having vestibular symptoms: was on a bus and the driver braked hard to avoid a car. body jerked forward but i didn't hit anything. brought on symptoms the next day. any ideas what could be going on? concussion?

Not a concussion. Startle response can trigger symptoms.

thanks Mark. how can I either avoid the startle response or calm the symptoms down once they start? it seems i get some event every 4-6 months that causes like a month of symptoms. i suppose i'm looking for some advice on managing these situations. i know there will be another one and i can't avoid them since i have to take the bus etc. any thoughts on what i can do to manage?

The first thing to do is not look for symptoms. With PCS and the anxiety that can result, if one looks for symptoms or tries to define symptoms after a startling event, any symptom can become greatly magnified.

If at the time of the sudden stop, you immediately thought about concussion issues, you conditioned your mind to look for symptoms. Bumps and jerks happen. Life goes on.

Personally, I know these events will happen, including head bumps and such. I know I cannot stop them from happening so I use reasonable behavioral precautions (helmet when skiing, no high risk activities) and I get on with my life. When they happen, I expect I might have some symptoms but that they will pass so I just keep moving on. I might need a quiet day after a loud event or other stressful activity but I don't focus on it. I just slow down a bit and move forward.

I've lived with this for 16 years. Reacting does not change anything.

I read a quote the other day. Worrying does not accomplish anything except give your mind something to do. The same can be said about focusing on PCS symptoms.

My best to you.

got it.

given that symptoms have kicked off now, should i try to push through them or rest? or treat this as if it were a concussion and try to do graded exercise after a week of rest?

Nobody else can determine what works for you. You need to just move forward and let your experience be your guide. I have developed a pretty good idea of what the cost may be for pushing it with various activities.

What I am better at is recognizing the very early signs of hitting my limit. When I notice them, I back off a bit, depending on the situation and my willingness to pay a delayed price.

None of the symptoms are life threatening so letting them manifest is not as big a deal as many think.

I think that recognizing that symptology is uncomfortable but not returning us to the hell we once experienced with PCS is a key to accepting the lingering results of a head injury.

Dang difficult art to excel at.

agreed. but right now it's feeling mighty bad. dizzy, back of the scalp is sore, taking it easy for a couple of days but need to get back to work. legs feeling like jello. not sleeping well isn't helping either. i think the stress reaction from the incident is causing a lot of my problems.