Hello all, i was assaulted 4 months and 10 days ago from which i was unconscious for around 5-10 mins according to eyewitnesses and have had a PTA amnesia of around 40 mins - 1 and a half hour. The ambulance people missed the part of me being unconscious and i dont remember what i said to them since i had PTA untill i was at the hospital. Few days after that i was diagnosed with a concussion. So now 4 months after that my life has been pretty much a complete upside down wreck with daily dizziness, BIG tiredness, some nausea, some vision problems, some headache etc etc etc. Had a MRI and a CT done only because i pushed to do them and they were both normal. Also did an EEG and it was normal too.

So basically im another one of you guys and i really hope this gets better soon since i can feel depression getting the best of me.

Also the thing i was wondering is if this symptom is a common symptom for PCS sufferers: looking at screens of any kind (example PC screen, TV screen etc ) makes me so dizzy and so tired after a few mins to the point i need to lie down. I am a student finishing e-business studies and an avid PC enthusiast and "gamer" and needless to say this is the thing that scares me the most since it kinda messes with my whole future. And if it is a normal and common symptom of PCS does it go away in time similar to the other PCS symptoms? I have been avoiding sitting in front of screens for a longer time than a few mins for months now.


Thanks in the front

I hope we all get better soon.

Cheers

Ivander,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

You could have a visual problem that needs a work-up by a behavioral optometrist. Check out https://nora.cc/healthcare-locator.html to find a local opto. Check out the various optometrists. Some are experts. Others are generic optos with an interest in behavioral optometry.

You also may need a vestibular assessment.

I suggest you give up on gaming until ALL of your other symptoms are recovered. Save you visual energy for computer work. Reducing visual clutter and movement on the screen may help. In fact, reducing sensory stimulation (visual and sound) may enable you to do more computer time for your studies. The injured brain has a limited bandwidth for sensory stimulation after a concussion. In time, you should see some improvement.

But, if you have a vision issue, it needs to be treated. It can make life miserable and put a serious visual processing load on your brain.

Many have subtle upper neck injuries that contribute to their symptoms. A gentle chiropractor or physical therapist can help mobilize the vertebra but you will need to maintain good sleeping posture for months for the ligaments to heal/tighten to maintain good alignment. Poor posture while sleeping/resting can cause inflammation that interrupts blood flow to the brain and causes neck muscle spasms that contribute to headaches. It can also interrupt your ability to get the quality sleep your brain needs.

So, there are lots of things to consider/investigate.

You still have plenty of opportunities to recover.

My best to you.

Thanks on the reply Mark.

The thing is i cant really use that site since unfortunately i live far far away from the USA. I have been to an ophtamologist who did a full exam and found no problems except astigmatism.
My vision problems are sometimes i get blurry vision and sometimes and especially after i really strain my eyes ( example i pass the limit on screen time ) my eylids twitch or shiver when i close my eyes. Thats about i think...other than a few weird things i cant explain

Also its not much about the gaming part of it, i also am/was a HIGHLY outgoing functional funloving guy, worked out every day for most of my life and now after the injury i've turned into a guy that cut out all social contacts and paused my studies, and lying down in bed most of the day. Audiobooks and podcasts are my only "saviors" so to say i think i would have probably gone insane if it wasnt for them. So at age 23 i am really secluded and really hoping this thing goes away or gets better in a couple of months. Docs said to me that apparently this is normal and it can last up to a year and a half but i apparently can heal faster since im young. Also i try to implement light work outs since they can promote blood flow through the neck up to the brain and i stopped smoking and stopped drinking 100%.

Thanks on the answer again, i gtg now and turn off the PC since i can already feel myself get bad from this screen time

An ophthalmologist exam often/usually misses the complex issues of convergence insufficiency and a myriad of other problems of the eyes working together properly. The brain needs to work extra hard stitching each eye's image into a single image when the eyes are not working together properly. A neuro-ophthalmologist may properly identify such dysfunctions but they are often harder to find and get assessed by than a behavioral optometrist.

It may be worth calling the ophthalmologists office and ask if they have a referral to a behavior optometrist.

Recovery is often a phased process. Get the visual assessed and treated if needed. Find any other treatable issue and move forward. The return to working out and social activities are the last issues to be concerned with.

It also helps to start a brain health nutrition program. The Vitamins sticky at the top has good information.

Did the MRI and CT Scans include contrast to look at blood flow (CT angio or MRI/MRA or other protocol)?

Often, there is a combination of issues that need to be addressed.

Thanks Mark ill try to but the thing is i barely managed to get a CT scan and the troubles i got through to get an MRI whiish...it wasnt fun. All the doctors i went to didnt want to give me those exams let alone something more, so my official doctor solutions are exhausted unfortunately. Ill try to get in touch with a chiro though.

Also i am mostly following your supplement/vitamine regime and im doing vestibular and balance therapy at home. And i dont seem to have convergence / teaming issues.


So im gonna have to rely on those things + time as my great healers.

Ivander,

Be patient and try not to give depression a foothold.

I lost many activities for almost 2 years, from hobbies to necessities.

Many things have returned now..not all but many and do I ever appreciate like never before my time at the gym or skiing.

Bud

Hey guys just wanted to update on my situation and to give hope and motivation to anyone else suffering currently.

My pcs has improved greatly and is MOSTLY gone, i can watch at screens for how much i want and im not getting almost any symptoms most of the time and all of the other symptoms of PCS have improved vastly and some are gone completely.

The only cure that worked for me was time...good luck people!

Glad to hear you feel better again. I'm using your thread to tell my story because I'm also "yet another PCS sufferer", because talking and sharing experience is helpful and because I'm currently also looking for "ideas" on how to deal with my current situation.

It started in November 2012 when I got a hit towards my head during ice hockey. I was NOT unconscious but I felt quite some pressure in my head. Because it didn't disappear after a few days, I went to the medic and he said it's "just a contusion toward the head". He never said it's a concussion. So it was like "half a week no sports and if symptoms are gone, you can start again".

"Symptoms gone" was relative to me at this time. So I didn't want to miss the next season game on Tuesday (hit was on Saturday) and played the game. Looking back at it, it really was a bad idea BUT the medic also should have warned me a lot more. Anyway, in the night after the game, I had to vomit and it now probably really was a concussion. I for sure did not rest enough and it was an up and down for quite a while. I stuck on the "Return to Play" plan afterwards but again, "some pressure" didn't feel like symptoms. I didn't feel dizzy. However, my reaction was "worse" and when I tried a practice again 3 weeks later, I had a collision with another player (my front head/helmet to his back head/helmet). It felt like an electronic shock going through my brain. The next couple of days, I had to lie in bed (TV was way too much, over-sensitive for sounds and things like this). From then on, it was a constant battle to train my brain again to get used to liabilty. It was no problem to watch TV again and to work after a while, but a high heart rate (sports) was still a problem. After a year, I was still not able to play hockey even though I tried a lot of things (Osteopathy, Cranio Sacral). The thing that really helped me was when a friend of mine (who also had a concussion) told me that injury from the concussion has healed and that I simply have to strain the head again. So I just started to play again without think "Oh my god, hopefully my heart rate wasn't to high/hopefully I won't wake up in the middle of the night" or whatever. After 1,5 years, I felt normal again and I was able to play.

However, end of August 2015, I was tripped in ice hockey and I felt onto the cage of my helmet. It wasn't a hard touch but when I drove home, I noticed "the head doesn't feel normal again". Having had the experience from my last concussion, it was obviously that I called in sick in the office. I stayed in bed for 3 days, calm. After a week, the symptoms were gone and I started with light fitness (10 min indoor cycle, light weights) again. It always took me around a week to reach the next step. After 7 weeks, I was back to normal again.

Then, on December 12th, 2015, I had another season game. While scoring a goal, I was tripped by the goali and I felt out of the turn onto my pants. I didn't think anything about it, but players were asking me if I feel ok about my head. You can imagine...symptoms started a couple of minutes later and some hours later, I had glassy eyes and I felt like I need to go to bed. Symptoms were gone after 4 days, but it took me another 7 months to be able to do full sports again. At this time, it was clear to me that I need to stop playing ice hockey.

During summer (July 16), I went playing roller hockey. Less speed, no contact, playing as a defender to stay out of trouble. But again, when I saw the puck laying free aside the already beaten goali, I simply had to go for it. But the goalkeeper didnt' see me, made a movement with his leg and he hit my skates. This resultet in doing a somersault. I landed on my arms. A few minutes later, I noticed that I need to stop playing. Glassy eyes again and I felt like "in a different movie". Obviously another concussion (or PCS).

I simply had to admit that my brain doesn't suffer "hits" in any way. Symptoms were gone after 9 days, but you know the story - again a long way until I was able to suffer a high heart rate.

But things went worse after that. In October 2016, I only felt on my left knee. Again, the symptoms (glassy eyes, pressure, headache). Took me 11 days to get rid of the symptoms (but I didn't call in sick this time). I anyway always tried to keep the positive thinking which seems very important. I knew from the past that the symptoms go away again even though it's very frustrating and annoying to start from zero (I really like to do sports).

February 2017, something "new". I had to do an emergency brake in my car at the cross-roads. But I was already at very low speed, maybe 15 km/h. After that, I started to feel my head again. I told myself "no, this is no concussion. Nothing happened" (maybe it's sort of a whiplahs) but I've got the symptoms again. I even had to lie down again in the after-noon. I had symptoms for about 18 days.

Another 6 weeks later (March, 18th 2017), I braked normally in my car, but my brain probably thought "that's too much". So I lift the foot and pressed the brake again, most probably resulting in a short jerky movement. That's when I decided to go to the medic again. It's just no fun like this and I feel very limited now. The first day I took the train to work, but the braking and shaking in there also felt like "danger". The first couple of days I probably felt depressive and there was sort of a fear.

The medic said "PCS" (never heard of that before) - and of course "it's difficult to cure". Now it's said "Osteopahty again to bring back trust in your body" or another thing could be going to a psychologist or doing acupuncture.

Anyway, the symptoms seemed to have gone mid of April and I started yet again with 10 minutes of indoor cycle. So it seemed to go up again. Yesterday then, after driving to the office, I suddenly noticed that I'm starting to feel bad again (slightly glassy eyes, pressure...). Until today, I have no clue if it was because of braking in the car (but I didn't notice anything when I braked - normally I notice it right at the incident) or if it was because I did some (very light) weight lifting the day before. Of course, it was a psychological stress. You start to think if you should not drive the car anymore and things like this. But I have to unless I'd move clsoe to the office. But it's no real solution because living in anxiety isn't the key. Before, it was frustrating but "no big deal". I knew it will get better and I also knew "I should not take a hard impact". But now, slight impact start the PCS. Today, I feel better again, but still some pressure. So maybe it really was due to the weight lifting. But it simply feels like my brain doesn't come to a rest anymore. As soon as I'm at the next step up, I get another fall-back. Having had 5 concussions (or PCS) within 15 months is an anxious development.

So now I found this site and I simply thought it might be worth sharing my thoughts with other people. With every new fall-back, things seem to get worse and sometimes I just feel like "I'm not myself anymore". So I really need a way to get out of this downward spiral.

Sorry for the long story and thanks for reading. Hopefully somebody can lead me the way to get out of this. Life quality simply decreased a lot. In my case, time would also be the cure, BUT only if I wouldn't have a fall-back all the time again.

ExHockeyGuy,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Your story is not uncommon.

From the symptoms you mentioned, I think you may have a subtle upper neck injury. Probably not something that will show on an x-ray or CT Scan. Weight lifting and sudden stops cause people to tense the neck muscles. This can lead to inflammation and changes in blood flow in the vertebral arteries.

Some gentle neck traction and manipulation (osteopathy or physical therapy) can some times help the neck settle down. It would require that you be disciplined with posture and activities while your neck strengthens and heals.

The joint at C-1 to the skull (occiput) can be weak and needs time to heal.

Some people develop vestibular problems that make sudden changes in movement to be a problem.

The Vitamins sticky at the top has a vitamin regimen that supports brain healing and health. Strained brain fibers need extra nutrition.

With some good nutrition, discipline to not strain your neck (whiplash) and some physical therapy or osteopathy or even upper cervical chiropractic therapy and time, you should start doing better.

My best to you.

Mark in Idaho,

Thank you very much for your feedback and your help. This is very much appreciated. I'll have an appointment with the Osteopathy within the next 2 weeks as well as with my medic the day after. So I'll bring up the topic about a subtle possible upper neck injury. I hope you don't mind if I print out your reply?

One thing - I wrote "weight lifting" but I simply meant weight training, not particullary lifting. Simply all the devices you use in a fitness center. But I suppose it's the same for the neck muscle. I know from a former visit at the Osteopathy that I tend to have a "turtle neck". I stretch my muscles therefore as he said (moving my head back/up, holding for 3 seconds, moving more back/up, holding again) and I try to focus on my posture.

I'll have a look at the vitamin regimen, too (will have to translate some of the words first since english is not my native language) Here, the medics simply give you magnesium only for your brain. I may ask about the regimen in the sticky thread in case I'll have questions about that. Luckily I don't drink coffee and alcohol, so it won't be a huge change (except the sugar thing...).

The main problem will probably be to not strain the neck.

Thanks again! I'm glad I found this forum (somebody in another forum mentioned that Mark from Idaho knows a lot about PCS - and he was right)