Thank you! Will be looking into

Driving, shopping struggles
 

Hey there,
I am so sorry you are struggling. TIME is needed to be able to function. Be kind to yourself! After my first MVA (1st of 4 in 5 years, people just like to hit me I guess) I tried to go Christmas shopping, my daughter dropped me off, and I lasted 10 minutes. PCS patients are EXTREMELY sensitive to sounds, lights, noise, crowds, it waxes and wanes still for me 7 yrs. Later. You are not alone!!! Be kind to yourself, it will slowly show improvement. My Neuro Doc said diet and hydration, and SLEEP are EXTREMELY important. The brain you jumbled up he said is like tangled Christmas lights and the neurons and all the "wiring" need to put back together. You WILL get there, so hang tough!!!! ❤❤❤

Take magnesium, I take magnesium oxide. It may not cure 100% but can definitely help to decrease overstimulation/startle form head pumps

Scratch that I meant to say magnesium CITRATE. Mag oxide is a crap supplement

Yes, mag oxide is a crap supplement. It is a laxative.

Hi, like the others said be kind to your body and listen to it. Treat yourself like a well respected friend who gives you advice.

I've had PCS for 5 years and I've done and continue to do these things listed below. It gets better with time.

Things that have worked for me for shopping:

Get a pair of sunglasses in different colors - find the ones that make you feel better. If that doesn't work just buy a few different cheap ones in different colored lenses and try each one until you find one that works. Blue can be common amongst TBI survivors, FL-41 lenses limit blue light.

Wear a brimmed hat in stores to shield your eyes.

Shop online and then pick up at store, find someone in your life to shop online for you if your having screen issues. Get someone to shop for you. Buy bulk.

Driving tips:

Noise cancelling headphones - I use only on open highway or freeway

Research quietest tires if your doing any high speed driving. Its amazing how loud some tires can be compared to others. My winter tires are actually quieter than my summers....I look forward to winter.

When your driving focus on objects that don't move relative to you, ie the back of the vehicle in front of you. It makes me feel more stationary.

Never look to the side while driving. Never track a stationary object while your moving or vise versa.

When at an intersection/lights don't look at the cars travelling across your line of vision, keep your eyes up at the lights they are stationary.

Get blind spot mirrors installed on your vehicle if they don't have them. It prevents you from having rotate your head backwards to shoulder check and this settles down your brain when you just have to use your eyes to check your blind spot. These things are a must in heavy traffic. Look up ampper blind spot mirrors on amazon, they are cheap and good quality - a rare find these days.

Always know your route beforehand.

Never speed, always go just a little slower than the herd that way its the least amount of activity to achieve the same result and your not lane changing or ticked off that someone is going too slow. Be a fast tortoise.

Leave early, stress induces symptoms. Unforeseen events get in the way, take the mindset that your going to need a break anyway so leave early to give yourself a break. This will take some experimenting to find out distance you can go and break you'll need to lower symptoms.

Hope that helps.