[CatOhio]

I was involved in a car accident 18 days ago where I was rear ended while stopped at an expressway off ramp traffic light. I don’t believe I ever loss consciousness, but am not 100% sure. I had my seatbelt on, but my head hit my headrest very hard and I instantly felt the pain. Around 3pm the next day while I was in the kitchen chopping brussel sprouts, I started feeling extremely dizzy which was when I called my PCPs office to get medical advice and was referred to the ER. I went to the ER and was diagnosed with a concussion. The next day I felt fine enough to go into the office to work and that was the last day I would be able to work. Ever since then, I have consistently had a blanket of dizziness/blurred vision and confusion (similar to being drunk). It’s very difficult for me to even be on the computer right now and share my story, but I am desperate right now. Since several days have passed, my PCP has diagnosed me with PCS.

The fatigue is intense. I am constantly tired and am out of breath whenever I have to do something as simple as washing dishes. I used to workout 6-7 days a week with advanced workouts for at least an hour and now I can’t even get through 10 minutes of a warmup without breathing heavily, hands shaking, and extreme dizziness. This is the part that has been the most depressing. My PCP has given me Amitriptyline to help sleep. I took that for the first time last night and though I was in a deep sleep for a period of time, it did not last through the night.

This condition is a very lonely one. I feel like nobody around me (including my doctors) understands what I am going through. I am an extremely independent woman who was used to working 50-60 hours/week in a high stress fast paced office for a large company known worldwide. I was a leader in the office who was often sought out to lead challenging projects. Now I can’t even get through the dizzy blanket long enough to read and comprehend emails.

The emotional side of this condition is a bit much to handle at times. I am usually in tears or filled with anger as I try to navigate through this process (work disability, attorney, and coordinating collision repairs). It seems like whenever I try to relax, I get a call from someone who gets me back in panic mode.

I had extreme eye sensitivity to light last week to the point where I had to wear sunglasses indoors and outdoors (even to my PCP appointment). Based on that, my PCP ordered a MRI which ended up coming back fine. When having conversations, I do find it difficult to quickly find the right words to use. I cannot multi task anymore with my eyes or with my thoughts. If I am scrolling on my cell phone or if there are graphics moving quickly on TV, I have to turn away because it’s too much for me to handle. I had a less than a handful of instances where I lost my balance, so I am not too concerned about that. I have to admit that my short term memory has not been as sharp as it used to be. The headaches come and go when I try to concentrate to hard.

I have my first appointment scheduled with a local Neurologist in 2 weeks and I am hoping he can provide me with some answers. Because my PCP has not been helpful, I feel like this Neurologist is my last piece of hope. In addition, I have scheduled some counseling sessions just to be able to deal with the emotional side of this condition. In the meantime, I will continue to see my Chiro 3x/week to treat my neck and back stiffness.

Any advice or words of wisdom?