Hello - I got diagnosed with TBI a month ago, but have been dealing with symptoms for the last 4 years!

I hit my head 6 years ago, and 2 years later I started having trouble focusing my eyes and became sensitive to light. I wasn't able to explain the symptoms until my current ophthalmologist suggested it was due to my head trauma.

Has anyone else experienced this long of a lag? Is this possible? I didn't have a second head trauma - could anything else have triggered the onset?

Thank you!

Kate,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. A variety of things could trigger symptoms long after an injury. Any kind of stress can be a trigger. Emotional, physical, chemical, and such can push your brain over the limit. Hormones can change and cause new symptoms based on the old injury.

Also, subtle injuries like a jarring step or trip, sleeping with your neck and head in a bad position, and little traumas that are usually ignored can be triggers. A fever or sneezing attack can be a trigger.

So, once concussed/brain injured, always susceptible to these triggers.

You are fortunate to have been seen by a knowledgeable ophthalmologist. Most patients would have been discounted as somatoform or such.

My best to you.

Thank you Mark, that's very helpful! I am lucky to have gotten the right diagnosis, it took me a couple years and I had my fair share of doctors tell me maybe I should see a psychologist...

Kate,

That is such good news. I am so pleased for you that you're getting diligent care.
Please keep posted as to your care, treatment, and progress.

All the best in your recovery,
Theta

Kate,

I agree, thank goodness you know what's happening. Be very cautious wth your head now. There are simple things I took for granted before that could hurt me now.

Be cautious on grass, in the dark (can't do dark now), what's around your feet when you get up, little kids around you... These are all tripping hazards that can lead to a head injury. Even a small womp on the head can cause side effects.

Peace and wellness,

Jace

Hi,

Experts believe that after sustaining a head injury that pituitary dysfunction can occur, seemingly randomly, within up to 3 years after the injury. (hypopituitarism, hormone deficiencies, etc.)

Please Google or post for more information/symptoms to see if that might be the kind of testing you need to help yourself to get better.

I was undergoing vision therapy when I was diagnosed with hormone deficiencies and the vision impairments I was dealing with basically dissipated to the point that I no longer needed the therapy after I started taking hormone replacement therapy for the hormones that my pituitary gland was no longer providing to me. Now that I'm taking roughly 5-6 hormones (depending on how one classifies Vit D) about 8 months after starting the vision impairments are almost completely gone! I expect that my vision will improve back to "normal" in coming months.

You may also want to Google "Lupus" to see if that resonates with your symptoms, since you are sensitive to light, just in case.

Thank you! I had never even thought about the hormone angle. I'm only doing vision therapy right now, and haven't consulted with a neurologist. It's definitely
worth a try!

EsthersDoll - Hi again! I went to see a neurologist today and she pretty much dismissed my question about pituitary dysfunction. Do you know how I could find someone who knows about this stuff? I live in NYC and the neurologist I met with today was with NYU.

Thank you!

You likely need to be seen by an endocrinologist. There are also doctors who specialize in 'life extension' and do thorough blood work, including hormones. Check out http://www.lef.org/Health-Wellness/InnovativeDoctors/

Mark is right, you need to see an endocrinologist.

But I would warn against seeing a "life extension" Dr. who are also known as "anti-aging" Dr.'s until you have absolutely tried every other avenue to pursue this kind of testing and treatment.

Anti-aging Dr.'s are not well respected in the medical communities, their methods are seen as quackery by many and they are VERY expensive - typically only seen by rich and famous.

I was under the care of a neurologist when I began to strongly suspect that pituitary dysfunction was what was causing me so many problems - I had been seeing her for 2 years and she was my second neuro; having fired the first one within 4 months after the accident I was in.

Anyway, when I mentioned to her that I thought I might be suffering from pituitary dysfunction she boldly said it was "impossible" and dismissed the idea. I brought her 2 inches thick of research I had conducted and she was completely fascinated.

I had to visit 4 different endocrinologists before finding one who would even order the tests. The first endo didn't have enough experience with it, so she sent me to the second who said I didn't hit my head hard enough to cause pituitary dysfunction. How does he know how hard I hit my head?

At the time I could barely walk or talk... that's how bad I was. He also said that hormone dysfunction had nothing to do with cognitive functioning - he was WRONG. So, unfortunately, not even all endocrinologists are familiar with pituitary dysfunction due to brain injury or concussion.

I finally saw Dr. Theodore C. Friedman in Los Angeles and he ordered the tests and is now my treating physician. I recommend that you see him if you can afford it. He teaches at UCLA and is primarily a researcher. He only sees patients one evening a week and he does not take any insurance. People travel across the country to see him ... I know someone who saw him who lives in FL. He is well worth it.

If you can't afford to see him, which I understand, then try to find someone in your area who is listed on the Pituitary Network Association website. http://pituitary.org/medical-resourc...sicians?site=1