I sometimes wonder if my PCS is all just in my mind and not anything organic.
Despite trying to research this, and having asked many doctors.. nobody seems to really know.

I DO know that my CT-Scan is 100% normal. All neuro checks that I have had are also fine. I look fine, I talk fine etc. I remember everything like I used to. I can read and write. I just get dizzy and have bad balance. And headaches, etc. All that... just all these sensations.

I just can't work out whether my mind is just THINKING that these sensations should be there, or whether some tiny damage is causing them.

If it is all in the mind, then surely I can change it myself through ways of thinking, through optimistic behaviour etc.

If it is organic, then will it ever get better? It's been 2.5 years now... so, is this it? Why is it taking so long? And how can it be organic if I wasn't even knocked out and remember everything after the accident? I was hit hard on the head and dazed, sure.... but can my brain really be damaged if I was still conscious?

And strangely enough, on some days when I'm typing or writing... I miss out words in every sentence. The whole paragraph can be a right mess. This will occur for weeks on end and then, as if by magic, I'm back to normal. And some days I feel 99% PERFECT, just like the old days. So, how can my brain be damaged if I am capable of feeling this way, even if for just one day? If I can do it one day, why not every day?

But then again, why is it that monitors now make me dizzy when I view them? They never used to? Is that organic damage or something in my mind?

Personally, I believe my former depression has a lot to do with it.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Just because your CT scan was normal does not mean that there is no organic damage. Research has been done on football players after death who suffered many concussions and their brains showed signs of microscopic damage that could not be detected with a CT/MRI while they were alive. It does not matter that you were not knocked out either. Damage can still occur - there are many different ways a brain can be injured/damaged. If you feel you have dizziness that was not there before, then you probably do. I doubt this is in your mind. If you still have good days where you feel 99%, then that is promising. Stay optimistic - it can only help.

CT's and MRI's show that my brain is fine. But the test that my neuro did to test my balance showed that I have abnormal brain issues.

So I agree its possible

Donna

No way. I have found medical journals stating that the best treatment for someone with PCS is that it will go away soon. And that most cases are being faked for litigation purposes and the best treatment is make them think that it cant last that long. Which is exactly what they did to me. " SHouldnt last more then 4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months. It could be permanent." Ive had a couple imply that i was faking it directly to my face. Pretty upsetting. Luckily i quickly decided stomping a doctor wasnt going to fix my head. Also as far as your MRI being normal. They told me the same thing. Actual quote was " your MRI does not show anything to explain the symptoms you are having." So I was like WTF is wrong with me then for quite some time, until another doctor explained that PCS does not often show anything on an MRI.

Its easy to think that your crazy when all of the doctors pretend your fine, and to all of your friends and family you look healthy and fine.

I was told repeatedly that I should be better, there is nothing wrong with you etc etc. And you do start to think that it is all in the mind, and then think that you are crazy! When nothing shows up in the CT scan and the MRI it ends up leaving you feeling disappointed as if there was something physical you would feel so much better! I went to Australia and had a QEEG - so an EEG that they compare with supposedly normal and that was the first time that something showed up for me - what a relief. I had portions of my brain not showing and other parts hyper active, which supposedly explains my constant tiredness. The problem after this was getting the insurers to accept the report! Never ever think that you are crazy - it is not all in the mind - who would want to be tired all day - miss out on social activities - NOBODY!! As I am new, I must put my 6 year story on the PCS site. Getting to the stage I am at now has not been easy!

Owen, has your PCS gotten any better at all over the last few month? Any headache relief? I am not a spiteful person, but anybody who questions the validity of PCS symtoms should experience it for about a month. Ok, maybe also the drug dealer/addict who hit me - I hope his head hurts as he is now sitting in prison on various crimes, although he was not convicted of the hit and run accident that caused my concussion.

WTF? how did he get away with hitting you?

Headaches sadly are the same. On the 8th I will be at the 11 month mark. I dont want to complain when I know there are people out there that have had this for years. But I know statistically that if it lasts more than a year it is likely to be permanent. So as that year point draws ever closer I realize im more likely this will never go away. And the more i want to give up. My last QBing my treatment just died of lung cancer, so its taken some time to get me into to see someone else. Yes Im bad luck. You probably should avoid reading my posts. I have an appointment tomorrow and next week as well. Ill let you know how it goes.

All I know is that PCS has destroyed my family relationships. I had PCS for 3 months now. I wasn't knocked out, but I had all symptoms: diiziness, sentivity to light/noise, depression, irritability, unberable headaches/migraines, etc. I may have had second impact as well. After 3 months, I still have cognitive issues, which include attention, memory, processing, learning, etc. They have come up in nueropsyc tests -- above average IQ but extremly below avg memory, etc. The worst is the fatigue.

I am a law student and I have always done well in school. But of course not now. I was scheduled to take the bar this year, but all my plans have changed.

From the begining, my family didn't understand or believe me to a point where I have speculated that my anger toward them has exacerbated the concussion. Everyone thinks that it is all in my head b/c I have a normal MRI/CAT. To cope, I have cut ties with most of my family.

I have bought a DVD titled "the hidden epidemic," which may help my cause. It is a film all about PCS. You should all check it out. I am hoping people will start to believe me. Life is not good, but at least I started to do Tai-Chi again.

Good DVD, I watched it a few months ago and the producer is a really nice guy and willing to talk to anyone about their problems. He actually gave me his # and told me to call him. I never did but believe he has done alot of research.
Nancy

Consider yourself fortunate that your symptoms are subtle enough that you are entertaining the possibility that they are all in your mind!

I have always been pretty honest with myself, and tend to have a fairly scientific outlook on life, and I am certain not all PCS is a figment of peoples imagination.

Science and medicine, despite being truly amazing in everything they can do for us, can sometimes suffer from hubris and unjust skepticism. They have a tendency to doubt anything they can't measure definitively. The brain is likely orders of magnitude more complicated and sensitive that any model or instrument they may try and understand it with currently. The physical orgins of PCS likely lie in that disparity. Perhaps in 500 years they will be able to precisely measure and diagnosis your symptoms.

When I was a teenager I remember complaining to my mom that I was having trouble sleeping at night because my legs felt restless and itchy/crawly. She thought I was crazy, as did everyone else I mentioned it to. Fast forward 20 years and now they have a name for it.

The fact that we all have a shared/collective experience here is enough validity for me. One day science will catch up.

Having said all that, I'm guessing PCS is a dynamic between the psychological and the physical. In many cases it probably lingers on longer is physically justified. We get used to it, in a strange sort of way, and have had our confidence and enthusiasm shaken to the point that we are not ready to give it up. If your symptoms have subsided to the point where you find yourself pondering whether it's in your head or not, I'd say the best think to do is "let it go", so to speak, and consider yourself a 100% again.


After all, even people who have never had a concussion get headaches and have off days when they just feel spacey.