[Doozer]

What is it about a persons mood, thought processes or frame of mind which affects the nerves in the brain and neck? Why would these things affect an injury in such a profound way? With me sometimes it's like somebody flicked a switch and symptoms occur as soon as there is nothing else to focus on. Other times, I get symptoms regardless. It's no wonder non sufferers often think that this condition is purely psychological. Often, it feels like I'm being toyed with, like a puppet on a string.

[brownehn]

Well, Mark and others have pointed out that, for example, anxiety is bad for the brain in general, apparently flooding one's system with stuff that's toxic in the long run, like cytokines. Recall that 'great recovery' blog that Pittsburgh concussion center that worked for the guy: they told him early on that he was too anxious, stop measuring all the stuff etc., and put him on Zoloft, which btw I should probably be on, today has been awful.

[Doozer]

Even at times when I'm not under stress, normal emotions seem to affect my injury. It's very weird.

[Bud]

Doozer,

What you mention here is my largest frustration remaining...my thoughts affect me so easily, even normal ones as you say.

And I am familiar with the same switch as you.

What really gets me is when I am able to have fun or relax I have to keep at bay the thoughts that hang around telling me I can't keep it together much longer, sooner or later symptoms will get you, frustrating. All post injury.

I am trying real hard to remind myself that thoughts are nothing to be scared of.

Bud

Bud

[Doozer]

I know exactly what you mean bud. I guess this is all part of having a brain injury, the injured brain thinking must be a bit like an injured leg walking. Except many times more complex.

[brownehn]

Sounds like you all have the same problem I have. Today I felt good after a bad day but I find my mind occasionally tries to return me to yesterday's worst moments, almost obsessively. For me though this is probably the way I already was, namely, slightly OCD. I'm trying to either stay away or defuse it to no big deal because since my one symptom IS mood disorder, these thoughts are dangerous.

[newbie787]

Originally Posted by brownehn

Well, Mark and others have pointed out that, for example, anxiety is bad for the brain in general, apparently flooding one's system with stuff that's toxic in the long run, like cytokines. Recall that 'great recovery' blog that Pittsburgh concussion center that worked for the guy: they told him early on that he was too anxious, stop measuring all the stuff etc., and put him on Zoloft, which btw I should probably be on, today has been awful.

Does it stop the anxiety? I would say my most painful lasting symptom is anxiety. I still sometimes get headaches, certainly easier than before. But its the crushing anxiety which seemingly has only existed after the concussion that make life hard.

[brownehn]

Originally Posted by newbie787

Does it stop the anxiety? I would say my most painful lasting symptom is anxiety. I still sometimes get headaches, certainly easier than before. But its the crushing anxiety which seemingly has only existed after the concussion that make life hard.

Newbie, the only things worse, that I can think of right now, is panic attack (extremely intense,but burns itself out quickly), and depression . . which is probably the worst. But anxiety can lead to depression.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'it' stop anxiety. Zoloft? My brother swears by it. There are others as well which can be addictive, like lorazapam. If you meant that clinic in Pittsburgh, here's the blog where the guy spews out his success story:

http://postconcussionsyndromerecover...ome-story.html

Take care

[Mrico2]

Hi Newbie,

I'm the guy who wrote out (or did I spew it out Brownehn? ) the recovery blog. I did a couple of things to help my anxiety, which was new for me since after the concussion.

One thing was the neurofeedback. I think that can help on the margins, but for me anyway, it was not able to fix things. My neurofeedback practitioner was also a trained psychologist and he suggested I do some "exposure therapy." I had been religiously avoiding the street on which the accident occurred and avoiding repeating the situation I was in before, which was driving my kids to the grocery store. Also, other things like stop and go traffic would send me over the deep end (extremely anxious then extremely fatigued). So anyway, I started exposing myself to those situations and it did help, but again it was on the margins. I wasn't cured.

Then at UPMC I was put on Zoloft to turn off the anxiety. But in their opinion, that was not hitting the root cause of my anxiety and fatigue problems. They thought the root cause was my vestibular / balance problems. My brain, they said, always thinks I'm falling a bit and that causes anxiety which after a while leads to a lot of fatigue. After that was fixed, both the anxiety and fatigue went away.

Hope this helps!
Martin

Originally Posted by newbie787

Does it stop the anxiety? I would say my most painful lasting symptom is anxiety. I still sometimes get headaches, certainly easier than before. But its the crushing anxiety which seemingly has only existed after the concussion that make life hard.