Hello there,

Long time ago I stopped following this forum when I felt 100% normal. I've finished my master's in honours and found a good job and was settling my life, everything was fine..until two weeks ago I again 'shaked' my head and got a host of concussion symptoms that now causes me huge amount of stress, anxiety and I am panicking about my job and life in general.

So a little bit background info:

Firstly, I am diagnosed with OCD although I think I rather suffer from tourette-like motor tics that I perform when I am alone, relaxed and have the feeling of 'having finished' something (e.g like a semester or a challenging project, etc). These are not uncontrolled but initiated by myself (compulsions). The tic itself varies over periods of time. I got ticks like clenching my teeth (this is irrelevant to the topic although I had to get 4-5 tooth fillings due to the damage it caused), shaking my head side to side (like saying no), shaking my head up and down (like saying yes), contracting my biceps suddenly (irrelevant), blinking my eyes (irrelevant) etc.

I was always a very good student in school and in the collage. Math and physics were my two favourite subjects. Always felt very comfortable with these subjects. I studied computer science and was a high-achiever in this field as well.

Concussion history:

Although I had these abovementioned tics almost since childhood, I didn't have any concussion symptoms during my childhood/early adolescence.

In 2009, I was trying to get my slipper that was under the wardrobe by dragging it back with my foot. After locating the slipper when pulling it with my foot, I accidentally also pulled the wardrobe door resulting in it hitting the top of my head. I felt dizzy and foggy for a week but didn't get any headaches. Eventually it got better and I forgot about this accident.

In 2010, During the semester break, after academically successful semester, I performed one of the tics I mentioned above (up and down one) but very violently. This resulted in a concussion symptoms like dizziness, very nasty headache, mental fog, ringing in ears and this lasted at least 3-4 months. Meanwhile, I've been to a few doctors. None suspected of concussion after seeing negative results from CT and MRI and I got prescribed an anti-depressant for treatment of recurring headaches. I don't remember what antidepressant it was but I quit it after using it for a year or so.

In 2011, I did the head shaking tic again and the symptoms like bad headache and fogginess were back. This time I was prescribed Laroxyl(Amitriptyline) by a neurologist. After a few months things got better. I quit the medication not until my next concussion in 2013.

In 2013, I don’t remember how this one happened but I guess in a similar way (through again an abrupt shaking of head), the concussion symptoms like headache and fogginess relapsed. In addition to them, this time I also got very depressed. Headaches were not as bad and I knew that no neurologyst would believe me. So I went to see a psychiatrist. He told me my problems are not related to concussion or any brain damage but rather psychosomatic. He prescribed me with Cipralex(Escitalopram) -and later Anafranil(Clomipramine) for treating OCD. I am still using them. I got off the depression and my mood along with my thinking capabilities improved. I believed that there was never any kind of brain damage occurred to me. Additionally, I learned not to shake my head this time -very hard way though.

Two weeks ago I was visiting my family (that is living in another country) after a stressful period at work. Unfortunately, when I was in front of my computer and felt ‘successful’ after completing an online course, I again shaked my head (this time side to side considerably quickly - but wouldn’t say violently) and immediately I started to feel off. That night I had hard time falling asleep. I also got some slight headache (not as bad as the previous ones though), tinnitus and some cognitive issues (e.g difficulty concentrating, difficulty thinking precisely). Now headaches seem to be cleared but I often feel tired, I can’t think as quick as I used to do and my problem-solving abilities seem to be compromised. I feel ‘spaced out’ and somewhat disconnected from reality at times. This gives me huge panic about my future.

So now I need my intellectual flexibility and mental power back as I hate feeling like stupid. So, given my experience I know that it should get better and hopefully it will get better but it just doesn’t feel so. I started taking some supplements (EPA, DHA, Vitamin B1, B6, B12 + some multivitamin with Ginkgo and Ginseng, Coenzyme q10). I also continue taking Cipralex and Anfranil.

I am open to your advices and comments. I simply needed to share this. I know there are people with more severe cases here like having survived MVAs, etc), However, I hope you don’t judge me for having a stupid tic that keeps ruining my life…

Note: I tried to ‘simulate’ this abrupt head shaking by using my wrist and fist as wrist is a similar joint to neck. I estimate the highest acceleration an abrupt shake can cause is around 4g’s.