There is no reason to try to sleep more than 7 hours if you go to sleep easily and wake up easily. If you wake up groggy or foggy, your quality of sleep may be questionable.

If your chiro is doing the classic 'twist the head and pop the neck' adjustment, it may be too aggressive. At least, ice your neck after each treatment.

My favorite chiro retired. He was a true healer and directed me to a physiatrist for issues he could not treat. The physiatrist referred me to a very uniquely skilled physical therapist who is fabulous. I found one good chiro since but he moved away. My favorite physical therapist no longer takes my insurance so I am stuck without the care I need.

Oh that's a good idea - icing after adjustments. I usually do it when my head hurts, which may be too late.

Stress seems to be the biggest and fastest trigger right now. This afternoon I was talking to my friend Greg about my dad's condo, which I am really not ready to figure out what to do with yet. I finally moved back into my own condo, but his still has tons of stuff in it that I need to figure out what to do with. So, Greg has an uncle who is a realtor and lives two hours away, and he was talking to his uncle about this condo and his uncle wants to come and look at it - like this week. I am nowhere near ready to show it to anybody or have any pressure about it.

I have just begun a new job and I am trying very hard to get the work done, not make mistakes, get it done right and on time. I really can't afford to mess this up and lose it. Since I lost my primary job I really need to get this one right because I really need the money. The condo is low priority right now. I told Greg I couldn't deal with it and my head was starting to hurt. He kept on and in a few minutes my head felt like it was going to explode. A few minutes later it started to throb and I insisted that Greg stop talking about this.

Greg has been a life-save this summer as I've worked on combining my dad's and my stuff into one condo, painting my own condo and getting things together and moved back in, even though there is still tons to do. Greg was really helpful in the beginning after the accident, reminding me to not bend over, not lift anything heavy, not climb ladders, and so on - that the physical stuff was not good for my head and should be avoided. But somehow he doesn't get this one - that when he pressures me about something I get a horrific headache and it's not good for me. I'm not sure why the stress of being pressured like that brings on killer headaches, and so I am having trouble explaining this to him. Any ideas to understand this better so that I can explain it?

If you can get Greg to read somethings about Concussions, it may help. At the bottom of the first post in the Vitamins sticky at the top are three links. The TBI Survival Guide is great but long. The YouTube video takes about an hour. The Brainline link is the shortest read and may be enough to get him on the right page.

Yes, stress, especially from somebody incessantly talking and pressuring you will trigger a bad headache and mental confusion and for some of us, an outburst of anger or yelling.

You need to have a strong phrase or something that tells Greg, "I am struggling and this needs to stop." so you can say it, even if you are in public.

From my experience, I would not let a realtor from 2 hours away list a property. I'd want somebody with experience with the same condo project who really knows the market.

But, you need time to deal with your father's stuff. That is too much stress to do under pressure. Stay focused on your new job and go slow with your father's place. I know how tough it is to clear out parents' home. My siblings and I have had to do it last year. Lots of stress as memories get replayed. Give yourself time to finish saying good bye.

My best to you as you continue to move forward.

Thanks Mark! I really appreciate your sympathy, support and information. I wasn't able to find the links you wrote about, although I did see some interesting things as I was looking about for them. I also tried looking for the words, like "Brainline" but got tons of hits, none of which seemed to be the one you were referring to.

Laura

Here is the important part of the Vitamins post I mentioned.

There are three valuable resources for you to check out.

The TBI Survival Guide at Traumatic Brain Injury.
Print it out (84 pages)

The YouTube "You Look Great" 6 part series
[1 of 6] "You Look Great!" : Inside a TBI - YouTube

The brain line 'TBI Lost and Found'
Lost & Found: What Brain Injury Survivors Want You to Know

Share these with your family and/or friends. And, try to find a TBI support group to attend with your family. They can be a great source of support and understanding.

Home made Ice pack

My recipe for a flexible/crushable ice pack is simple. One part rubbing alcohol with three parts water in a zip lock baggies. Freeze them, three is good, so you can alternate them and always have a frozen one. Ice frequently for 15 minutes on and 30 minutes off and repeat. If you get any stiffness of head ache, get the ice pack out. The upper neck easily gets inflamed cause symptoms. This should make a difference.

Here is a link to the whole post. http://www.neurotalk.org/1106982-post101.html

Thanks, Mark!
I forwarded that on to Greg, have talked to him some about it, and am looking through it my self. I really appreciate your rounding it up for me.

I had a hard day today. I am back at work, but part time, and am struggling. I want so badly to believe that I am okey dokey and everything is fine. Sometimes I feel (almost) ok, and then things get worse. Today I had to go test a student at a middle school but he wasn't on the main campus. He was in this building that they call "a school within a school", but where was it. "Oh, over near that restaurant - in between that and the post office". I went home last night hoping I could find it on the school map. Nope. So I went in this morning, hoping they could get him over to my office. Nope. I had to find this building and test him over there. "You just go past the stop sign and turn left." Which stop sign? Huh? Finally, the secretary took me outside, we talked down the length of the building, and she showed me where you could see it if you looked carefully between two other buildings.

So I went over there and tested this kid, the first of two tests. That mostly went ok. I usually do the tests back to back and it takes 3 to 3-1/2 hours. Today we just did one of the two tests and it took two hours. When I was through my head hurt all the way from the top of my head, down my neck and back to the shoulder blade and then out to that same side. Now it is 9 hours after that was all done and I have tingling all throughout my neck and a bad headache.

I've been trying to figure out how to do this paperwork and couldn't figure out why or how I didn't know how to do it. Then I remembered that in the setting where I was working, I actually wasn't doing this paperwork for the last 6-1/2 years - the Special Education teacher was doing it. How would I ever remember it? I can't figure out what I should be on top of and what would not be expected of me in any condition I was in. I really really want to look like nothing is wrong with me, but it seems like the more desperately I want that, the more I realize it's just not true. Then I think I am maybe just faking it, even to myself, and then I remember that I have had a headache every day for over three months, after not having a headache for 6-1/2 years.

I am trying to wish myself to an immediate resolution of my PCS and I'm thinking this is not exactly working...

One of the toughest parts of PCS is learning the new ways to do things that we need to do. The old ways we did things, often without even a second thought, are gone, at least for the time being. Making lists and charts for ourselves can be a big help. We can get the work done if we slow down from our previous speed and intensity and use notes, check lists and charts.

It may sound like going back to school because the issues are so elementary and it is. We need to reteach our brains how to do the tasks. We need to stop trying to remember everything and juggle things in our head. That will overload us every time.

It is also important to get control over our environment. No or minimal background sounds and sights. Distractions that used to be tolerated can become headaches and mental crashes/freezes.

Remember that icing your head and neck can help with the tension and headaches. Ibuprofen, acetaminophen or aspirin can be a big help. I buy aspirin and ibuprofen in the Costco quantities.

Hope you have a better day tomorrow.