Hi

I got a concussion falling down while drunk, on 25th November 2014.
I dont know how it happened and i have memory loss of the event and just before (i put this down to drunkness). I woke to a large bang near my temple.
Thought nothing of it, went to work, went to work xmas party.. more drinking!
Then went away for weekend with friends, more drinking....
But driving back from weekend away (three and half hours each way so prob didnt help either!) i began to get very anxious, felt sick, off balance, somewhat disconnected. I visited the accident and emergency 6 days after the incident and was told i have concussion and to take paracetamol and rest.
Two days later, i woke from an afternoon nap as i didnt feel good, to shaking all over, heart rate up, feeling shaky in my legs, generally not right at all.
My mom called nhs direct and they asked her to take me back in to a&e, i saw another doctor who did a neurological exam (pencil in front of eye and shone light into my eyes) which he said was fine. He gave me something for the dizziness and nausea.

I have suffered with anxiety/depression for a few years however it has been under control with medication and until this accident id say i felt "normal", living a full life, lots of exercise etc...
My gp also said it could be increased anxiety due to weaning off my medication for the previous couple of months (one tablet every other day then one every 3 days).
I am now taking 50mg sertraline per day as before i started weaning to try and level things out again.

The reason for my rather long winded post lol.. is that i believe i have post concussion syndrome. I just havent felt "right" since this happened.
The anxiety seems to have eased somewhat, however i generally fill uneasy, getting to sleep is a bit of an issue - but once i am asleep i sleep through.
Inside "shakes" like muscle weakness however im probably fitter than ive ever been in my life. Sometimes my heart races (i know this is probably anxiety related). Sometimes my tongue feels larger (strange i know). and sometimes excess saliva.
I am still going to work (i had a few days off after visiting hospital), i am still exercising (training for a marathon). However i just dont feel myself at all. I cant put my finger on it. I just want to feel back to normal.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you x

Between your Sertraline and marathon training and lack of other information, it is hard to comment on your symptoms. Some may be related to the Sertraline, others to PCS but it is hard to tell.

Becky,,

Excess saliva and tongue "feeling " larger can be symptoms of anxiety.

I would stop the marathon training till you nail down what is going on, I can tell you from experience that running can be hard on a head when it has been hurt and has caused me some funny symptoms. There will be plenty of marathons left in life.

I am not a doc, just some cautions to think about.

Bud

What other information would you like to know?

I did rest from exercise for a couple of weeks after the incident, and then did swimming/cycling instead of running. The marathon training only commenced last week of December so that would be 4 weeks after the concussion occurred.

I feel better when i exercise. I suppose it wears me out.
I didnt feel this type of anxiety when i started the Sertraline! It was more depression and minor anxiety. The anxiety in terms of "something is seriously wrong for me to be feeling this way" has been since the concussion.
Is it normal to still experience pain occasionally in the area that was hit, as i am now two months down the line and today am experiencing stabbing pain where i had the bruising.
In terms of any serious damage, would it be safe to say im in the clear now i.e. not going to drop down dead with brain damage (I know this sounds very hypochondria-esque but its nice to ask people who may actually know, the last visit to my gp was very dismissive).

Thank you for your reply, i did take a break from running any sort of distance for a few weeks post accident, and for two weeks i just did cycling/swimming or nothing at all. what symptoms did you get from running? and how long do you think id better not running for? Running helps with the anxiety so im at a bit of a loss with it all.
Not sleeping either, cant switch off. 5am last night, and id been up since 7am and did a 14 mile training run yet still not tired!

It is not uncommon for the impact site to be tender for quite some time. The nerves in the skin and underlying tissue can take quite some time to heal.

You may just need to accept that you have had a concussion and it will take some time for feel 'normal' again. There is nothing seriously wrong with you. never has been. You never had a valid risk of dropping dead due to brain damage. That risk went away after the first few days.

So, accept that you got drunk and fell and hit your head and now will need some time to feel normal. Your anxiety is counter to your recovery.

btw, I replaced taking an SSRI with L-Tryptophan and 5-HTP. I do much better without the side effects of the SSRI.

You may benefit from some upper cervical adjustments.
some info about it -
www.upcspine.com