So, anxiety is a big problem for me these last couple of months and while some days I'm really good at recognizing and ignoring the dark thoughts, sometimes I just can't fight them off.

Last night I was chasing my cat and trapped him with my foot against the wall (didn't hurt the cat, was just playing around) and while doing that noticed I sorta hit my arm on the wall. Immediately I started thinking "what if I hit my head as well and didn't notice", and that thought alone all night was enough to make my symptoms worse. And no wonder, I'm feeling crappy today as well compared to the last few days, probably doesn't help that I had a neck MRI today. I mean, it's pretty much impossible to hit your head and not notice it when you're hyper-alert like any PCS sufferer, but thoughts like this really affect me nowadays.

My question is, am I at the point where anxiety medications would do more good than harm? I don't wanna take anything detrimental to my healing but at the same time I feel like my anxiety is really starting to slow my recovery.

i have the exact same problem! was at the store the other day and dropped by wallet. bent down to pick it up kind of quickly and immediately thought "what if i hit my head against something on the way down or up?" it takes me an hour or two to calm myself down. if anyone has any thoughts on how to change this it would be great.

one thing i just started doing is "stop rushing and move slow". but you can't always do that unfortunately, and i forget sometimes.

I don't think anxiety meds will stop these thought. they will just make the anxiety that these thoughts produce less extreme.

Maybe you need to practice some replacement thoughts. Some thoughts to shut down the anxiety though. Be critical of your thoughts.

An example:

"Oh no, did I just bump or almost bump my head ? "

Now, reject that thought "That is a dumb thing to think. If I had bumped my head, I would have felt it."

Or, " I need to slow down a bit "

I have lived with a brain that is super sensitive to IMPACTS, not bumps for decades. If I do impact me head, I acknowledge the impact. "Ouch, I need to be more careful" Then, if I notice any symptoms later, " OK, These symptoms will pass. Just give them time"

A good Cognitive Behavior Therapist who understand concussion issues can be a big help.

But, if we can't find that help, we can rehearse our own responses to shut down these escalating thoughts.

Adding anti-anxiety meds may just make things worse as they impact balance and thinking.

I try to think "If I had hit my head, I would know without a doubt". However, when I'm in a bad mood I find it's easier to delve into dark thoughts than shake them off.

This sounds exactly like things that happen to me, thinking after the fact "what if I hit my head doing so and so". When it was really bad I'd sort of test it out, i.e. do and redo whatever motion I was doing, a number of times (seems like OCD-type behavior). While I don't really think this behavior is healthy, especially if I keep doing it, I've gotten to the point now where it just takes a single "redo" of a motion to convince myself that I didn't actually hit my head and move on. I was on lexapro for about a year (10mg, just finished my slow taper this week!) and Mark is right, it doesn't really address those thoughts.

not sure if anxiety would have a affect or not. althou they say rest is the best thing. how long can a person rest? im going on 4 months and going crazy. i had gad for 30 years. i know its no fun. are you taking meds for anxiety?

refinisher,

Welcome to NT PCS/TBI forum. I see you introduced yourself in the New Members' Forum. Not many on this forum see those posts.

Please feel free to introduce yourself and start your own thread if you want. You don't need a doctors diagnosis of PCS to get help. Many of us do not put much faith in doctors regarding concussions and PCS.

If you start your own thread, you can tell us about your injury and the symptoms you are struggling with.

This topic really hits home to me.

I had this happen to me yesterday. I was upstairs and the ceilings are slanted and narrow. I've hit my head up there several times since my concussion but none since April. Probably the reason for my slow recovery. Anyway I was moving some boxes and the top of my head just barely missed hitting the ceiling. I mean I felt it on the top of my hair. This gave me some severe anxiety for several hours. I kept thinking that I actually did hit my head, but I knew that I clearly just missed it. I knew for sure that it only hit the top of my hair but I still couldn't get the fear of hitting my head out of my head. Luckily I was able to relax by last night.

For me I have seen some improvements in the last month and the panic sets in when I imagine going back to the darkest place that I came from. Also the delayed response that comes with brain injury is a pain and creates panic. I've been though this cycle so many times it makes me sick. After the hit you essentially have to wait a week or so for the secondary injury to know how far of a setback you are in for. It drives me insane.

I think what we are all experiencing is a level of anxiety which turns into OCD-type behavior. It's really textbook if you look up OCD. It's pretty crazy. Hallucinations which you know aren't real but you can't help but believe them and be scared of them. Then again, when you consider the way our lives have been affected by such hits to the head, wouldn't it be a natural reaction to try and avoid further injuries by increasing awareness? In my opinion, us who react this way are smarter and evolutionarily superior to those who would just brush it off in the sense that we are actively attempting to avoid further injury. It just happens that our nervous system is on overdrive due to the mental and physical trauma that has occurred from the concussion(s). On the other hand, maybe our brains are just looking for an outlet for the many emotions due to the unknowns that come with PCS. Obviously we need to learn how to confrol these hyperactive responses and stop the negative thought patterns, but I don't see the initial reaction as a negative.

Mark's advice seems to be spot on. I'm trying to get a good therapist with experience in brain injury to conduct CBT. Medications can be hit or miss and I doubt the injured brain really needs any more to deal with. This being said I do take lorazepam due to my high anxiety levels but I was on this before my injury. I have been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder but it is clear as day that I have full blown Obsessive compulsive disorder now.

Sorry for the rant but I couldn't help letting off a little steam.

i can't tell if we should have therapy for this. like you said: it's a normal response to repeated trauma.. you do everything possible to avoid events that have lifelong dire consequences. i can't make up my mind about this.

I believe this anxiety creates a greater risk of another head impact. The concussed brain can easily struggle with motor control during stress events. This makes it so that we have less coordination. Less coordination means greater risk of a head impact.

For example, I used to drive an antique car. People would often honk at me to give me a thumbs up. This usually happened at stop lights. I would have to stop to think to get my bearings with the clutch, brake and gas petals.

I have learned that stress and anxiety are the biggest threat I have for coordination issues and an injury.