Hi all,
this is my first time posting here. Thanks so much for all of the info you share here - I've been reading it for years. I've had around 15 concussions in my life. The most recent was a few days ago - hit my head pretty hard while getting into my car. I have 2 questions and appreciate any insight.
1. In the immediate aftermath of these injuries (first week or so) I have a hard time processing stress and strong emotions. Any insights about how to help this while it's happening?
2. I saw a neurologist last summer for migraine, and shared my concussion history with him. He asked if I'd ever been knocked unconscious (I have not). He said that since none of my concussions involved loss of consciousness, I was unlikely to have any long-term problems (cte, etc). I'm wondering if others have heard similar- or conflicting- info. I have not had any lasting symptoms over the years and was feeling great before my incident 4 days ago.
Thanks so much for reading. - Tim

Tim,

Welcome to posting on NT.

[1. In the immediate aftermath of these injuries (first week or so) I have a hard time processing stress and strong emotions.]

This sounds like an anxiety response. Did the head bump upset you and startle you? Is your scalp sore? Are you concerned about your future brain health?

What immediate symptoms did you experience in the first 30 seconds after hitting your head?

2. This neurologist is lacking in his understanding of concussions. The vast majority of neurologists are lacking in understanding concussions.

Did you ask him about your risk of CTE? How did the CTE issue come up?


You say you have had 15 concussions. How do you define them as concussions? How did they happen.

I've had 14 concussions. I do not use impact force or scalp pain or such to classify them as concussion. I have a distinct set of symptoms that I use to classify them. Only 2 were diagnosed by a doctor, mainly because they involved other injuries, too.

Mark,
thank you so much for your response and questions.
1. Yes - it definitely upset and startled me. Minor soreness where the impact was. and yes - given how many I've had, my first thoughts are always "I can't believe this happened again", "how long will it take to feel better" and "what might happen long-term". In the immediate aftermath, I felt stunned, and sat for about a minute before I went ahead with what I was doing. Your comment about anxiety is interesting -that could be playing a big role for me, as I have those issues.
2. I don't think I mentioned cte specifically, but I asked him if I was at risk for any long term issues from multiple concussions. My understanding is that a concussion is a head injury where there's some kind of altered state of consciousness for a short time immediately after - feeling stunned, dazed or disoriented. Is this accurate?
Most of mine have come over the last 13 years (I'm 55) and have involved bumping my head into something I thought I had cleared (car door, clothesline pipe, playground apparatus when with my nephews) or misjudging how close something was to my head. One was from a minor car accident (got rear-ended and hit the head rest). For many of these, I've been able to go on with whatever I was doing even while feeling a bit off. A day or so after the injury is when symptoms settle in for me - there's a week or so of mental fatigue, low tolerance for screen time, not feeling quite like myself, and mild headaches. Chiropractic care and acupuncture have been very helpful.

Welcome Tim in MA.

Tim in MA,

I doubt you have had 4 or 5 concussions. The rest were sub-concussive impacts that triggered your anxiety. Most of the types of bumps you mention are common head bumps. A head rest has enough impact absorption value to only cause some whiplash. Chiro for that.

If I counted all of my head bumps like you mentioned, in my active life and always wearing a hat, I'd be in the hundreds.

I bet you learned something about 13 years ago that caused you to be aware of head impact risks. Did you see the movie Concussion in 2013? That triggered many people into a condition I call Concussion Anxiety Syndrome. If follows the exact same thoughts you mentioned. A bit of OCD and CAS can take over a persons life. Something caused you to start keeping score...... I bet you check for symptoms after a head impact. Anxiety can interrupt sleep leading to fatigue/tiredness. Simple tiredness and fatigue can cause trouble with screens.

If you are easily startled by these bumps, the brain can use that as a trigger to play back memories of prior events and the symptoms from those events.

For many, CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) can be helpful. Learning new thought patterns so the negative thoughts do not get started.

I have a high startle response and must not let it get me on the wrong thinking. I often direct my thoughts to the item or person who put the item there, even if it is fruitless or silly.

Just because you did not lose consciousness, that does not mean you won't have lingering symptoms. Most people struggling with long term symptoms did not lose consciousness.

When you hit your head, the brain reacts with inflammation to repair the damage. That inflammation response can occur with or without a concussive-force impact. And that inflammation is what causes the symptoms.

After repeat head injuries, the brain may overreact and pump out too much inflammation. So trying to analyze the impact force and determine whether or not there was an injury is too hard.

Anxiety is linked to inflammation, and inflammation contributes to anxiety and symptoms.

So it's best to listen to your body, rest for a few days to allow the inflammation to subside, then gradually increase your activity level.