I can't do the quiet room with my friends because of my speaking. Conversation is very difficult. My brain becomes fatigued and overloaded.

Interesting point on the TVs. Only have HDs in the house but maybe I can turn down the resolution?

Apologies for not clarifying on the 20. 20 minutes is the current goal. I want to do 20 minutes every day but I can barely do half of that, and still feel a symptom increase

Looking forward to getting an SSRI. I have an appt with my psychiatrist next week. I was debating whether I wanted to get it up till now, and was putting off that appointment. Now I'm ready.

Hey Nick, sorry to hear about all of your symptoms brother, you and I have very similar cases and we seem to be near the same age (I'm 20). Got a skull fracture/TBI (no coma) when I was 13, seemed like I fully recovered In a couple months. Then in December 2015 I got completely knocked out on the asphalt by a few guys and pounded for a good amount of time after I was out cold (woke up in ER next morning barely recognizable) . What worries me now is what seems to be an increasing sensitivity to movement. I have to monitor how my feet touch the ground, can't move my head to fast or I will DEFINITELY feel it, cars bumps are jarring, but with my 220lb frame it seems like my feet touching the ground gives my head the biggest jolt. I am trying everything and will absolutely not give up, if I keep going on this way it won't be much of a life at all. Just paid for 40 visits at a hyperbaric place near my house (I'll keep u
Posted) on that, I am doing extensive research on the stem cells (hopefully that will help with the over sensitive head, luckily parents will pay for treatment) . I am trying to get a lot of rest, head movement excrsizes, powerful DHA fish oil, magnesium, d3, lots of fresh Turmeric and curcumin supplements, literally devoting my life to trying to heal. I think we should keep in touch we can use the support of each other. I think it's pretty rare two guys who aren't even old enough to drink yet can't even move their head swiftly without getting jarred, sad stuff but I feel like not giving up is the key. Can't wait to hear back from you man, God bless

Sincerely, Trevor

Trevor,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. It is rare that people on the PCS forum read the New Members' posts so I'm reposting your New Members' post so others can see it.

"Hey guys, this is my first post on the forum just joined today. I guess ill jump right into it, in 8th grade when i was 13 I got a skull fracture/TBI (no coma) was in the hospital for about 5 days. Was rough for the few months after but eventually I returned to what I thought was normal.

Didn't have any problems with my head until I got my last concussion in December 2015 (I was 19 at the time), got jumped in Long Beach, knocked out cold, and was kicked in the head and bludgeoned on the asphalt for about 10 minutes afterwards. I was devastated when I woke up in the ER at 4 am the next morning, I knew my life was changed forever. For the next year after that i tried to really take it easy, and i noticed that whenever I moved my head even slightly fast I would feel like I could literally feel my brain moving around in my head.

I've hit some bad luck recently, fell down a couple of times in last few months and had a candle stick fall on my head. At this point I am living in a state of chronic stress and fear, it feels like the sensitivity to movement has gotten worse, whenever i hit a bump in the car my ears will turn red, eyes bloodshot, vision blurred and get a feeling like i just got jarred, I literally have to walk so slow and with padded cushions in my shoes because I literally feel the impact in my head if I take a full weight step, and it is super noticeable if I am barefoot.

Every time i move my head i seem to feel it, and it is not a good feeling. I am so worried about getting CTE and am literally doing everything I can do to prevent it (fish oil, magnesium, vitamin d3, lots of sleep). Do any of you have sensitivity to movement like me? would love to talk to some of you, thank you.
Sincerely, Trevor "

Have you considered that you may have a vestibular injury or a cervical injury that has not been addressed ? It is quite common for these issues to be overlooked in injuries like yours. Cervical injuries can cause changes in blood flow when the head is turned or otherwise moved.

You should add B-12 and folate to your regimen. Check out the Vitamins sticky at the top. Curcumin is good but turmeric is not helpful unless you consume large amounts. Only a small percentage of turmeric is curcumin and very little curcumin is absorbed with it being extracted and combined with pepperine or a similar addition. Curcumin extract with pepper extract (pepperine) is the most absorbable.

Excessive sleep is counter to healing. The brain needs to be active and only sleep at normal times but quality of sleep is important. If you feel sleepy during the day, it is often a sign of poor quality sleep.

btw, Trevor and Nick, If you use the Post Reply button at the bottom left, it does not quote the previous post and makes it easier to scroll.

Thank you Mark, you have so much knowledge in PCS and reading you replies in other threads has helped me out a lot. I don't sleep during the day but I try to get a full 8 hours when I go to bed. I definitely think your right about the cervical or vestibular injury, actually on some powerful antibiotics right now (augmentin) for a double ear infection, after I'm finished with those I will definitely get my neck/spine checked out. I think my neck probably has to do a lot with my symptoms, seems pretty stiff and is always making little crackling noises. I also worry that because my brain has been rattled inside my skull so much that there could be damage to the protective tissue between my skull and brain ( I think it's called meninges) which would explain why any inertia causes me to feel something moving around in my head. Thank you for all the wisdom Mark, greatly appreciated
Sincerely, Trevor

Trevor, Don't try to over diagnose yourself or make complicated assumptions. It usually leads to anxiety. The simple fact is your brain took quite a beating. The sense of your brain moving is more likely a vestibular issue.

The subtle neck injuries common to PCS rarely show up on imaging, unless the x-rays are taken by an upper cervical chiro. A PT can sometimes help with gentle traction and mobilization. Then, good sleep posture and being a bit protective with day to day activities, no extreme head/neck angles, and such for an extended period can help things settle down. Some do neck strengthening exercises. Avoiding range of motion exercises early in the process is good for some.

Nick,

If you can't do 20 then don't do 20...do what you can and nothing more until you can comfortably do more. It took me 2 years to be able to return to similar exercise levels prior to. My accident.

In regards to friends and social settings. Stop comparing yourself to your past...it will only serve to tear you down. I was a very social person before my accident, not as much now. I sort of came to the realization I talked to much and to readily and learning to be quiet and listen has turned out to be a pretty decent change.

There are a million different ways to communicate you are present and attentive while in a group besides speech, be open to learn different ways of communicating...I certainly had to.

I found using my past as a goal rather than a comparison was much more productive. It allows you the freedom to rebuild without needing instant achievement. Remember, no one adds 100 lb. to their bench press overnight.

I too experience unexplained setbacks after 3 years now so it isn't uncommon. They are further in between now and they don't incapacitate me but do require some courage and creativity and then they pass. Pay attention without obsessing and you will find workarounds to such incidents.

Trevor,

Welcome and sorry you are part of the club so to speak!

As Mark says don't over diagnose, it is very counterproductive. I hope you saw my line up above to Nick..learn to pay attention to symptoms, causes, patterns etc. without obsession. It is a very important line to learn.

Obsession kills motivation, it destroys our hope to improve and leads to constantly searching for what doesn't exist. Proper objective observation helps us to make the gains we desire when they are finally possible and how big a step to take, it exercises our minds creative and analytical abilities.

Take Care,

Bud

I can empathise with your situation. I too cannot tolerate simple conversations, even within my family. Extraordinarily frustrating.

I'm not sure what the answer is to getting better as I've yet to find it. However, after 3.5 yrs of trying, I do know that the "push it" philosophy is a sure road to hell. On two separate time periods, I've tried the immersion philosophy/approach to desensitizing myself, and in both scenarios it has taken months and months to recover. During this time, I have reduced tolerance, increased headache intensity, and a host of other things.

I bring this up because there is a lot of talk about anxiety. I think for some people, this is discussed from the wrong perspective. Anxiety is not the cause of our problems, though it can exacerbate concussion-related symptoms. For me, anxiety is the result of over-stimulation and generally occurs during the early phase of recovering from a given event. If I am pushed during the time-period, the anxiety gets worse; if I recovery and am careful, the anxiety dissipates. At my basal level with no overstimulation, anxiety isn't ever an issue.

Overstimulated brains have altered physiology, which leads to a host of various things... worse symptoms, darker mood, anxiety, depression, etc...

I guess the key is to find that boundary that lets you attempt to push things but not get over-stimulated. For me, this seems virtually impossible but I've come to accept this and seem to be getting by.

Hey Trevor,

I would appreciate keeping in touch. You're right, it seems we have a lot in common.

Frustrating beyond belief to feel like we've been taken out of life when it's just beginning. I've already taken this last year off, and I suspect I may not be able to go to college this coming fall, either. But I'm staying hopefully. If not next fall, then next fall.

The good news is I have read/been told by doctors that younger brains are more resilient/neuroplastic, and have supposedly better times with recovery.

I'm beginning a new rehab program that supposedly yields good results. The walls of the facility are lined with signed thank you photos upon signed thank you photos of High shook and college athletes who recovered and returned to their sports. Granted, I'm sure there are plenty who don't. But hey. I'll let you know how it goes as time progresses

To Mark and Bud, really appreciate the helpful advice guys, I definitely agree it seems the more you obsess the worse it gets. Had a pretty bad coughing fit a couple hours ago (felt pretty jarring), instead of obsessing like I usually do I just put on a podcast and took my mind off it and seemed to not have any symptom increase. Nowadays I can manage my stress level as long as nothing catastrophic happens (like a fall or a significant jarring). I do wonder (not obsess) how it is near impossible to find any website or neurologist that will acknowledge how people that are dealing with PCS have heads that are ultra sensitive to any kind of inertia or movement. I imagine the neck has something to do with it but there has to be something else going on. Do you guys have any ideas what it might be? Thank you and God Bless

To Nick, we definitely do have a lot in common man and I really appreciate your reply. I so feel you about the college thing, I'm having to hang back at the moment too, taking an online class at the moment but that's it, simply too much going on in a campus environment for our condition right now. That's some good news about the neuroplasticity. How is your memory doing? It seems despite the concussions my memory and speech are pretty unchanged (although short term unimportant thoughts escape me faster and academic tests are more difficult it seems). I did some memory and balance/reflex tests with a neurologist a couple weeks ago and I passed them all relatively easily, so much so that she wouldn't take me seriously about how sensitive I was to movement. I imagine like myself your main concern is this extreme sensitivity to movement or any type of inertia, makes outdoor life somewhat of a dangerous encounter unless you are monitoring your every move. I will keep you posted bro, I'll let you know how I'm feeling after I get a few hyperbaric appointments done (although the 20 minute drive each way might be counter productive) Ill talk to you soon man, God Bless

Sincerely, Trevor

My memory and speech are really bad, unfortunately. I have a lot of cognitive difficulty. My speech isn't very good. I don't slur words, but I don't fare very well in conversations. I struggle to convey thoughts. This drives me *crazy* as I used to be a conversationalist. It's really frustrating, especially with the random increase in symptoms I'm having. I really hope that goes back to normal someday

Granted it's only been 5 months since my last injury