Hi everyone,

I'm new to the site and just needed some folks to talk to about my recent experiences. I apologize in advance for the length of my post, but I really need to lay things out and get some feedback.

For background, roughly 8 months ago, I had a very serious car accident when I hit black ice; my truck went off the road into a ditch, flipped onto its side and collided with a tree. The truck was totalled, but by some miracle I didn't suffer any major injuries besides a wrist sprain and a mild TBI diagnosed by ER doctors.

The recovery period wasn't great, I was off work for 2-3 weeks and spoke a lot of gibberish in that time; I also spent a good portion of it sleeping and had the usual concussion symptoms. Doctors weren't helpful in this process, they just told me things would get better over time and handed me a sheet of paper with information on concussions.

Things did get better in the way that I was more functional, but I just haven't felt like myself since. It has been and up/down battle of headaches, extreme fatigue, neck pain, what I think is sensitivity to light/noise (literally drive in silence and turn down the dash lighting because it seems bright), and a very noticeable change in mood etc. I just tried to ignore everything going on and put the accident behind me. But things kept getting progressively worse, and I started sleeping in my car at lunch breaks/taking pain pills to alleviate symptoms when they got bad. Recently things deteriorated even more after I took my daughter to the local fair. I went on some rides with her and started feeling very unwell; we went home and I proceed to sleep for 2 days and miss time from work.

I spoke with my doctor about the symptoms ive been having, and they said I have something called post concussion syndrome; I have been referred to a neurologist and physiotherapy as a result. I feel hopeful that things are going to get on track, but I don't understand why I fell off the wagon so hard. After the fair I was slurring my words, was incredibly tired, had difficulty with balance/noise/light, and I just couldn't function. It was almost like I was sent back to the initial collision, only symptoms were less severe.

My question for the forum is whether or not anyone else can relate? Is it possible to have something like a fair aggravate symptoms this much? I did have a branch hit my head while pruning a month or so ago, but I never lost consciousness and don't think I felt weird after. I also have been driving longer distances lately, but I'm not sure if that would contribute?

I don't understand why I have been feeling this way, it almost makes me feel crazy. I have tried to Google more on pcs but I'm a bit skeptical and can't quite find all the info I'm looking for. I also feel very weak for still not overcoming this thing all these months later.

Additional details (seem relevant after reading):
-Diagnoses of adhd/learning disability
-History of head trauma (especially when younger; hit in head with baseball bat, cracked head open on fireplace etc.).
-Experienced memory loss after incident.
-Likely lost consciousness but can't say for certain.

Welcome Aaronrobertssmith.

Welcome to the forum, Aaron!

First, seek medical attention when you have a sudden onset of severe symptoms (slurred speech, difficulty balancing).

Sorry for the bad car accident. Yes, we can relate to your condition deteriorating. I've also experienced sensitivity to light and sound. I'll try to explain.

Post-Concussion Syndrome is an inflammatory condition. Inflammation is both good and bad. Inflammation is the body's way of repairing itself after the initial injury. But prolonged inflammation is bad.

PCS occurs when concussion symptoms persist for more than 3 months. The brain's inflammatory system can become overactive and may pump out too much inflammation. It's that inflammation that causes the symptoms.

A day at the fair is a high level of sensory stimulation for the brain to process. Overloading the brain will cause more inflammation, which causes more symptoms, so that might be why your condition seems to be deteriorating.

Your brain needs rest and a quiet environment to regenerate and heal. The type of rest is to avoid intense high-level cognition like computer work or driving. It would be good to take more time off work, or work half days. Lower your activity to a level that you can tolerate comfortably. Once your condition stabilizes and begins to improve, gradually increase your activity level.

Besides rest, treatment should also focus on reducing inflammation. Take fish oil and curcumin (both are anti-inflammatory) when symptoms get bad. But don't take pain pills. NSAIDs like Ibuprofen seem logical because they are anti-inflammatory, but unfortunately they don't work. Take Omega 3 DHA fish oil instead.

Diet and Nutrition should also be incorporated into your treatment plan. A lot of the foods we eat cause inflammation. Inflammation will inhibit neurogenesis and make symptoms worse, so stop eating inflammatory foods. (see list below)

ADHD is also linked to brain inflammation. Bacteria in our gut influences our mental health. An overgrowth of bad bacteria causes inflammation in other parts of the body, including the brain. So address your gut health as part of the treatment plan.

Sounds like you may have a neck injury. That can contribute to symptoms so seek treatment for your neck.


Stop eating these inflammatory foods-

• soda
• sugar/fructose/corn syrup
• wheat/gluten
• fast foods
• processed foods
• fried foods
• refined carbohydrates
• processed vegetable and seed oils (polyunsaturated fats)
• (safflower oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil)
• Trans fats (shortening, hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarine)

Eat this instead:

• Replace wheat with whole grains. (Paleo flour, quinoa flour, almond flour, coconut flour, chickpea flour, etc)
• Eat a moderate amount of protein, lots of vegetables, some fruit
• cook with lots of healthy saturated fats (animal fats, coconut oil, butter, olive oil).
• bone broth
• Eat cold water fatty fish for the Omega 3 DHA
• Eat organic foods because pesticides contribute to neurodegeneration

Aaron,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

What you are experiencing is not uncommon. The movement on rides at the fair can be upsetting.

You need to seek professional help.

It can be difficult in Canada. Where are you specifically? Some provinces and areas have better access to care for TBI. The Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation may have some resources. The hockey teams usually have better TBI/concussion care resources.

Your sleep is a critical issue. Daytime fatigue is usually related to poor quality sleep. Poor quality sleep is normal after a TBI.

You mention your neck. Neck inflammation can cause headaches, poor sleep, sleep apnea (breathing stops do to disrupted signals to take a breath), poor blood flow to the brain and much more. Sleep with straight head and neck posture. I slept in a recliner for much of my first year once I realize how screwed up my sleep was in a bed. I still use my recliner as my rescue when I am struggling to sleep soundly.

There are more issues to address once you have a chance to consider these.

Thank you everyone for the warm welcomes and feedback, it means a lot to know that Im not alone in this fight. For those who inquired I live in Ontario and it seems to be a challenge to see anyone right now.

I did speak with my doctor today and she will be taking the lead from here on out. My neurologist appointment is in April (which sucks), but I start my first session of physio tomorrow. She suggested I also reach out to the Brain injury association for extra support and I was also prescribed medication for my headaches. I also reached out to a therapist and had my first session yesterday, to help with some of the mood changes I have been experiencing.

I am going to take some of the advice i received here, get my diet back on track, and throw everything I have at this thing. This is probably the most hopeful I have felt in months, and it feels good to be talking to people about it.