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.

So, I've been doing vestibular therapy stuff for a few weeks now. One of these exercises involves bringing a stick with a red bead on it to and away from my eyes in a figure 8 pattern.

I hadn't done it in a couple days, but the last time I had, I was largely able to do it without any significant problem.

Yesterday and today however, I am now completely unable to converge my eyes and focus on the bead when I bring it close to my face. It's like my ability to converge has suddenly disappeared. What the heck.

Why is this? Is this normal? Should I be worried that I can no longer focus my eyes on things close to me? I don't remember getting any new injures or anything....

This is just the roller coaster ride of PCS. It does not usually mean anything but maybe a poor night's sleep or overdoing it.

My eyes give me the most trouble in the morning but sometimes I will struggle at other times. I just move on and things change.