Lucy,

Heather has not been around sine 8/2014. Others has done fasting and have another thread. An alternative to fasting is a anti-infammation diet. They are easy to google.

For many, the head sensitivity to bumps is just an anxiety trigger. Learning to ignore the bump can be helpful. What kind of bumps cause you symptoms? What symptoms are the result?

Oh Hi I just noticed an update was requested!

Yes the head sensitivity did indeed go away gradually over about 3 months, with me feeling much better 1 year after the injury, as would be expected.

I am pretty certain my symptoms were not anxiety or "in my head" (no pun intended) and I resented at the time when people would suggest as much.

I think it is worth noting that I did not try fasting directly after the initial injury and experienced the same extreme hunger and low blood sugar others are describing. So I can't comment on the use of fasting directly after a serious TBI. I tried it by accident maybe 7 months in.

I really believe the fasting played a big hand not just in managing my symptoms but in overall healing and there is more and more evidence to support this possibility. I'm happy to see others have had positive experiences with fasting too. And I can also conclude from the thread that we are all individuals in individual situations and it doesn't always help. Im pleased there appears to be no first hand evidence from those who posted where a short fast was dangerous.

Heather,

When I said bumps can be an anxiety trigger, this does not mean the symptoms are all in the head. The bump triggers a startle or anxiety response. Those anxiety chemicals trigger a relapse of PCS symptoms. The PCS symptoms are real just rarely triggered by the physical trauma.

There is a condition where the brain memorizes a reaction and restarts that reaction even when the physical trauma was not strong enough to cause it directly.

I do a lot of work with my hands and bust my knuckles. My brain got to the point where I would respond with ouch and a jerk away even when I missed busting my knuckles. Everything felt like I hit my knuckles except for the bruises and bleeding. The brain can do some strange things.

Some think it is sort of a PTSD symptom, like a flashback. It does not mean we are weak. But, understanding these reactions can help us retrain our brains to not respond so harshly.