Hey Mark,

Curious on your response on my above post. Assuming it got lost in all the others.

Nick,

I am still battling this myself, and nowhere near doing the activities I used to love, but I believe that we can get back to how we were before our injuries. I read many personal stories online and even hear from people in real life who say that they got better and were able to resume old activities. If I didn't believe I would get back to that place, I don't know how I'd be able to get through this. But we have to keep believing. If you feel like your recovery has become stagnant, you might want to change some of the variables in your life. Maybe something about your lifestyle is holding you back from making that full recovery. Maybe a certain therapy can help get rid of those lingering symptoms. It could really be anything, but don't stop searching for the answer. The question should not be WHEN or IF I will get better but HOW will I get better. Anyway, that is just my personal opinion. Hope it helps in some way.

13 months out - headaches are still terrible.They have actually gotten better from 3 months ago but they are still excruciating. So many of the other symptoms have actually gotten a lot better. Therapy has helped tremendously with depression, and I am finally very hopeful again about life. My memory is getting stronger. But, my head hurts so bad all day. My diet is simple - no caffeine, no alcohol.

I can't wait to wake up without a headache one day. Anyone have any tips that have been very successful for them??

Nick,

Those who spontaneously recover in the first weeks often experience very good lasting recoveries. But, the longer symptoms last, the greater the chance of some level of lasting symptoms or limitations. Studies show that those who accept their limitations and learn to work with them do best. Those who continue to look at life as less than acceptable will struggle more.

There is far more to life than drinking and partying.

You injured your brain. If you broke your leg, you would often have lifelong repercussions. I broke my tib-fib in 1987. It was successfully surgically repaired but I still have symptoms. But, I snow ski anyway. I am missing parts of a thumb and finger. They are tender in the cold but I still ski and snowmobile and work successfully with my hands.

I have numb spots from lacerations. I have uncorrectable vision issues. I have horrible brain functions, memory, processing speed, insomnia, auditory processing, visual processing, yet I have traveled the US and half way around the world, raised three kids, supported my family so my wife could stay home and more. And all after a devastating concussion in 1965 and a few minor concussions since.

So, complain or worry about limits about drinking and partying and see where that gets you. There is far more to life than that. You will only hold yourself back by focusing more on your limits than on your abilities.

If you want perfection, you will struggle with life. This will not be your only bump in life. Whether they are head bumps or elbow bumps or bumps in your road, you will have more. That is life. We either get up and move on or we stay down and get stuck.

You sound like you have the fortitude to move on if you just make the choice.

I have experience many bumps in my life. But, I know many who have experienced far bigger bumps.

As the old saying goes, " I complained because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet. "

Search YouTube for "Trisha unarmed " She has spunk and has occasional down periods but chooses to bounce back. YouTube has many more like her or worse. An Australian man has a YouTube, "No arms, no legs, no worries" and is truly inspirational.

No matter what happens, you will do fine if you choose to.

My best to you.

Nick,

This is such a helpful post by Mark and I totally agree with it. I'm rarely on NT anymore, but I just want to second what he said. In many ways you have the choice to move forward. Life will pass you by if you don't.

I had what turned out to be a brutal vestibular concussion back in March of 2015. I'm 14 months out, but work full time, spend tons of great time with my family and kids, and plan to take a trip out to Colorado and even try to hike a 14er while out there in 4 weeks. Do I still have symptoms? I do. I really doubt my balance will ever be the same as it was before and I also have vision issues that seem like they will most likely be permanent. I still battle fatigue on an almost daily basis--and this isn't just your normal tiredness but something different. I need about 10 hours of sleep a night to feel really good.

Regardless, on days I don't feel all that great I push through and really try to enjoy how much this life has to offer! I want to see what has happened to me as a blessing, and not a curse, and that I'm better for it. I have moderated my life and don't worry nearly as much about the "little things" that used to bother me. I have taken up meditation, which has opened a whole new world of peace for me.

As Mark told me a lot last year, take this as an opportunity to totally retool your life. Maybe take up yoga and meditation. Find a new group of friends who don't lead the party lifestyle. Not sure if exercise bothers your symptoms (it makes mine better, actually) but you could start a progressive fitness regime. Use this as fuel to be in the best shape of your life, mentally and physically. I know I have. Sure, I really shouldn't ever race my bike again, but I still ride a ton. I was hurt in a cycling accident, but doing basically a race simulated type thing. I am now way more cautious, and I think that's a really good thing, too.

You also seem confused about why this thing has taken so long. So was I. But for some reason--the mechanism of my injury was what has made this recovery so long and not what I did subsequent to my injury. My concussion was one of those twisting, back of the head/brain type injuries that can be especially pernicious and hard to recover from. I also am prone to anxiety and depression. It was a concussion that hit my vestibular system super hard and that made the anxiety even worse. All a recipe for a prolonged recovery, and I understand that now.

Don't blame yourself. I was also in the camp that believed that concussions took a few weeks, maybe a month to recover from. It is incredibly frustrating but looking back and trying to make sense of it actually doesn't do any good and can increase anxiety and really make you feel even worse. Yeah, if I had known now what I knew then I would have done a lot of things differently. But that's not how life goes.

You can be even BETTER because of this. Think of the possibilities. Take good care and hang in there.

Hey Mark & Seth,

Thanks for both of your kind words and enlightening posts. Sorry it took me so long to respond as I am rarely on NT anymore. You both make very good points and very much put things into perspective.

I have heeded your advice and over the last few months have had a much better attitude about everything. It helps that I am feeling a little bit better but still not where I want to be.

I completely agree that a setback such as this for anyone is a time to completely reevaluate and retool your own life. For me this injury has given me the time and motivation to take a step back and explore new passions and hobbies and learn more about myself. I've matured a ton throughout this whole endeavor.

Now I feel that I am close to finding out what's left for me to do to make a final stride in my recovery and live my life as close to 100% as possible.

I saw Dr. Cantu at his concussion center outside Boston and was very satisfied with his assessment as he is extremely knowledgable. He's having me tested for hormone deficiency as he says that can be very prevalent in those with PCS and was synonymous with the symptoms that still linger for me. On top of that he's having me do an MRI with some specific software called "Swan" and Susceptibility weighted imaging...?

Not sure if the MRI will lead to anything but its covered by my insurance and it's good to have done it I guess.

Anyway, thanks again for the kind words and all the great advice that you guys continuously give to those who need it.

Best,
Nick

SWAN looks very interesting. It is new within the past 4 or 5 years. Susceptibility Weighted ANgiography. It is a quick way to visualize the vascular structure. I had an MRI/MRA years ago. It took quite some time. The SWAN MRI takes less than 10 minutes and provides a 3D image vs slices for the old method.

I hope Emergency Rooms start doing these rather than CT Scans. They are so much safer.

Chronic headache has always been my primary and worst symptom since my concussion journey began. I'll break my case down a little bit.

2011 - First concussion(from drinking accident). Migraine and tension headaches along with other symptoms(nausea, vomiting, fatigue, sensitivity to light, dizziness, tinnitus..I'm sure others but can't remember) began 4 days later. All symptoms except for constant headaches go away after 3 months.

2012 - Still have the headaches. Reduced in intensity a little bit after rest, better diet, vitamins, and amitriptyline. Bumped head working under a table. All symptoms from 2011 return. Headaches magnify again. Try new different headache meds and makes headaches unbearable.

2014 - After starting Cymbalta in 2013, starting to feel best I've felt before 2011. Headache intensity at its lowest. Bumped head once again. Back to the drawing board! Headaches so bad could not even look at a computer screen for one second without horrible migraine. Took two months off work. Did the "dark room" thing and avoided electronic device stimulation for 2 months. Ramped Cymbalta from 60mg to 120mg. Got a radiofrequency neurotomy. 8 months later...headaches completely DISAPPEARED!. Back to normal.

2015 - Best year ever! Symptom free.

2016 - Bumped head..here I am again. Headaches not as bad this time. Definitely a neck injury involved as I have constant neck pain with the headaches. But its been 6 months now and I'm improving. Really bad anxiety this time around. Back on Cymbalta. Only up to 60mg. Really have been avoiding a second neurotomy. Doing various alternative therapies to treat. Postural and neck exercises.

You can beat the headaches! You just gotta keep fighting!!