Hi all,
About a year and a half ago we were on the receiving end of a fender bender which left me with some PCS that I dealt with for about five months. After reading a lot of messages on here I understand that this is light compared to some issues you all face.

Two days ago I was driving and pulling into a parking spot and accidentally hit the gas I stead of the brake which then lurched the car to hit the stone building ahead of me. Even though it was an accident I feel like a complete fool but the worst part is my anxiety kicked in immediately. But there is pretty much no damage to the car, just a couple cracks along the bumper and that’s it. Basically I just was lurched forward as the car hit the stone wall.

Since the accident I’ve felt many symptoms that I’ve had in the past from the PCS, pressure in my head, a bit of wooziness or foggy brain, a sore neck, my anxiety is elevated obviously, hot flashes, too much noise and light is a bit overwhelming. I’m so scared that I gave myself another mild concussion or my pcs has returned.

My question is, since I’m a very anxious person, how do I tell if it’s symptoms brought on by my anxiety or actual PCS symptoms. I’m returning to work on Jan 2 and I really can’t afford to take time off and rest.

Unfortunately my job is computer based and I’ve also noticed when I look at the screen too long my head starts to feel a bit tight and pressurized. Not so much a full on headache but definitely like I’m straining something.

Any advice? I’m hoping it’s mostly my anxiety and that I can get over this before I return to work.

Thanks so much and happy new year
Scoots

Scoots,

It sure sounds like anxiety to me with maybe a bit of neck stiffness thrown in. But, if you have hot flashes, that would be worth understanding. If they are hormonally based, they can exacerbate your anxiety. All of us can have hormonal imbalances, even guys, just not the same as women.

I struggled with wildly cycling blood sugar for a number of years decades ago. I would get hot and anxious when my blood sugar was up and moody and cold when it was down. (reactive hypoglycemia, not a problem anymore) More recently, my meds (SSRI) caused a chronic struggle with sweat flashes. That ended when I replaced the SSRI with 5-HTP.

Your history with anxiety and hypochondria could be the cause of all of your symptoms with just a bit of neck stiffness as a constant reminder/trigger. Your reaction to the event (startle, frustration, anxiety, etc) is enough to trigger a memorized response that recalls the PCS symptoms of the previous injury. The mechanism of your injury, hitting the gas instead of the brake, suggest you were at a high anxiety level.

Anxiety can easily cause a crossing of motor controls where you get mixed up and do the opposite of what you intended. I would expect that you were anxious or stressed as you pulled into the parking space. Simple anxiety of finding a parking space can elevate the stress hormones.

What have you done successfully to reduce your anxiety levels?

Some will rely on meds to reduce anxiety levels but are not taught how to maintain those lower anxiety levels so they are dependent on meds and occasional spikes. Reducing anxiety can be learned.

Hello, Scoots,

This is my first day (night) on this site and this is my first post. Your post grabbed my attention because I could relate to regressive ideations about my mTBI/PCS symptoms brought on by fatigue or stress.

Anxiety can be tough pre and post injury. An injury to the brain, or a harmful experience, can affect a person's autonomic nervous system, creating that fight or flight reaction even in times we are reasonably safe. I can only imagine how just the thought of going through what you went through can stir-up anxious feelings, fear, and ambiguity. I know for me it sure does! I never want to go through it, again.

I think being honest and self-aware can be a powerful tool and you seem to know yourself quite well. However, I would suggest reviewing your symptoms and event with a medical professional. Even if it means speaking to the on-call nurse at your doctor's office or through your health insurance. That is the first step I took after my accident and is when I began my mTBI journey. I called the on-call RN number found on the back of my insurance card.

Given your injury in the past, and what you have disclosed regarding your experiences with anxiety, breathing exercises and (moving) meditation, such as mindfulness/mindfulness meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi, can help balance the autonomic nervous system and decrease symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety and high blood pressure usually go hand-in-hand, which is another reason why I would suggest checking in with a nurse or doctor about your symptoms.

You can also call the Brain Injury Association of America for information at 1-800-444-6443. Maybe they can help answer some of your questions? But I would still suggest getting yourself checked out by a medical professional. I hope, either way, you feel better soon.

Sincerely,

Baab

Hi Scoots,

I have problems with anxiety too, and it greatly complicates the symptoms of a concussion. Anxiety creates a lot of tension for the mind and body, which can drag out the recovery process and make it even more painful. Anxiety creates headaches, and headaches create anxiety. It can feel like an endless cycle.

It is difficult to tell how much of your symptoms can be attributed to the accident or just anxiety in general. It sounds like the accident shocked your nervous system and the mind/body can get stuck in that place. I can get triggered even when small things scare me, like the other day I dropped a pan when I was cooking it and it stirred up all sorts of anxious feelings and fears.

Mark has a good point that the accident may have been caused in part by anxiety. I've had that happen to me when my anxiety gets bad and one time it made me total my car. Either way it will help you to find ways to reduce the anxiety. Like Baab said, try breathing exercises, yoga, tai chi, and other methods to calm your nervous system.

My job is also computer based and that can add a major source of physical stress. Staring at a screen for too long gives me a headache and stiff neck too. The best way I've found to combat that is to take lots of small breaks, get up and walk around, and stretch out your neck daily. You may want to talk to your manager about starting with a lighter workload when you return. I've done that with my managers and they have been very accommodating.

It also helps to remove anything from your life that could trigger anxiety and/or inflammation like coffee or alcohol. There is a lot of interesting research around concussion recovery and the keto diet, which restricts sugar and carbs but is high in healthy fats. That helped me to stop having insulin spikes that left me anxious and moody.

I personally have had limited luck with medical professionals. There's not much they can really do except prescribe medication that make you feel like a zombie. You have to find ways to cope with the anxiety/stress or it will complicate the healing process. I know it can feel daunting but you can do this. And you have our support along the way.