Hi 7 weeks ago I suffered a hypoxic brain injury where I was without oxygen for less than a minute. I was not unconscious, however very close. I was fine after the incident except for a ringing in my ears. I went to the ER about two weeks later because the ringing was becoming worrysome to me. They gave me compasene to treat me for a migraine they said sometimes migraines can cause ringing. But also referred me to an ENT. 27 hours after I was given the compasene I had a cranial dystonic reaction. I was unable to talk and my head was stuck looking at the ceiling. I rushed back to ER where they administered 50mg Benadryl to stop the reaction. Within 10 minutes I was back to normal. 6 days after that (would have been exactly 3 weeks after the hypoxic incident) my mind started doing things I couldn’t control. For example songs would replay in my head over and over, it started counting out my steps when i would walk, counting each bite I would chew my food, and saying “in” “out” with each breath I would inhale and exhale. This came on overnight out of nowhere. Also, the same night it came on I was unable to sleep. And have hardly slept since then (even the strongest sedatives never put my mind to rest) I am in a light sleep all night long. Ive gone back to ER multiple times and they said this was just anxiety and prescribed me anxiety medicine and sleeping pills. I’ve seen my regular doctor multiple times as well and she says what I’m experiencing should not be from the hypoxic incident or from the dystonic reaction, my concern is that I have brain damage but she said I would have had damage at the time of incident not 3 weeks later. Also I have had 2 MRIs and an EEG and both came back normal. However, I have been on the anxiety medicine now for 2 weeks and nothing has changed. In fact things are changing in my brain. Instead of saying “in” “out” when I breath there is a rhythm playing with each breath I take, it is humming “hum hum” EVERY time I breath it never goes away except when I am talking. I have an appointment with neurology this coming week, however, Neurology has already checked me over when I was in ER so I am not very hopeful they will have the answers... I have not been able to figure out a real diagnosis for my issue and neither have the professional doctors. If anyone has heard of symptoms like mine and can shed some light on this condition it would be so much appreciated.


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bmf07,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

You don't explain this hypoxic event so I am with the doctor. I do not believe you suffered a brain injury. You would have lost consciousness if the brain was truly hypoxic. Even if you were unconscious, it takes much longer than a minute to cause brain damage.

I think you need to look at other events or maybe something else that happened at the time of the event you called hypoxic. Was there a traumatic event? What other things were going on? What high stress events were going on?

It sounds like you are having a severe anxiety reaction to some trigger. What have you been reading? Have you been researching brain issues? Did you see a presentation of a brain injury? Did you experience an emotional trauma?

I suggest you seek out a neuro-psychiatrist or maybe a neuro-psychologist for an assessment.

I have been in a situation where the repeating symptoms were prolonged. They were not caused by a recent brain injury. It took weeks before meds took effect because those meds are slow to take effect.

I suggest you read the Vitamins sticky at the top. A psychiatrist got me started on a similar regimen many decades ago. It can help with head injuries and/or severe stress issues.

Hi Mark,
Thank you for your response. The event I call hypoxic was that I was strangled. And I believe I had a concussion too. My doctor did send me to concussion rehab but they were unable to help me as I have no balance issues, no sensitivity to light, no headaches, and no memory issues whatsoever. I did have high anxiety for the 2 to 3 weeks after the incident as I was very worried about the ringing in my ears. However I’ve been on anxiety medicine for over 3 weeks now and that anxiety feeling I used to get has completely went away. I’ve done hours of research on my own and found some articles that say brain damage can take days or weeks to appear because brain cells begin to slowly die. I also began researching the parts of the brain and found that brain stem damage can result in ears ringing (which I still have) it also affects the bodies sleep cycles. Which I am always in light sleep I can never fall into deep sleep. I am going to request a sleep study be done when I see the Neurologist on Friday. However, I couldn’t find any information on the brainstem in relation to what I’m experiencing when I breath. I know that for some reason my brain is responding to oxygen being inhaled and exhaled. Every time I breath in or out it is making a “hum” sound in my head. I am going to see a psychiatrist but not until May as my insurance is switching then. I have not heard of a neuro psychiatrist until you mentioned it. Is there a difference? Also what is the Vitamin sticky at the top? I’m unable to find that. Again, thank you for your response as any bit of insight is helpful in my time of struggle right now.


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Also, I saw you comment on another post regarding antipsychotics. Do you think it’s possible that the dose of compazine given to me somehow triggered an imbalance in the neurons in my brain? Doctors have told me one dose would not do that. But my reaction was severe and it was a termed a “cranial” one. And 6 days after that is when all my odd brain symptoms began. Just thought I would throw that out there. You seem very knowledgeable on neurology. My name is Bre btw.


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Bre, First off. Using a smart phone to read this forum means you miss a lot of information. Check it out on a laptop.

I do not think you suffered any brain damage AT ALL. If you did not black out, you were not likely even strangled. Somebody may have TRIED to strangle you. That alone is very traumatic. It can be like my claustrophobia. You likely have a case of PTSD. My mind did similar things after I was stuck in a confined space for a hour.

Stop researching. It will only make things worse. Do you want to get better or worse? Research will raise your PTSD/anxiety levels. Most of what you will find will not even apply to your situation.

A single dose of compazine should not be a big deal.

A benzo like, Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, etc are mild anti-psychotics.

Brain damage that takes weeks to show up is not from an event like yours. It relates to immediate damage that gets worse over the next few weeks. You did not have any immediate damage. Ignore that idea.

Did you suffer a neck strain/injury? They can cause a myriad of neurological symptoms.

Hi Mark,
Thanks for the tip on using a laptop.
Doctors have also mentioned PTSD as well. However I don’t have any signs or symptoms of it expect for the insomnia. I am a very happy, energetic, fearless, loving life type person. It seems PTSD stems from fear of a particular situation or occurrence, which I don’t have. Also, as for the breathing thing, it completely stops if I am reading or talking. Otherwise it is a constant thing my brain is doing and I am not able to control it. To answer your question about recent neck strain. Yes, during my dystonic reaction (I’m not sure if your familiar with what that is) my head was being pulled backward out of my control so that I was looking straight up at the ceiling. I was also unable to speak, as my tongue felt deformed. It was termed cranial and very severe. Days after the incident my neck was extremely sore. My thoughts are that somehow my brainstem was damage during this reaction? Doctors are quick to turn down my theory and say that one dystonic reaction would not have permanent effects. Do you have thoughts on that? Thanks again for your feedback Mark.


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My question about neck trauma was referring to the strangulation event.

You exhibit classic PTSD symptoms. All of your symptoms can be due to PTSD. Even the dystonia can be triggered by PTSD.

Why do you think you had a concussion, too?

As one who has experienced PTSD from 2 separate traumas, I have a good understanding of how symptoms can manifest but appear to not be related to the traumatic event.

Have you had any post trauma counseling/therapy? You need it. It is important. You should have been offered it immediately after the event. Did you file a criminal complaint against the strangler?

What symptoms do I exhibit that are classic PTSD? Flashbacks, nightmares, detachment from others, loss of interest, anger, memory loss, feeling jumpy, turning to drugs and alcohol... I could keep going and tell you I don’t have a single one (besides insomnia) Yes I’ve reached out to a therapist and they too agree there is something wrong in my brain and it is beyond what they can offer me. Since I have no depression, anxiety, fear etc. Which is why I have an appointment with Neurology tomorrow. We will see what they have to say.


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If you try the Quick reply or the Regular reply buttons , it makes for easier reading/scrolling without the quotes..

https://www.neurotalk.org/faq.php?fa...q_vb3_replying

I'm not sure how the Reply buttons appear on the Tapatalk format .

Bre,

The counting of breaths or any other item or action, the repeating of thoughts, the intense need to define what has happened, the inability to let go of an idea, and such behaviors are all anxiety. You may not have nervous anxiety that you sense plainly but you have the obsessive and/or compulsive anxieties. Just because you do not have [Flashbacks, nightmares, detachment from others, loss of interest, anger, memory loss, feeling jumpy, turning to drugs and alcohol... ] does not mean you do not have PTSD.

I was put on Klonopin, a benzodiazepine anti-anxiety med. It settled me down a bit so I did not have extreme panic attacks but I needed an SSRI to stop the other behaviors. Most are termed perseveration. I called them looping. I would loop on meaningless things. A license plate I saw. The spelling of a word. A stanza of a song as I tried to find the finish to the song. It was exhausting.

It took a bit to find the right doctor. My doctor said I needed drug therapy and cognitive/psychological therapy to put the trauma into a understandable state. The goal of the psychological therapy was to convince me that a truth was not true to try to trick my mind into letting go. Not an option for me.

Then, about two years after the trauma, I suffered a concussion that added brain injury symptoms.

The immediate trauma therapy is often focused on helping your mind differentiate between what happened and what your mind thinks happened or is afraid of. It is a very complex condition with many different triggers and manifestations. Your symptoms are very similar to mine of 18 years ago.

Your symptoms do not fit with a brain injury.

What makes to say you may have had a concussion?

I am not trained in the specifics but have enough experience and have done enough research to support what I think.

I have a family member who suffers from severe PTSD that went untreated at the time of the trauma and that has left that person psychologically disabled. That person's spouse does not believe PTSD is real so there is no chance of treatment. But, those that truly know the person know that the PTSD is real and has had a serious effect. That person does not have [Flashbacks, nightmares, detachment from others, loss of interest, anger, memory loss, feeling jumpy, turning to drugs and alcohol... ] either but has alienated close family and replaced them with other friends who do not know the pre-trauma personality and function.

Mark