Hey folks,

I'm new to the concussion scene. My girlfriend and I were rear-ended last Tuesday in our car and the emerg doctor said I had a minor concussion. I was heading to Boston on the Thursday for the weekend and even though I felt a little foggy and had some pressure in my head/headaches it was a fairly good weekend. I suffer from generalized anxiety disorder and I'm a bit of a hypochondriac so I've been really focused on my symptoms since the accident.

Flash forward to Monday July 3 - I returned to work (computer work) but felt the dizzy/foggy feeling worsen slightly and was accompanied with headaches. So I went to the doctor and he gave me a note to take the rest of the week off. I've been resting since, no tv, no reading, sleeping lots.

Today was the first day I went for a slow 30 minute walk and watched a few movie trailers on my phone. I've also been colouring in an adult colouring book to pass the time. But the foggy feeling and pressure with headaches doesn't seem to want to leave. Any advice or tips to help? I'm nervous because I don't have any sick time left at work and I have to go back next Monday. I just want this to go away.

Thanks
S

I had a concussion about a month ago. I was told it was mild to moderate, to take a week off. Now, one month later, I'm still feeling confused, depressed, etc. I was told to see a neurologist if you've had a head injury. I'm thinking I should have done that. They say not to get too hyper vigilant, over-thinking everything. But it's tough to ignore. Sometimes, I've read, these post-concussion symptoms can last for a long time. After a while, people consider your change in personality to be psychological when, in reality, they have a physiological origin. Anyway. I felt super alone so I went to a TBI support group. Mistake. Everyone else in the group had had major brain surgery and I felt like such a loser complaining about my "mild" concussion.

Are you watching tv and using computers and stuff again? My doctor said to avoid all that stuff so I'm laying in bed with nothing but my anxious thoughts. I feel so useless.

You can listen to calming relaxing music.. or some books on tape type of things...
a craft of some sort.. paint, carve, cook, sew, knit...
mainly the no screen suggestion is to avoid the visual & stimulating effects of TV, phone, computer screens..

I am, now. But I had to stay away from everything for ten LOOOOOONNNNGGGGG days. I limit my computer time now and can only watch TV for a short while. But you're right, going without all that stuff is really challenging. I thought I was going to go crazy.

Man that sucks. I love tv haha. How about reading a book?

Scoots,

As Jo*Mar said, the no screens means no stimulating screens, etc. It is important to stimulate good brain blood flow to help the brain purge the toxins from the injury. Napping and too much rest can disrupt getting good sleep at proper sleep times. You want to maintain proper sleep times and get quality sleep.

Find a low stress activity will be beneficial. I would expect you to also need some neck care. Many concussion symptoms are magnified by subtle upper neck injuries that cause inflammation that can disrupt vertebral blood flow to the brain. Icing your neck can be helpful.

Read the Vitamins sticky for some good info. Be sure to check the recipe for crushable ice packs. Most of the information is in the first post and one on page 46. (linked from the first post)

Henry,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. There are some struggles that the serious TBI group have that pertain to PCS but a TBI group may be too much early on.

What struggles are you having ?

What have you done to try to recover ?

Thank you for the great ideas. My friend actually bought me an adult colouring book so I've been using that and I enjoy cross stitching so I will try that out tomorrow and see how that makes me feel. I've also attempted reading tonight and it doesn't seem to be affecting me poorly.

It's funny you should mention my neck, I was just thinking a massage might help. I've noticed depending on some sitting positions I can feel strain on my neck and shoulders and even some strain in my head. So I think icing my neck is a good idea. I will continue to avoid screens as much as possible.

Thanks again
S

I've read that most people tend to feel worse in the evening but I've noticed one of my worst times is in the morning when I first wake up. I tend to feel tingling and minor pressure down my neck and across my shoulders, across the back and front of my head and over my temples. Does anyone else tend to feel worse when they first wake up?

On a positive note, I tried reading last night before bed and I didn't feel any headaches or pressure in my head. I also feel fairly clear of mind this morning.