Hello,
Its been a year and a half for me, fell off a bicycle backwards in China while working all alone there after hitting an aluminum light post. Bang, whiplash and right onto the back of my head on the pavement. Woke up in the street in a pool of blood with a bunch of Chinese people staring at me.

Normal symptoms after I slept and awoke after 4 hours, vomited like crazy first, then scared, deja vu dreams, panicking, and short term memory was terrible for a few months. Then for the longest time, vision issues, headaches, crunching neck, bad mood, sleep problems,. Went straight to the fish oil and lots of fresh deep ocean fish, broccoli, veggies etc.

Lots has happened since then. Have had multiple fallbacks as i am a regular beer drinker and occasional drug user. (please no rude comments, I have a problem and I know it)

Recently very vivid dreams, and disconnect while trying to go to sleep, some jerking in body and like a panic attack starting. Hate to go to sleep as I am all alone, no support. 60 yrs old.

memory is fine, and I am able to work ok.

What I am curious about for people who have been this long, has anyone gotten through it after this long? Or does it just go on forever? Maybe the ones who have gotten through it would not be on here writing. Thanks to all answers.

Also seems I always have a song stuck in my head. I sure would like to know of anyone else has that.
Thanks

"When will I be better?" is a question, I believe, all TBI patients ask. There is no definitive answer. The brain is complex, so every injury is unique. No one can predict how quickly, or how completely, someone will recover.

The good news is that the vast majority of patients do experience significant recovery. It can take time, though, so patience, though difficult, is important.

I had a very serious TBI. Initially, I couldn't count backwards or speak in full, coherent sentences. I will never be 100% the person I was before, but thanks to time, and cognitive therapy, I'm able to compose this missive.

As you had a pretty violent fall, one thing that might be helpful is to determine if damage to your neck is causing and/or aggravating some of your symptoms.

Many TBIs involve an element of whiplash. My doctors believe that some of my issues, including volatile moods, sleep disruption, speech aphasia, memory problems, etc... are the product of my TBI. My headaches, neurological deficits, etc... are more likely attributable to spinal cord damage.

In my case, the damage is such that intervention carries too great a risk of paralysis. However, many patients do find relief from appropriate treatments for their necks. If it hasn't already happened, you should consider having your neck examined by someone competent to find the subtle injuries that can lead to rather unsubtle symptoms.

To access the TBI, you might want to consider undergoing neuro-psychological testing. The neuro-psych remains the best way to identify deficits and target cognitive and occupational therapies that might improve the quality of your recovery.

Don't be hesitant to seek help with the emotional symptoms of your TBI. Depression, anxiety and anger problems are all common and, untreated, can undermine the speed and extent of your recovery.

In short, I'm an advocate of getting as accurate a picture as possible of one's condition. We can best deal with things, when we know with what we are dealing.

I will not lecture you on your drug use. I will, however, caution you that the diminished impulse control and depression that often accompany concussion, make TBI patients significantly more vulnerable to serious substance abuse issues.

Also, be honest with your clinicians about your alcohol and recreational drug consumption. Mixing those things, with some of the medications commonly used for TBI, could be very dangerous.

Can I ask what drugs you take?

I've often seen it stated elsewhere, as Hockey says, that head injuries can lead to increased dependance. So stop drinking beer! Alcohol is one of the worst drugs you can take, right up there with cocaine.

However:

I've taken canabis fairely regularily for years to help with symtoms of PTSD. I tried various prescried anti-depressants and just didnt get on with them, side effects were to great and simply coud not function in that pall they give you, nor did they actually alliviate any of the depressen, hyper-tenension/awareness or night terrors.

Cannabis did and I was able to control the dose better.

Since my head injury I quickly noted that it is the only hing that helps alliviate the pain. I dont get the 'stoned' feeling so much but thats not really the point. I find that I am able o retain information better, access memories easy, control my frustration, and do get hungar pangs and so remember to eat. It also greatly relieves the pressure feeling in my eye and ear. I can stress that last point enough...such a relief.

Unforunately as it illeagle in my country I cannot always get it (I wont go to dealers that sell other drugs, just quiet folks that have weed) and I think the pain I am in now is exasberated by this.

To be clear, I have spoke to medical professionals abut this. I wont want to do something that will harm my progress.

One Dr said, afte discussing different types of pain meds, "The thing that is best for this is something I ust cant prescribe." Then looked significantly at me. My son was present and they are not alowed to advocate ileagle drug usuage.

The optomotrist and othamolgist were...fascinated by what I hd to say. Very keen to hear details of how sensations were alliviated- the pressure in eye. To the point whre I tol them I hadn had any the day of my opticians tests, when the pressure was high, to intentionally having some before my opthalmologist test (fter the opthomatrist one) an telling them so they could compare data.

None of them ever said this was harmful and often alluded to studies which showed the oposite.

One recent study, though flawed as they did not list what other drugs the groups wre on, indicates that regular small does cannabis consumption cause the brain to form extra connections. For people like us, who have had some of our connections severed or swelling or nerve damage, I believe this enables our brain to forge alternate routes for that information as well as helping to treat the swelling and, possibly, controls for CSF production.


I know there are a lot of americans on here, where many states have legalised medical usuage and do indeed prescribe it for nerve damage...has anyone else tried this and would care to share experiance?

Hockey,
Thanks for all of that. I spent the first night in a very long time last night without any alcohol, and even though I barely slept at all, of the crap sensations I was describing trying to get to sleep were less, not gone but less. I will have to learn to sleep again without alcohol, but I am not interested to hurt my self anymore like that and lose my mind completely. 8 months ago I got run down by a bus on a motorcycle and was in a wheelchair for 3 months, totally alone fending for my self in a foreign country.

I had a rough childhood, homeless at 16 etc. I've tried all drugs, anything to escape reality or my reality. Lately codeine and opiates, but not for a few months. Only beer. I've always exercised a lot, did some triathalons etc, so my body is still strong muscular and heart wise and lungs. I am on an island in the middle of the pacific ocean right now working, so not even a decent doctor.

All of those fancy modern medical things everyone is referring to are nowhere to be found and although from north america I rarely go back there. So much of what I read in here sounds like exotic elixirs that I will never find out about in person. I have done a lot of homework on this and from what i can gather there is not much to be solved in a doctors office.

I have gotten more relief in 24 hours on this site than anything yet. I will keep posting even if I get real better, to give others hope as you have given me. Thanks

I can get Marijuana where I stay easily and will try a small bit of it, as I have recollections of it always helping me sleep. Very curious about the whiplash, as my neck hurts a bit in certain areas and crunches. Is there any massage or stretching one can do to help with it? I certainly wont let anyone carve it open.

Hi, regarding your neck I tried a chiropractor for my crunchy neck but it didn't help, in fact I wouldn't recommend it. I try to relax my shoulders and improve my posture and that appears to have helped along with some gentle neck stretches.

I also twitch before I go sleep, I used to do it occasionally before my accident and my mates dog does it in his sleep so I think its natural.

Maybe you should do some swimming for exercise and relaxation? I would try and moderate the alcohol it's not great for the brain ;-)

Twitching before sleep is not normal *admin edit*

The chiro was likely too aggressive with your neck. More gentle treatments may still help. Not all chiros are the same. It takes time to find the good ones.

I have been told by women that I am, or that I act like a Dog so possibly it is normal for me to twitch like one sometimes. Hockey replied that it has happened to her also. I have seriously begun to back off on the beer as it has proven to be not a good thing for this all around. I am supposed to go see a Whiplash related clinic in HKG. I will post how it comes out.

In regards to the twitching. Both my husband and son do so just before deep sleep and they do not have head trauma. I do not find this unusual at all.