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| Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Concussion Syndrome For traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post concussion syndrome (PCS). |
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05-06-2017, 10:57 PM
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#11 | ||
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Loud music at this point would mean about 80db at most, which can be listened to for many hours without causing any damage. I can measure that using an app on my phone. In any case the duration of listening is rather brief on a daily basis, as it typically is. And given that I have not been going to the gym nearly as much I am not listening to music on my headphones on a regular basis. Most of my day is filled with quiet, and in fact my inability to get quiet in my neighborhood caused my psychological break in the first place.
I don't know what the emphasis on weed is all about here. It is clearly not causing me many problems. It helps with my nightmares and sleep quality and isn't necessarily bad for your brain. It has anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects that are well documented. The fact that it is not causing abnormal amounts of anxiety is a sign of recovery to me. Weed will always cause some anxiety for people who use it, but recently I would use a small amount and anxiety would come down on me like an avalanche. So I reduced my use. The last few days this effect seems to have mostly gone away. If it returns I will reduce my use once more. Also, I don't know why you would imply that I am prone to psychosis. There is no history in my family or any such diagnosis. I haven't stated otherwise, and I haven't taken SSRIs and other things in over 10 years. As for the chiro comment, that's interesting, but I did not sustain any neck trauma or anything as I was not in a car crash or other similar event. Do I take it from your comment that this guy is at least considered to be reputable? |
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05-07-2017, 09:42 AM
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#12 | ||
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Legendary
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The concern with about loud music has nothing to do with damage to hearing. It is about over-stimulation of the auditory nerves that can cause tinnitus. 80 dB is quite a bit of stimulation. The concussed brain has far less tolerance for sound stimulation.
The issue with weed is simple. THC has very minimal value to brain health. The research shows that the therapeutic value is at very low doses, equivalent to one drag/puff of a marijuana cigarette. The neuro-protective value comes from the CBD. The best value comes from ostly CBD with a small amount of THC. You have repeatedly commented about weed causing anxiety. As you say, that is a well known concept. But, the research says that those who respond to THC with anxiety are the ones who are at risk. Not all brains tolerate THC and the other active resins the same. "But I think the anxiety is just being overwhelmed by my situation in general, and the weed is amplifying issues which did not used to exist until the concussion hit." I wasn't implying that you are prone to psychosis. I was just attempting to combine your comments so that is considered. Again, the research suggests that there are some who tolerate weed without issue and there are those in who it can trigger symptoms. For some, a bit of THC has an anxiety relieving affect. For others, it triggers anxiety. Concussions are very well known for causing the brain to be very chemically sensitive. My comment about Hains related to how many chiros see the hearing issue as likely an upper cervical injury and use his comments to support that. Hains did not do much actual research. Instead, he looked through the literature and reported on snippets of others research. btw, Your comment about your struggle to get quiet as the cause of your psych break suggests an auditory issue may have preceded your break and hitting yourself in the head. Have you had any vascular imaging of your brain ? Like a SWAN MRI ? Maybe you suffered a vascular injury that resulted in your break or from the injury ? A SWAN MRI can show fine detail. Maybe it can image the structure around the auditory nerves. You should consider whether your issues are from the head hits or if they manifested before the head hits and triggered your struggles that resulted in the head hits.
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Mark in Idaho "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10 |
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06-20-2017, 05:39 AM
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#13 | ||
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Well it's now been almost 100 days since the concussion. Now that I have quit the caffeine, I am, I dare say, feeling significantly better in some departments.
Improvements: - Sleep quality seems to be excellent - I am able to sleep well over 8 hours most nights - I am not crying uncontrollably on a daily basis or feeling as hopeless as much of the time - I have enough energy to run 5 miles several days a week - Rarely feel any fatigue out of the ordinary - Am able to read more often without struggling to understand the meaning of text - Am able to drink moderately without issue - Feeling depersonalization less intensely and frequently Problems: - Heightened sensitivity to the effects of a lack of sleep - brings many of my other symptoms back until I get rested - Anxiety - Concentration difficulties - Headaches are back (although still not very severe) - Tinnitus has worsened to the way it was before - likely unrelated to concussion at this point Last edited by SilenceIsSacred; 06-21-2017 at 05:38 AM. |
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06-20-2017, 02:19 PM
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#14 | ||
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Legendary
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It sounds like you are doing great. Count your blessings.
Many of us are very sensitive to sleep issues. Your brain needs the full cycles of the various stages of sleep to clear the waste from the previous day. Find ways to get consistent sleep is a challenge but a worthwhile effort. Your anxiety sounds like it was a pre-existing condition made worse by the concussion. Some need meds but it is great if you can get by without them. Often, concentration is an issue of learning to ignore or even having to turn off distractions, sounds, visual, and any sensory stimulation. You may have previously been able to concentrate with these distractions but your brain has lost the ability to block them out. This is a common issue that many need to deal with. Ear plugs and such can help in some situations. I was trying to read a menu at a restaurant with a bass pounding sound in the background. I just could not do it. We just left. Tinnitus is not often treatable. It is best to learn to ignore it rather than fight it. It is a lifetime condition for many of us. Mine is about as loud as my laptop fan, just a higher pitch. Been that way for decades. I just ignore it. In a very few situations, upper neck issues can impact tinnitus. Finding the right chiro or physical therapist can be a challenge. They are very rare.
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Mark in Idaho "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10 |
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08-21-2017, 02:51 AM
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#15 | ||
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Junior Member
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It has now been 21 weeks since my injury. Some more good news to report:
- I am having less trouble reading text and processing information overall. - I have had less of a craving for sugar and have lost some weight. - Headaches are pretty faint at this point most of the time - I am handling cannabis and caffeine MUCH better. Before, I would get surges of anxiety from cannabis soon after smoking which might last 20-30 minutes, and with coffee I would get anxiety later in the day and feel mentally vanquished and prone to powerful crying spells the next day. But in less than a week I have had 3 cups of coffee with no crying spells yet! The degree of anxiety/dread is also less and seems to occur in noticeably shorter bursts, like my brain is very slowly learning how to function again and is able to tolerate these external influences. I am also noticing fewer after effects. One of the things I've been doing to recover has been taking long bike rides of 15-25 miles. I have a road bike and finally broke it out this summer. I have probably done a few hundred miles in the last month or so. It seems that moderate intensity exercise for longer durations (~2 hours) is doing more for my condition than more intense episodes of running for shorter durations (~1 hour). It could also just be a coincidence. It still looks like a long road ahead until complete recovery takes place. I may very well actually seek treatment at Cognitive FX in about a month's time. I had a consultation on the phone several weeks ago. Thankfully I have family to support me financially for most of the cost. I have debated whether or not it is worth going but I am genuinely interested in both knowing what parts of my brain are injured or not working well and improving as much as is possible. I have read as much as I possibly can about them here and wherever else and it seems legitimate to me overall. It will be very interesting to report back if I go through with everything. I should add that although undiagnosed, I likely have a history of several other concussions and many subconcussive blows as well, the worst impact being when I fainted about 7 years ago and hit my head on a tile floor. I am still taking hemp oil most days of the week and it really does help. I had a class reunion several weeks back and had 4 servings of alcohol throughout the day. By taking extra hemp oil I was able to concentrate and interact with people very well overall and actually had a really nice time being with everyone, feeling mostly small and manageable amounts of anxiety that day and sometimes none. Hemp oil has been a true blessing throughout this and I recommend anyone with PCS give it a try. So I'm almost 6 months in and I am still dealing with symptoms, but compared to when I first joined things are slowly and incrementally looking up. |
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08-21-2017, 02:27 PM
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#16 | ||
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Legendary
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You mention cannabis and hemp oil.
How much are you consuming of each and what THC/CBD ratios do they each have ? Or is the hemp oil a non-cannabis oil that just has Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids ? If so, it sounds like it is similar to taking Omega 3 fish oil with EPA and DHA although fish oil is usually low in Omega 6.
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Mark in Idaho "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10 |
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08-21-2017, 06:41 PM
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#17 | ||
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Junior Member
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Quote:
Amazon.com: Ozia Originals Elevate Ultra Premium Hemp Oil, 25 mg, Peppermint Flavor: Health & Personal Care |
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09-04-2017, 09:59 AM
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#18 | ||
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Junior Member
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Quote:
Omg this is almost the same case as me except mine was from an accident due to my tics/spasms when in an unstable mental state. Whats worse for me is that I went to several ****** private practice doctors after it first happened, and they thought I could not hit myself that hard accidentally to cause a concussion. It was not until I went to a brain research specializing hospital that I was diagnosed with a bad concussion and put on a path of therapy etc. |
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