[J Byrne]

Hey guys.

I got a very minor concussion about 7 months ago. Since then I've been feeling off balance, cloudy, generally just not right, like I've lost my ability to think clearly.

I went back to the doctors again today to see if there was anything they or I could do to relieve these weird symptoms and they just told me I had anxiety.

Well I don't know if that's the case. Can anxiety really give these symptoms? I don't feel stressed or worried aside from the fact that I'm frustrated I don't feel 100%. I'm fairly certain she didn't beleive me and dismissed that getting a concussion would make me feel this way and suggested that someone thing had happened to me and I'm fixating on my small accident as a result.

No, my life is pretty much mundane, normal and usual except that I constantly feel like I'm fuzzy and off balance sInce then. So, anxiety? Something else? What can I do to start recovering and feeling normal again?

[brownehn]

This is a good forum for you to expand your knowledge.

Your typical doctor, neurologist too, does not understand these very complex and subtle injuries. Although one person here (something like lia, it had only three letters) did finally conclude their ailment boiled down to pure anxiety; and anxiety does affect, sometimes profoundly, the symptoms; you may very well still have unresolved damage that will not show up on any scan. For one thing damage to white matter doesn't. Damage is often at the cellular level, e.g. axons. Brain metabolism is altered. So it is believable to me. You sound pretty calm (unlike me!) and if you are, you're probably a good judge of your situation.

Read as many threads as you can. Some here have gone on long searches and finally found professional help focused on concussions -- in particular see the thread "Great Recovery Blog". Me, I'm trolling the internet for research. There's TONS of stuff coming out and the consensus is that PCS and concussions are rampant, overlooked, highly varied, and not completely understood.

Seven months is long enough to put you into the PCS category. Many people here are even further out. Me, I'm just a baby at six weeks though still no end in sight and my injury was pretty minor too. You might respond well to exercise therapy.

[Mark in Idaho]

J Byrne,

Anxiety can manifest many ways after a concussion. Real symptoms of fuzzy thinking and other cognitive issues can become a sort of subconscious habit. Something just does not feel right so, as the doc partially suggested, the subconscious mind replays the symptoms. Focusing on a small symptom can often make it a big symptom.

Is your feeling of 'off balance' just a thought issue or is it a balance on your feet issue ? They are entirely different symptoms and are treated differently.

When you say ' a very minor concussion,' what do you mean ? Was it diagnosed by a doc ? What happened and what were your immediate and near term symptoms ?

What did you do to help with recovery the first few weeks ?

Many think that because they did not lose consciousness, the concussion was minor. That is not true. Docs try to discount by saying, "Your impact was not intense enough to cause your symptoms"

What is a normal day like for you ? What are your work environment and duties like ?

Many of us need to reduce the sensory stimulation so our brains can focus better. When we do that, the fuzzy feeling becomes less. Our brains get fuzzy trying to sort through too much information.

There is good information in the Vitamins sticky at the top.

My best to you.

[J Byrne]

Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho

J Byrne,

Anxiety can manifest many ways after a concussion. Real symptoms of fuzzy thinking and other cognitive issues can become a sort of subconscious habit. Something just does not feel right so, as the doc partially suggested, the subconscious mind replays the symptoms. Focusing on a small symptom can often make it a big symptom.

Is your feeling of 'off balance' just a thought issue or is it a balance on your feet issue ? They are entirely different symptoms and are treated differently.

When you say ' a very minor concussion,' what do you mean ? Was it diagnosed by a doc ? What happened and what were your immediate and near term symptoms ?

What did you do to help with recovery the first few weeks ?

Many think that because they did not lose consciousness, the concussion was minor. That is not true. Docs try to discount by saying, "Your impact was not intense enough to cause your symptoms"

What is a normal day like for you ? What are your work environment and duties like ?

Many of us need to reduce the sensory stimulation so our brains can focus better. When we do that, the fuzzy feeling becomes less. Our brains get fuzzy trying to sort through too much information.

There is good information in the Vitamins sticky at the top.

My best to you.

Thanks, that does make sense. I have considered that it's becoming a vicious circle of me feeling bad so I focus on feeling bad and it escalates from there.

To answer your questions I feel unsteady on my feet. When I'm walking I have a tilting sensation like I'm. Not quite upright. I've sometimes lost balance a little and had to hold onto a wall, not that often though.

I hit my head very hard on a wall and lost concious ness for a couple of seconds. Afterwards I had extreme nausea but didn't actually throw up. I went to the hospital and they checked me up and agreed I was concussed. They told me to rest and not over stimulate myself. For a long time I tried to rest. I felt like playing video games was too strenuous and didn't feel capable of much. Even watching new TV I hadn't seen required focus that I didn't seem to have.

Thankfully those extreme feelings of haziness subsided and I'm left with this very manageable albeit frustrating level of fuzzy headness.

My job itself is office based so it isn't too strenuous or stressful. That have been supportive to a point without particularly understanding. It can be quite difficult to remain focussed as some tasks needed are quite intense.

Overall I have tried getting as much sleep as possible, stopping drinking and taking time to veg out if I need to. I'm normally a very active, always busy person so the latter is difficult

[Mark in Idaho]

It sounds like you need a vestibular assessment. That may be the cause of your fuzzy feeling, too. Vestibular issues can leave one a bit off leaving the brain challenged to make sense of that.

It may be something as simple as the Epley maneuver or some vestibular exercises.

[Bud]

JByrne,

I told my wife for the longest time I felt uncertain on my feet....always wanting to pull to the right as I Walk but able to keep myself head straight with paying attention to it.

It seems my eyes being out of sync with each other have created this problem. I have noticed that after 5 weeks that isn't as prevelant with the acception of crowds.

Bud

[J Byrne]

Thanks for your suggestions. I never even considered it could be something with my eyes! I'll definitly look into those exercises and get my eyes checked

[Mark in Idaho]

Here is a link to a behavioral optometrist referral .
https://nora.cc/healthcare-locator.html