions. He said a regular eye doctor would not know what to do.

I'm extremely upset about the ETA of 1 to 2 years. He is happy that my symptoms have continued to improve each month, so I'm confused about why it would possibly take so long to get better. My brain fog is completely gone, as are the headaches (they were severe for the first couple months). I just have this constant pressure/tightness in my scalp, plus the vision/tracking issues.

Sorry, this got long. I just needed to vent or something, I guess.

[Mark in Idaho]

That doctor is taking shots in the dark. There are no ways he can predict a time line. His suspecting a bleed is also sketchy. A CT Scan would not always show a bleed this long after the injury. Your insurance company is mostly correct in denying a scan because it would not change anything at this point.

Your diagnosis should be based on your symptoms, not a scan.

If he suspects nerve damage, high doses of Omega 3 DHA may help.

I am surprised he did not have an eye doctor referral for you. He talks a good line but appears to leave you hanging.

Regarding a fractured skull, again a wild shot in the dark.

If there is one thing to take from his comments, it's this, Take it slow and patiently. Work at learning work arounds for your limitations. Using work-arounds to regain functions is almost as good as recovery. The skills learned as one learns work-arounds tend to improve ones ability to function in a wide variety of ways.

My best to you.

[MomWriterStudent]

Thanks, Mark. That was all very helpful. I just assumed that he must know what he was talking about since he was an elderly man who has been practicing for 20+ years.

I already eat salmon almost every day. Do you think that I still need more Omega 3? I am already taking most of the supplements listed in the sticky at the top of this forum, but I skipped the Omega since I was figuring I probably already get enough of it.

[Mark in Idaho]

Salmon is good but you can easily benefit from far more Omega 3 DHA than you can get from eating salmon. Studies have seen benefits from very high doses so taking DHA supplements will be good.