[jaereese8291]

First and foremost, my name is Jae, I'm 22 years old and currently reside in California. I'm new to the forum and I am looking for support I guess. I'm just extremely confused.

About three months ago I had what seemed to be a minor work-related injury. I was whacked right above the eye with a metal pull out drawer at work. I sustained a minor concussion, contusion/blunt-force trauma. Seen doctors and was being treated for a minor injury. I noticed midway into the third week or treatment that my symptoms were not that of a typical "minor head injury". I was having a clear discharge leak from my nose, relentless migraine 24/7, double vision, trouble remembering and the occasional neck stiffness. I tried to tell the DR. but they told me they were concussion symptoms and would go away within a month and was dismissed from medical care. Right. -_-

With time, the symptoms were becoming more noticeable. I would forget simple things like were I put a small item or what I was supposed to be doing. I would eventually recall what was supposed to be done but not until I scrambled around for some time. I also begin to notice that I was starting to stutter. Fast forward two/three weeks, I got extremely sick within a matter of hours. It came with no warning and it hit HARD. All my previous symptoms had escalated by a 1000 as well as being accompanied by others: confusion, nausea, inability to concentrate, light sensitivity.

My parents had swayed me to admit myself to the hospital. After spending my whole day in the ER, I was admitted into the hospital to see a neurosurgeon. The initial injury had actually caused a skull base defect on my right anterior/mid right cribriform plate causing a CSF leak out of my nose. I had fell ill because my body was trying to fight off an almost bacteria meningitis infection.

I'm scheduled for diversion treatments soon to ease the pressure on the defect but my fear is not really recovering back to my old self. I'm still having memory/concentration issues and occasional hallucinations. I have noticed myself stumbling over my words when speaking more than ever and some days I don't feel like myself. I'm usually a bubbly person, extremely outgoing but every once in a while I just feel so down and don't want to be bothered by life itself. I am kind-of scared and don't honestly know what to do. Any advice would be lovely.

[Hockey]

I am so sorry for your injury and the (typical) ignorance you encountered from your GP and the ER docs.

Firstly, all TBIs are unique. There is no way to predict which patients will recover best. Some people sustain pretty horrendous injuries, yet return to pretty normal functioning. Others have lingering symptoms from seemingly small bumps. That said, you are very early in your recovery, so try not to assume the worst. Your youth is a big plus, too. It's hard, but TBI requires patience.

In the interim, there are things you can do to help yourself. The most important thing is REST. The less physical, mental and emotional work you do, the faster, and more completely, you will heal. Stay away from video games, parties, your job (if possible), etc...

Do yourself a favour, and try to skip the "ignore it and push through" phase, with which many of us (guilty as charged) tortured ourselves. How is your sleep? If you're having trouble, talk to your doctor.

It's also a good idea to avoid alcohol, coffee and other stimulants. Good nutrition is important. Eat well. I will leave it to Mark to explain the importance of a proper supplement routine.

Contact your local chapter of the Brain Injury Association.www.biausa.org They will be able to direct you toward TBI healthcare specialists: neuro-psychologists, neuro-optomologists, ect... As you are struggling with your mood, you might want to consult a psychologist sooner, rather than later.

Was your injury documented? As it occurred on the job, you might end up on the Workers' Comp roller coaster. In that case, you may find that you'll need a lawyer, experienced with TBI.

Good Luck and welcome to NT.

[jaereese8291]

Thanks for the concern and the warm welcome. My attorney suggested I joined a couple fourms to pass the time and get a little support from other people suffering from a TBI. I'm working on relaxing/resting but being that I was so active before the injury it's so hard to just lay around. My sleeping is awkwardly off. I feel like my perception of time is completely out of wack so I hardly ever get a good nights rest. I have been avoiding everything but coffee. The coffee takes the edge off of the migraine given that my medication isn't worth ***** for the pain I'm going through. My injury was documented and I am currently going through worker's comp. hell. All in all, I just want to get better and get on with life.

[MomWriterStudent]

Originally Posted by jaereese8291

Thanks for the concern and the warm welcome. My attorney suggested I joined a couple fourms to pass the time and get a little support from other people suffering from a TBI. I'm working on relaxing/resting but being that I was so active before the injury it's so hard to just lay around. My sleeping is awkwardly off. I feel like my perception of time is completely out of wack so I hardly ever get a good nights rest. I have been avoiding everything but coffee. The coffee takes the edge off of the migraine given that my medication isn't worth ***** for the pain I'm going through. My injury was documented and I am currently going through worker's comp. hell. All in all, I just want to get better and get on with life.

I'm 6 months in, and things DO get better. I had very severe symptoms at first, and while some of them are still severe (my eye pressure, for example), the rest are slowly dwindling away.

[Mark in Idaho]

jaereese,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

Considering the complexity of your injury, you should not be worried about recovery yet. You are still very early in your recovery. With your neck stiffness, you should be very careful with posture, especially when resting or sleeping.

Have you sought any treatment for your stiff neck ? It will probably help. Icing your neck will also be good.

Read the Vitamins and Supplements sticky at the top. It has good info plus instructions for making crushable ice packs.

It will help if you can find some simple manual tasks to be active with. Playing solitaire with real cards. Anything with a low stimulation level to keep your brain blood flowing.

Please give yourself grace as your brain needs time to heal. Stuttering, memory, concentration and such are all common and take time to recover.

My best to you.

[Superstition]

I'm sorry to hear you're having a rough go of it. Be patient with yourself. It's a hard thing to do, I know. Things do get better, it just takes time.