[ProAgonist]

Hello,

I'm new here and I'm a 17 year old high school student.

A little more than a month ago (27 October 2014), I was running in my house (not too fast, I was just a little bit hyperactive) and I accidentally hit my head against a wall (at the right side of the head). I did not lose consciousness, had no nausea and didn't vomit, but still felt confused later.

I went to ER a few hours later, had a neurological exam and the doctor said I'm fine and the confusion should go away in the next few days. He didn't tell me to rest, but because of the confusion I've decided to stay at home the next day to rest.

A week and a half later (6 November 2014), my symtoms were still 95% there when I stood at the side of a basketball field at a sports lesson and a basketball fell on my head. I suspected a second concussion, so I quickly went home and I was very afraid it's going to become dangerous. I barely felt my legs for a few hours, but nothing life threatening happened, luckily.

It's now more than a month after the second concussion and I still feel bad. I'm having difficulties focusing and generally I'm very confused most of the day. It's just unbelievable. It's making things harder for me at school and at life in general. I don't know if it's related, but my eyes are now VERY DRY, and if water gets into them it hurts for a few minutes.

I feel stupid and dazed and I hate it. I also have headaches almost every day that impact my ability to do things right. Even video games now look confusing and kind of weird to me (not sure how to explain it)...

Also, I'm worried about another concussions all the time.
For example, today I ate popcorn, and after I finished the popcorn itself, I have chewed some corn seeds (the ones that didn't pop) in my mouth. While chewing, some of them escaped my teeth while I was biting on them and I felt my whole head shake as a result. That was about an hour ago, and now I feel nauseous and my vision is blurry. Did I cause myself another concussion? I'm afraid that because I chewed these solid popcorn seeds too hard, it caused me a concussion (I felt my head shake when they escaped my teeth during chewing, as I said).

What do you think? Will I ever recover? And about these popcorn seeds, is this dangerous? I know that concussion is usually caused from physical trauma, but chewing these popcorn seeds made my head move around really fast and I'm not feeling well now.

Please take your time to reply, it would really help me.

Thanks,
-ProAgonist

[Mark in Idaho]

ProAgonist,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

No, you did not get a concussion from chewing the popcorn kernels. Your dentist will tell you to not chew the 'old maids,' as the unpopped kernels are often called.

You sound very anxious. That is not good for your recovery. It sounds like you read a bit about Second Impact Syndrome online. Although Second Impact Syndrome can be dangerous, it is highly unlikely you are at risk for it. It does not sound like your first concussion was severe enough to put you at risk of Second Impact Syndrome.

Stay away from video games. They are too stressful on a concussed brain. On a 1-10 scale, how bad are your head aches ? Do you take anything to relieve the pain ? Is your neck stiff or tender at all ?

[CovertBlack]

I'm new here, but I can let you know a little about how I sustained second impact injury. I received three concussions in close succession, but each were very hard hits that alone would have caused a concussion. In the beginning my symptoms were very pronounced, but improved over time. The neurologist I saw told me time was the best available healing method. Give it some time, and go from there. Try not to stress too much about it until your brain has had time to heal.

[ProAgonist]

Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho

ProAgonist,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

No, you did not get a concussion from chewing the popcorn kernels. Your dentist will tell you to not chew the 'old maids,' as the unpopped kernels are often called.

You sound very anxious. That is not good for your recovery. It sounds like you read a bit about Second Impact Syndrome online. Although Second Impact Syndrome can be dangerous, it is highly unlikely you are at risk for it. It does not sound like your first concussion was severe enough to put you at risk of Second Impact Syndrome.

Stay away from video games. They are too stressful on a concussed brain. On a 1-10 scale, how bad are your head aches ? Do you take anything to relieve the pain ? Is your neck stiff or tender at all ?

Hi, and thank you for the reply!

Yes, I am very anxious. I suffer from OCD and also health OCD (hypochondria). My OCD is genetic and wasn't caused by the concussion, but after the concussion I'm very gentle with touching my head and sometimes afraid I might use too much force and concuss myself.

On a 1-10 scale, my headaches are about 4 (decreasing gradually since the concussion). 1 week after the concussion it was 8. That's nice to know the headaches are going away, but sadly my inability to focus hasn't changed at all since the second concussion and I feel dazed and confused. I take Advil to reduce the pain and it works wonders! But I don't think taking Advil on a regular basis is a good idea, so I hope there's a decrease in the headaches soon.

Yes, I have read online about Second Impact Syndrome. My second concussion was much milder than the first, but I still felt really bad after it for a few hours.

The second concussion was when I stood at the side of a basketball field, and someone missed with the ball and accidentally threw it very strong to the wall. I moved quickly and it didn't hit me, but a few seconds later it fell on my head (bad luck, so much bad luck...). It wasn't as strong as the first one, but I've still heard that a second concussion significantly increases the chance you'll never heal. I think about it every day and it bugs me - I didn't play basketball to avoid a concussion, stood at the side and still got hit - how did I have such bad luck? I'm really afraid that the second concussion means I'll never recover, since I've read that second/third concussions greatly reduce your chances to ever heal.

And when I ate the kernels and they broke between my teeth and my head had shaken, I felt bad and dizzy afterwards, kind of similar to what I felt after my second concussion.

Also, what do you think about my second concussion? Will it really mean I'll never heal? I still get depressed thinking about how much bad luck I had when a basketball hit my head just 10 days after having a concussion!

And about the other symptoms - my working memory is slowly improving as well as the headaches that are reducing. Sadly, the confusion, daze and inability to focus stayed exactly as they were after the concussion.

Originally Posted by CovertBlack

I'm new here, but I can let you know a little about how I sustained second impact injury. I received three concussions in close succession, but each were very hard hits that alone would have caused a concussion. In the beginning my symptoms were very pronounced, but improved over time. The neurologist I saw told me time was the best available healing method. Give it some time, and go from there. Try not to stress too much about it until your brain has had time to heal.

Thank you for you reply.

I'm glad to hear your symptoms were improving after 3 concussions (gives me hope because I've had 2 concussions, the second being milder than the first). Improvement is a good thing, but even though I have hope that things can improve, I'm seriously worried it'll not fully improve and I'll never return to be the same person I was. I'll be happy even if the recovery takes a year and a bit, but I want to at least eventually recover. My hopes to recover went down a lot after my second concussion, though.

So do you think my second concussion is serious (a basketball falling on my head from about 2-2.5 meters height)? Do you think it'll strongly impair my chances to fully recover?

[Mark in Idaho]

CovertBlack,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

Please feel free to introduce yourself and tell us about the concussion struggles you are dealing with.

It sounds like you have had a rough time. Second Impact Syndrome is not the same as sustaining 2 or 3 concussions during a short period of time.

It is when someone suffers a severe concussion and their brain has lost the ability to control intracranial pressure due to the brain damage suffered. That person may feel like they have recovered enough to return to play or a risky activity. A Second impact sustained before the brain has recovered the ability to control intracranial pressure can cause the inflammation from the second concussion to overwhelm the brain with fluid pressure. This pressure can severely damage the brain and threaten the person's life. It is reported that Snow Boarder Kevin Pearce suffered a serious concussion a few weeks before his almost life ending concussion.

[CovertBlack]

The neurologist I spoke with after the episodes theorized that I suffered second impact injury, as the first concussion was not given enough time to heal before the second injury. Hence, the reason why the third episode caused so many problems. The physiology of this condition was unknown to me, thank you.

I dropped a "hello everyone" in the introductions. Sorry, just jumping around.

[CovertBlack]

So do you think my second concussion is serious (a basketball falling on my head from about 2-2.5 meters height)? Do you think it'll strongly impair my chances to fully recover?

I'm not sure on my end, as I am not a doctor. Have you thought about possibly seeing a neurologist? If nothing else he may be able to calm your nerves if you still have symptoms. I had to go in immediately afterwards because my sense of balance was so messed up I would fall over all the time.

[Mark in Idaho]

ProAgonist,

You need to understand that the brain never heals 100% from a concussion. It may heal to a perceived 100% during times of no stress but stress will often cause a re-occurrence of some symptoms. You will always have a brain with a lower threshold for trauma. Each concussion reduces that threshold.

Worrying about your healing is the biggest way to limit that healing. Accepting the fact that you have injured your brain and need to just move on will help you reduce your anxiety. Accept the fact that your risk of Second Impact Syndrome is zero or almost zero. Your reducing head aches means your brain is regaining control. At this point, your risk is simply the risk of getting another concussion like anybody else on the street. Anxiety can cause one to lose focus on day to day activities and movements thus increasing the risk of an accident.

There are vitamin regimens that help many of us to increase our brain's tolerance for stress. The sticky at the top called Vitamins has the regimen I recommend. look at the Nov 10th? post, number 100 or so. It has an updated regimen.

OCD behaviors are often linked to serotonin issues. You might benefit from L-Tryptophan or a careful dose of 5-HTP to carefully increase your serotonin levels. I get stuck in repetitive thoughts but taking 100 mgs of 5-HTP every morning has made a big difference.

Are you taking any meds for your OCD ?

[ProAgonist]

Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho

ProAgonist,

You need to understand that the brain never heals 100% from a concussion. It may heal to a perceived 100% during times of no stress but stress will often cause a re-occurrence of some symptoms. You will always have a brain with a lower threshold for trauma. Each concussion reduces that threshold.

Worrying about your healing is the biggest way to limit that healing. Accepting the fact that you have injured your brain and need to just move on will help you reduce your anxiety. Accept the fact that your risk of Second Impact Syndrome is zero or almost zero. Your reducing head aches means your brain is regaining control. At this point, your risk is simply the risk of getting another concussion like anybody else on the street. Anxiety can cause one to lose focus on day to day activities and movements thus increasing the risk of an accident.

There are vitamin regimens that help many of us to increase our brain's tolerance for stress. The sticky at the top called Vitamins has the regimen I recommend. look at the Nov 10th? post, number 100 or so. It has an updated regimen.

OCD behaviors are often linked to serotonin issues. You might benefit from L-Tryptophan or a careful dose of 5-HTP to carefully increase your serotonin levels. I get stuck in repetitive thoughts but taking 100 mgs of 5-HTP every morning has made a big difference.

Are you taking any meds for your OCD ?

I'm not taking any medications for my OCD, but I might start soon.

It's disheartening to know that I've permanently damaged my brain and I'll never be the same person... By lower threshold for trauma, do you mean less tolerance to concussions or to anxiety? And does that mean that future concussions, even if very mild, will temporarily bring on the symptoms of a typical concussion for a little bit of time?

That lower threshold sounds like a defensive mechanism of the brain (like in PTSD where the flashbacks are a defense mechanism). Is it true in here too?

And even if that threshold stays, will my other symptoms fade? I mean, will my focus return 100% (or at least 95%) and my daze will disappear?

I plan to start taking Omega 3 soon in very high doses. Going to start with 1 gram a day and titrate up to 10 grams a day (I've heard that there's no risk with high doses - the higher the dose, the better it is for the brain). I heard of people that started a new life after a severe concussion, so that brings some hope.

It's just unbelievably sad how your life can change from such a small thing. I'm really depressed right now and I hope for better. And I'm sure I haven't got Second Impact Syndrome, but I still have heard that 2 concussions greatly increase the risk for permanent brain damage from 1 concussion.

But, the bottom line in my question is - will my focus return and the confusion will disappear? And does it mean that in the future even a very small force to my head will return the symptoms? (I swear that sometimes brushing my hair in the morning causes confusion that lasts all day. Just from brushing my hair!).

[ProAgonist]

Also, I saw your thread with the supplements, and taking all these supplements every day until the rest of my life just feels like too much.

Do you need to take it every day for years?