Can you share this Web site?

I went to the Natural Health Improvement Center today. The doctor said that my scans and everything came out confirming my symptoms. He gave me 6 natural whole food supplements to help my healing out. Enzycore, Inositol, Mintran, Neuroplex, Parotoid, Wheat Germ Oil. He said I had to detoxify my bad chemicals in my body that I have stored up over the years and store in new ones. He put me on a 12 week program, but since I have already doing the food side of it for a month it might not take that long. Also, he told me to make sure that I get all my whole food supplements and to stay away from "over the counter vitamins" because since they are not made from whole foods, they lack the essential synergistic elements normally present in whole foods. Last year today was the day I hit my head, I can say that today has been the best day ever since and I am continuing to prove. Honestly, It feels like I am being reborn and nit back together day by day. I actually feel like I have to get use to reality because I was so depersonalized for along time, it felt like I wasn't ever going to be better. But the enemy is the father of all lies. God is faithful and showing His grace to me by healing me with His creation. I hope this helps all those who are hurting from this horrible pain.

"Let us hold fast to our confession, for He who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:24

"The one sitting on the horse is called Faithful and True!" Revelation 19:11:)

Here's a look back at where I am now, fourteen months after my initial injury. Improvement is there, slow but certain, even if there is still a long way to go!

http://eowynridesagain.wordpress.com...ot-all-better/

Christ's peace be with you, too, Matt, and all of God's children. If it weren't for my faith, I don't know how I could function at all. I think the worse thing with any brain or body "injury" is when you can only think of yourself all the time, which makes me feel separated from God, although I know He is still there, but I cannot get through this private hell on earth to feel connected in the same way I used to. I am glad you are feeling better. This is my first post. My accident was in August 2010, and my PCS symptoms have been ongoing since then (however I didn't know for sure that is what it was--I found out over a year later that I was evaluated and told so at hospital, but of course I had no memory of that, nor did my regular doctors receive anything from trauma center I was in). This thread seems to be positive which is great, so I will say no more than the one thing that has helped me is energy therapy (similar to acupuncture).

18 months and personal growth
 

My accident was 18 months ago, and I have so many reasons to be grateful.

I have been back at work and driving for nearly a year. My previously diagnosed cognative deficits have now faded, to where I can contribute at work, and outside of work.

I have discovered a new sense of gratitude; thanks to all who who helped my recovery, from the surgeons who saved my life and enabled me to walk again, to the rehab doctors and therapists who helped me regain my cognative functions, to the familly and friends who prayed, gave encouragment, support, and were patient with me as I was recovering.

My accident/TBI will always be a defining event in my life. My prayer and hope for all with TBI is that your recovery also has a positive outcome.

Prayers and hugs to you all.

:grouphug:

My Husband Miracle Recovery.
 

On July 11, 2011 my Husband (22 yrs old) of only 7 months suffered a Severe traumatic Brain Injury as a result of a motorcycle accident that was not his fault. Along with multiple severe fractures he was diagnosed with Severe Diffuse Axonal Injury, which is shearing, tearing, swelling, to the entire brain. The Severe label means his mid brain has been damaged. 90% of people with this injury never wake up and the 10% that do cannot communicate, understanding, or perform any independent life activities. Less than 5% of people regain any type of independence. We were told to remove him from life support after 9 days in ICU. I didn't and it took him 3 months in a coma to start emerging! Now, 11 months since his accident, and only 8 months out of a 3 month coma Matthew will be walking independently any day now! He can talk, eat, pee, laugh, joke, REMEMBER THE ACCIDENT, remember all his long term memories, and his short term memories have been coming back everyday, he tells time, watches movies, plays games, is a romantic, writes in his journal, and texts on his phone. His personality has not changed at all!!! For something that started with so much despair I cannot help but feel eternally grateful. Matthew is a true miracle, science said it is impossible, that he should not be doing any of this. THERE IS HOPE! MIRACLES DO HAPPEN! DO NOT GIVE UP! It has been and will continue to be a long road but it is worth taking. *edit*

I am in a similar situation to your daughter right now, being 17 with a tbi. Was there ever a time where it was not getting any better or any worse? Did it eventually continue to progress even after a year (or in her case 2.5). Thanks so much for your post, I really need to know others had made it out the other end even after a long time! :)

I hope you've recovered?!

my concussion story
 

I am 17 years old and in my junior year of high school. I have suffered around 6 minor concussions playing football, the last of them being the worst. In this last one, I believe I got a concussion one day in practice and then continued to play for about a week, receiving hard blows throughout that week. I have had a constant headache and dullness for 5 months now. It has become very depressing and I am worried that it will not go away. I've been to several doctors who tried prescribing medicine but none of it helped. If anyone has a similar story please share!
thanks

Opportunity to share
 

Last week, out of the blue and coming up on two years after my accident, I received a call from the trauma surgeon whose team put me back together after my accident November 2010.

I’ve been asked to speak at the “Miracle Tour” medical conference at St. Joseph’s hospital in Phoenix next March. The audience will be doctors and other medical professionals, hospital staff, community leaders, and donors. While realizing this is partly a fund raiser, I'm nonetheless grateful to be able to give back a little to the hospital and doctors that saved my life and facilitated my TBI recovery.

Good news to hear.
 

I'm so happy for you. There is nothing better then having your health. Sounds corny but God knows what hes doing. when we feel good , the world looks good.
God Bless and good luck
SalfuZ:winky:

Two Years Out
 

Yesterday was the two year anniversary of my concussion. Here's a look at my progress since then.

Cliff Notes: Much better, though not back to my pre-concussion self.

http://eowynridesagain.wordpress.com...head-aversary/

so happy to see you all using
 

hi 5 years post injury i can say i am whole again the hard work continues , but worth the effort to recover all you can and more. headway in the uk call tbi the hidden injury in some cases, in others it is sadly more obvious, it is our peers who struggle, i have found, to understand the more subtle effects of abi tbi pcs

I am so happy to see you all using this sticky i started it seem a life time, ago this community and the lovely people who posted and supported and informed me

THANK YOU

vini xxx :grouphug:

Thanks Vini for giving us some hope! Great you feel whole.

I've Got My Brain Back!
 

I just wanted to offer some hope to others recovering from post-concussion syndrome. I have recovered my cognitive function! It was cathartic to write about it, so for those who are interested in the details of my multiple concussions and my recovery, read on! I hope that I offer some information that will help others heal. If you don’t feel like reading this whole thing, and I understand if you don’t (lol!), scroll down to my tips for getting better toward the bottom.

I have had four concussions. The first happened October 2010 when I was rear-ended at a red light. It was at that time that my eyes became very sensitive to light and I started wearing sunglasses at work all the time, despite the funny looks and comments from my boss. I was pregnant at the time, and all kinds of things were out of whack, so I didn't connect it back to the head injury. I also had some serious "baby brain", but again, I didn't connect it to the concussion.

My second concussion happened December 2011, when I hit my head on a wooden beam. At the time, I was mainly just embarrassed that I did something so clumsy and stupid! I iced my head, took some Ibuprofen, and just blew it off, even though I knew this was a worse concussion than the one I got during the car accident. Flash forward to ten days later, I was getting out of my car and I lightly hit the back of my head on the door frame, and it hurt like hell! It was only then that a little lightbulb flickered on in my concussed brain. I thought, "Oh my gosh, I hit my head! That's what's been wrong with me!" I had forgotten about hitting my head altogether, and so I'd been wondering why I'd been having headaches, feeling totally out of it, being extremely forgetful, losing small bits of time, and driving like a menace (due to the losing of small bits of time). I had just thought I was losing my mind! In that 10-day period, I had almost been in 5 car accidents. They were extremely close calls! One was in the parking lot at work, when I ran a stop sign and nearly hit my boss! At that point I called my doctor, but we were about to leave town for our Christmas vacation, so I just determined that I wouldn't drive until I felt better and would go in for an appointment when I got back in town. By the time we returned, I thought I felt better and didn't bother to go.

Flash forward eight months to August 28th, 2012, when I ran a stop sign two blocks from my house and was hit by an oncoming van, spinning out into a parked car. Yep, another concussion and a neck sprain. I have an excellent driving record and hadn't caused an accident in 16 years (when I was 19), so I couldn't believe what I had done. I knew I had been in outer space when I ran that stop sign, and it really scared me. Thankfully, I was the only one injured, but after the accident, my husband confronted me. He told me something wasn't right, that I'd been acting strangely for months--really spacey and forgetful, but he hadn't said anything to me about it because he thought it may have just been the effects of new motherhood or maybe even post-partum hormones. I knew he was right, had noticed the symptoms myself, and had even gone to the doctor about it, but she didn't find anything wrong with me. Also, I have ADHD and hypothyroidism, so it was difficult for me to differentiate the symptoms of post-concussion syndrome and those associated with these disorders. I thought of my issues as my ADD symptoms being worse than they'd ever been but couldn't figure out why. When I asked my husband how long he'd noticed me acting differently, he said, "I don't know, maybe since December." Later that night, after he'd fallen asleep. it dawned on me that my concussion had been in December.

I took the day off from work to recover, but the next day, in an email, I asked my friend/coworker of five years if she'd noticed any changes in me, explaining what my husband had said. Her response was, "I've been wanting to say something to you about this for so long, but I didn't know how to without hurting your feelings." She then gave me a list of things she'd noticed, anything from asking the same questions over and over again to messing up a lot at work to being unable to make simple decisions like what to eat for breakfast to being withdrawn in group situations. This confirmed it for me, something was definitely wrong! I went to the doctor, and she suggested I take a leave of absence from work and see a neurologist.

I got a CT scan, but it came back normal. I also had an MRI, which came back normal. In the weeks after my car accident, my symptoms got much much worse. I felt exhausted all the time, foggy, and easily confused, and I had the memory of a goldfish. I had terrible headaches and debilitating, mind-blowing migraines. Maybe worst of all, about three weeks after the accident, I started experiencing terrible vertigo, which then ended up calming down to regular dizziness with any kind of movement. After many weeks of waiting, I got in to see a neurologist, who prescribed medication for my headaches and migraines, as well as physical therapy. I started physical therapy in October and also got the ball rolling to take neuropsych testing.

By mid-November, I was showing some mild improvements through physical therapy and I was spending every day trying to rest. Thanks to my short-term disability, we were still able to send our daughter to day care 2 or 3 days a week, so that I could rest, go to therapy, do my physical therapy, and go to any doctors’ appointments I had.

Then the unbelievable happened. I went to see a movie with a friend, and on our way home, another driver lost control of her car and hit our vehicle head on. Yes, that’s right, another concussion and neck sprain! I was sooooo thankful to be alive and not seriously injured that I didn’t even feel unlucky really, but this certainly didn’t help my recovery.

Still, the month of December, I was doing pretty well, considering. I had cognitive testing done (finally!), and it did show intermediate memory loss, as well as a high score for short term memory that didn’t quite cross the threshold for what was considered normal (though I don’t think it was normal for me). January came though and that whole month was lost to horrible daily headaches for which I could get no relief. At the end of the month, frustrated with her inability to help me with my headaches, my physical therapist consulted another therapist named Maria who was a spine expert trained in the Mulligan technique. One minute after Maria placed her hands on me, my headache was gone, and thankfully, this has been lasting! Apparently, a gap between my C2 and C3 vertebrae was the cause of these terrible headaches. Not only did she fix the problem, she also taught me how to fix it myself if the gap were to come back, which I have done successfully three times now.

Miraculously, a week and a half after Maria “fixed me”, my cognitive symptoms lifted, and for the first time in over a year, I truly began to feel like myself again. I’m not sure why this issue with my spine being adjusted seemed to precede this recovery. My physical therapists speculated that maybe there was something vascular going on that was compounding the post-concussion syndrome, but I don’t know. So far, this recovery of my cognitive abilities has been lasting, and it’s been a few weeks now! I have a memory again, I have an attention span, and I am able to organize and plan. It’s amazing! For so long, I could only do one thing at a time, so I would have to turn off the radio to talk to my husband, whereas before the head injuries, I always needed background noise to help me focus and concentrate. Well, just like that, I’ve switched back to my normal! Yay! I love working on the computer with the tv on in the background. I know it’s crazy, but it’s just the way I’ve always been, and I so hated not being able to function like I normally would.

Here are the things that I found most helpful during my recovery:

1). REST!!!! Seriously! Resting does not include weeding your garden or scrubbing your baseboards. Resting means doing whatever makes you feel the most relaxed and at ease, while not adding any extra stress to your body. Don't feel guilty about resting (like I did). Make resting and healing your full time job.

2). LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! Listen to your body above anything else! I freaked out a few weeks after my second car accident and started looking all over the internet for the best ways to heal. I saw that I’d done everything wrong and was filled with terrible anxiety. It wasn’t helpful. I tried to implement other people’s regimens for recovering, with bad results. I tried not watching tv at all and thought I might go insane out of boredom. I tried meditation and was so filled with anxiety that I burst into hysterical tears. I tried napping mid-day several times and each time, woke up with a migraine. I ended up just saying no to naps and decided that watching tv was more restful and healing to me than napping. Instead of napping, I watched 1 ½ hours of tv every afternoon. So no, don’t watch 15 hours of tv a day, but yes, if it helps you relax, zone out for a little while and watch a few of your favorite programs. Listen to music, play puzzles, talk on the phone, bake, knit, go for a stroll, do whatever, if you can do these things and feel relaxed and comfortable. Play with your kids, your dogs, your cats, in ways that don’t disturb your body (no rough-housing!) but will keep your concussed brain happy. I really think it’s up to you to decide what’s good and what’s bad for you. If it’s bad for you, you will feel it!!! Everyone’s different, and each injured brain is unique.

3). ASK FOR HELP!!! It was hard for me to do this, but you can’t do everything that needs to be done. I wish I’d asked for help sooner. You need other people to fight for you to get the care you need in a timely manner. (I waited too long for everything, and I feel it lengthened my recovery time.) You may need help caring for your kids or getting your house clean. If there’s someone or better yet, many someones you can ask for help, do it! I had help from my parents, my in-laws, and several good friends, not to mention my wonderful husband. It would have been so much harder if I’d had to do it alone, and I’m sure I wouldn’t be as far along in my recovery without their help.

4). KEEP SEEKING ANSWERS UNTIL YOU FIND THEM! If it hadn’t been for my physical therapist seeking help for me outside her area of expertise, I may not have improved as much as I have. If you have horrible headaches everyday, don’t assume it’s just because of the concussion. It could be a neck injury or even something else, like a vitamin deficiency. You never know! If one thing isn’t working, try something else and keep trying until you find something that helps. Don’t give up!

5). TRACK YOUR PROGRESS! I kept a daily journal for many months, rating my days by how bad my symptoms were. It was very helpful to see that, slowly but surely, I was getting better, and it also helped me recognize patterns and see what factors caused me to feel better or worse. Now I’m off the daily journal habit, but I still have Lumosity.com to help me see improvements. I joined the website at the beginning of December. I want to recommend people check it out, as I feel my membership to this site was helpful to my recovery and well worth the money. I was able to track my progress, as well as work on regaining skills that I had lost after my concussions. Plus, the games are fun! (Well, most of them.) I’m not sure whether playing the games on Lumosity helped me regain the skills or whether it just helped me to watch myself improve, but either way, it was worthwhile. I went from scoring in the 11th percentile for memory among members in my age group and scoring not much higher for attention, to being in the 78th percentile for memory and the 68th percentile for attention as of today!

Anyway, I’m not going to lie. I’m not totally healed yet. I have pain every day from my neck injury. I still have the dizziness (considered severe) and light sensitivity, for which I’m starting a new therapy in March. I discovered through seeing a specialized optometrist that these problems are more due to issues with the eye/brain connection than to damage to my vestibular structure (though there is that too). I am also still working with Maria to build strength as I am still very weak in the upper vertebrae of my cervical spine. I also am dealing with the termination of my short-term disability—they claim I don’t have post-concussion syndrome—HA!!!! They cut it off December 13th, when I was still quite a disaster, so I’m fighting it. Perhaps most harrowing of all, I am juggling issues with six different insurance companies—3 car insurance, 2 medical insurance, and 1 for short term disability. On top of all that, I was laid off from my job right before Christmas. Thankfully we are in a secure enough financial position that I will be able to stay home with my daughter for a while before returning to the workforce. I know there are others out there who are not as fortunate, and my heart goes out to them. I can’t imagine how much harder it would be to recover if I was forced to return to work too soon or if I didn’t have this safety net and had to cope with more stress than I’m dealing with as it is.

So, no, things are not perfect, but I FEEL LIKE MYSELF AGAIN! When it comes down to it, this is all that matters. I just want to give hope to others that you can heal from one, two, three, even four concussions. I did sooooo many things wrong after my first two concussions, and yet I am still getting better. I believe that with more time and further therapy, I will recover completely!
:yahoo:

Good luck, everyone! :grouphug:

Great you are feeling better...and THanks so much for sharing your story. I spent lots of time on the computer looking for good news stories and stories about healing and recovery.

keep it up, and watch out for cars. Buy the SAFEST car you can find on the market.

Giving back
 

The trauma surgeon that put the team together that saved my life after my accident in November 2010 has asked me to speak next month at a “Miracle Tour” conference at St Joseph’s Hospital/Barrow’s Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

The neurosurgeon who performed the craniotomy told me in a follow up appointment “I consider you my miracle patient. I didn’t tell your family this the night of the accident, but I didn’t think you were going to make it”. When a brain surgeon starts to talk about miracles, one tends to believe more strongly in them. My TBI was classified as “moderate to severe” (GCS was 11). With therapies, six months later I was able to drive again and return to work.

I am very blessed and fortunate. Therefore I am thrilled to have the opportunity, in some small way, to share my story of hope with others. Miracles indeed happen.

God bless you all.

:grouphug:

Miracle tour
 

Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak at a “Miracle Tour” event at St. Joseph’s hospital in Phoenix, where I was admitted after my accident/TBI.

It was a great experience, and very emotional in several respects. I got to meet and speak with Dr. Petersen, the trauma surgeon who put the medical team together that saved my life; he had “met” me of course, but since I have no memory of the accident (or about 5 weeks after) it was like meeting him for the first time. After the presentation part of the event we received a tour of the trauma bay, and also got to visit the heliport on the roof of the hospital.

After the tour my wife and I paid a visit to the neuro-rehab center where I spent about 4 weeks, and we got to visit with two of the therapists that worked with me; they both remembered us after two years which made me feel good. Just an awesome experience, to reconnect with some of the incredably talented health care professionals that guided me through my TBI recovery.

God bless you all and the work that you do.

:grouphug:

Hope and Recovery is Real- A 5 month Journey through PCS
 

I never thought I would say it, but here I am, symptom-free! After all the hurt, sadness, despair, I am glad I never gave up! Hope is real, improvement is real. Never forget who you are now, you are improving slowly every day. Never look to the past, look to the present and your future. Make yourself comfortable through your recovery. It's YOUR recovery. I found once I removed the stress, I was able to heal properly and comfortably. You can too. Don't ever be afraid to take medication, don't ever be afraid to take chances and start a Vitamin Regimen.

Be inspired, do some art. Be creative. Let your feelings flow. Relax, be comfortable as who you are now. Sleep while you can. If your body is telling you to sleep, don't fight it.

My journey was crazy, I never thought I would make it. I ran everywhere, trying everything. My psychiratist and PCP were the people who saved me. After a bad combination of Cymbalta and Neurontin, I landed in the hospital and there I learned how to cope with my emotions and pain during this time. After February, I saw change. Change I never thought I would see. March was my big month. After my PCP and I discussed supplements, Methyl B-12 was important, after seeing I was low on B-12, she put me on a regimen of B-12 shots and oral treatment, I start seeing more improvement.

After episodes of asthma attacks and other weird symptoms which I later figured out weren't part of my PCS, I was then later referred to an ENT to rule out a Vocal Cord Dysfunction, what they found was shocking. Bumps, mucus, and irritation in the back of my throat. I was diagnosed with LPR. A week after the Nexium, I was feeling a lot better. I couldn't believe it. My nausea was completely gone and IBS gone. So if you are in doubt, don't be afraid to go to a specialist if your doctor denies you. Take care of yourself. You ARE your number one doctor right now.

As for me, I am signing off ready to play some StarCraft 2. However, I am not leaving. I will be checking the forums often. And remember, hope and recovery is real. Thanks everyone! :hug:

So happy for you, Consider! Thanks for sharing. I need stories like yours!!!!

reading this thread gives me great hope in my recovery from PCS. i'm 17 and i've been struggling continually since i was 14 years old when i got my first concussion. having chronic migraines sort of covered up the fact that i had PCS.

it wasn't until december of 2012, 4 concussions later, a psych eval, being told i'd never play a contact sports again, and turning down three universities for soccer had i finally been told i had PCS.

Due to the fact that i often lack emotion due to my PCS i never really grieved about loosing the thing i was most passionate about. most days i do experience a lot of hopelessness and depression, but reading that people have overcome this is exactly what i needed to hear.

I have an appointment at UPMC, yes where the Pittsburgh penguins and the Steelers all get treated for my PSC and chronic migraines coming up this month. i actually can't wait. thank you everyone for giving me hope again.

Just have to say, you're one tough cookie and an inspiration in and of yourself! :hug: Best of luck at UPMC!

Hi
I am desperately looking for skull fractures that included an open wound and success stories, or even risk % of getting meningitis after initial treatments are over-down the road. I feel 'normal', a week later, except I can't live with this constant fear
The neurologist that treated me at the hospital , was just not someone that would talk about anything but immediate present treatment, and after reading several information sites on skull fractures that include an open wound, I am plain scared, and this is affecting everything in my life, including the relationship with my husband, who just wants we to assume I;m fine and have life go on as before. If I even bring up my fears, he just does not cope and even with draws, which makes me even more depressed

Post Concussion AND Brain Injury~ success
 

Most of my 5 major concussions (where I was unconscious for half an hour or more, up to 2 hrs at age 7) occurred before I was poisoned at age 39. I was working at a horrendous job, and had a "nervous breakdown" and was referred to a doc for disability unemployment. What I got was 23 psych meds in 18 months by 12 different 'semi-retired' psychiatrists. Every time I got worse from a med, a new doc would try his favorite on me. I suffered severe brain damage, going from a "gifted" IQ of about 145, to a "let's instititionalize him" IQ of about 65.

I withdrew from the medical system for the most part and began a "self-directed rehabilitation program"; just doing what it took to improve what i had lost: counting, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, knitting, etc., to 'reboot' my brain. I was tested formally by a Cognitive Psychologist 5 yrs later and found to have substantial losses in all areas of recall (except for significant losses in 'Retained Learning'), Spatial Manipulation, Math, and 'Administrative Cognitive Functions'. It is a miracle I survived on my own, mostly by the retention of my Verbal Abilities and my innate drive and determination to persist and prevail. My scores ranged from 85 to 100, where 100 is considered "normal".

In the 15 yrs following the damage, I regained another 15 points by dent of unflagging self-rehabilitation efforts, volunteering as a peer representative and attending the Rehabilitation Model Training as California changed it's Mental Health Services delivery system. There is no need to list the many challenges I encountered, the abuses by doctors and other caregivers for failing to be "compliant". In the end I am glad that I did it my way!

What i found that really made the difference in how well my brain recovered, it's Plasticity, was a auditory technology called Holosync. I was fortunate to get a grant to buy most of the program from an agency called CenterPointe. It is a series of CD's that you listen to with stereo headphones, and it feeds a different beat into each ear, which causes the brain to try to rebalance itself.

In the seven years that it took me to complete the course, i have regained another 20 IQ points! My obsessive thoughts and actions are gone; I have no panic attacks. I still have PTSD for authority figures and doctors in particular, but that is just sanity, from my experience! :D

I urge people to believe in the ability of the brain to reroute, reuse, retrain, rebuild, and generally rehab itself. And it doesn't hurt to have a little help.

StormE1

At almost two and a half years post concussion, I'm doing much better. I wrote a post detailing my progress on my blog:

http://eowynridesagain.wordpress.com...-a-half-years/

I Am going on 2Years PCS
 

I was a half lost soul after a TBI. I had to fight for a year and five month's to get a diagnosis.In the fighting time with M.D.s I got nowhere!I was so fortunate to be in a great deal of pain and still fight and continue to search for a diagnosis. I told all the M.D.s from the start I am not taking ANY medicine until I get a diagnosis(made these M.D.s not like me so much).

I was falling apart,bed rest 9months out of 12,Insomnia for a year,running into walls,headaches,eye strain,horrible speech,relapse after relapse for a year and half etc.Until I was fortunate to find the one M.D. that was a neurologist that was sincere about his place in the medical profession. In December 2012 the neurologist ordered me to take a series of different test that was a neuropsychological testing and balance testing.

My results were very poor at that time for both tests.I started doing vestibular therapy mid January 2013,psychiatric medicine,physiatrist,physical therapy, started acupuncture in May and many changes in lifestyle.

Now 6month's after finally getting a diagnosis of waiting in a lot of pain for a year and half I have shown a great amount of improvement.I am cleared of my vestibular impairment and at a 98%. I had showed a lot of improvements from prevention medicine for headaches,neck aches,muscle spasms, major depression, and major anxiety/panic. Acupuncture was the icing on the improvements in so many ways for me from a wide range of tinnitus,TMD,moods,energy,headaches,soreness, the list goes on.

Now I am only left with a few cognitive issues that at this present time I cannot get therapy for, but will in time. I am trying my own cognitive therapy like I have since I got diagnosis of TBI.In the winter I made organic soaps, in the spring I started gardening and doing organization of house such as closets, drawers, paperwork of 2years etc.My new cognitive therapy I am starting tomorrow is going back to school online with ADA help to finish my Master's. It will be interesting to see what results I get good or bad.Either way it can only help me.

I will keep posted and hope everyone finds this inspiring to keep fighting it will get better.:grouphug:Mia

Great!
 

You've improved a lot since I just joined in March.

Keep on healing Mia. It's all going in the right direction now.

pm

I.too had an accident March 10th, symptoms for me started 4 weeks
later. Headache, dizzy, nausea, spatial problems, fatigue, enviromental
dufficulties. We know how u feel and what u r going through, what exactly
happenred with your accident? With me i was on the ice and fell back on my head.

ED

I am certainly better
 

I am going to add my story here.

I am 4 months post concussion and I am better. I try not to use the word recovered because that is such a strong word and brain healing is not like any other healing I've ever been though.

I will say that I live in a state of recovery.

Right now, I can take long walks (3-5 miles), and I can drive further distances and for several hours in a row.

I can drive myself to a store and shop in florescent lights, but those lights can still tire me out if I am tired at the start.

I can make food for my family and myself, so I can follow the directions of a recipe.

My sense of humor and word play is back! I delight in words and writing again. I am writing poetry about my recovery and just writing in general too.

Music sounds beautiful again -- and I can listen to a variety of music, even some of the low bass sounds of a pumping song are OK for me. I do prefer more gentle sounds though, such as some classical music or anything that is not too loud or high pitched.

I will start some part time work next week for teaching summer school. And I'll find out how it goes being in the classroom again.

I feel I am returning as a younger version of myself-- more innocent and full of wonder like a child, and for that, I feel so grateful.

Things that have helped me the most and not in order of importance.
1. Vitamin and supplement regimin
2. Support of a loving family
3. Prayer and meditation
4. Acupuncture
5. Asking questions here and reading various threads
6. The slogan, "Easy Does It" "Take One Day at A Time"

I know my brain is still healing, and my body chemistry is changing in its midlife journey too.

I have come this far, and believe to go further in my state of recovery.

It's my dearest hope that if you read this, it lifts you in hope too.

Sincerely,

poetrymom

csf leak
 

hi i have had a csf leak for 5 years and lucky have not contracted meningitis you can ask for a vaccine people who have had strep throat maybe at higher risk if your dura has not been opened the risk is very low

It's been a while
 

It's been a while since I've been on here, but I felt compelled to come on here again. I think it's important for everyone to remember that most of the people who recover, do not post very often, or at all on here.

My last brain injury was possibly my third concussion, and hopefully my last. I had the whole gambit, headaches, nausea, insomnia, ringing in my ears, anxiety, sadness, etc. At the nine month stage after my injury, I was down to about half the symptom levels I had been before, but it was still discouraging. Then I was told by my neurologist that at 17, I was going to live with headaches every day for the rest of my life. She also thought she should add that I should maybe get some help with my "emotions", since I started crying in the doctor's office after she told me this.

Then, one day someone else my mother knew, had a son who went to a different specialist, one I'd never heard about before. Since then, I've had major improvements in balance, cognitive skills, little to no headaches ever, less sensitivity to sound and light, etc. All the things that kept me from succeeding were no longer an issue for me. I still get tight muscles in my neck frequently, and when I'm really tired I can forget things more easily.

Anyways, I wanted to post this as sort of a letter to the other people out there who are like me, thinking that there is a time limit on recovery, and that doctors are always right. Despite the statistics about recovery time, never limit yourself like that, and keep trying to get better, regardless of how long you've been living with it. I hope somebody out there can use this story as encouragement, I know I needed a story like this more than once throughout my journey.

All the best :)

grateful
 

So grateful for your post. I really really needed to hear your words. Best of luck, God bless.

Was he out of school the whole time? If not, how did he manage school homework etc while recovering?

Hi. Have you had a full recovery, and if so how long did it take and what did you do. My son is suffering with almost the exact things you have been through-- 6 minor concussions--then the last one was a doozey. It's been 42 days. Thanks for all of your help.

Success Story for a concussion/memory loss
 

Hello,
I just wanted to share my son's story quickly to maybe give some hope to someone else going through a similar situation. My son was in a skateboarding accident and hit his head. He was wearing a helmet, which got dented, but he seemed OK at first. He got up slowly and shook of the cobwebs, so to speak, and said he thought he was alright. Then about 20 minutes later he got sick to his stomach and threw up. At that point we took him to the E.R. and had a CT scan done. They said the scan showed no fractures or bleeding and after and hour sent us home. My son had a headache and felt tired but seemed good besides that. The next morning is when our world caved in. When he woke up he had a very bad headache and started to get some memory loss. He couldn't remember who the President was or some family vacations, over the next 24 hrs his memory really shut down. He couldn't remember the name of his school, close friends or even his relatives. He forgot almost all the movies he had ever seen. He couldn't even remember certain foods and would ask if he liked that food before eating it. We took him to three different specialists in our area and each had a different opinion but none could really give us any answers. Maybe five days after the accident while in the bath tub he started saying garbled words and his eyes rolled up in his head and I thought he was going to pass out. My wife called the ER to tell them we were bringing him in but after I helped him out of the tub and gave him some orange juice he seemed to regain his senses and appeared stable again.
Every day was an emotional rollercoaster for us as parents with ups and downs in his condition. My son basically spent the next two months in bed with the lights out and free from all noises. He would get up for a few hours each day and eat and talk but then his head would start hurting and he would have to lay down again. The weird thing was is that he could not remember friends, family, vacations, but could still remember how to do his algebra and other subjects. We were giving him plenty of water and some supplements such as magnesium and fish oil. He had a non-stop headache every day that would vary on intensity depending on how active he was.
Warm baths seemed to relax him and calm his head the most. After two months of this he returned to school under the advice of his doctor but was not allowed to take tests or quizzes. For the first week he had to have a student lead him to his class rooms and and all his friends had to reintroduce themselves to him. It was awful for us as parents to watch, we felt so bad for him. Through it all he kept a positive attitude and wanted to keep attending school and move forward. Often his headaches would get too bad and we'd have to pick him up after an hour or two of school. Well school ended but because his grades were so good prior to the accident and he had taken all the state examines the school allowed him to move on and not repeat 7th grade. My wife and I were having doubts that his memory would ever return fully and that his headaches would ever cease. Well, about the third week of June he woke up one morning and his headache was gone, the first time in almost 5 months. Within maybe two or three days his complete memory came back, I would say maybe better than before. He could remember small details from when he was 4 yrs old. I would say he slept more during the summer months than he had before the concussion, but other than that, he seemed back to his old self. He started 8th grade this past fall and took all GHP classes and has a 3.8 GPA. I know what my son had with the memory loss is rare, but for those who are going through the headaches, nausea, mood swings, and sensitivity to light and noise, I can relate. I also know that all head injuries are different and that each person heals differently but there is hope. We went through this awful ordeal for 5 months thinking it may be years and the he would need tutoring just to get by, but with rest, a good diet and supplements (I believe the fish oil really helped) he recovered 100%. Just stay positive, make sure your child gets plenty of sleep and most heal completely, given time. The brain is an amazing organ. We did a lot of research and talked to many doctors so if anyone would like to email me feel free.
Take Care,
John A.

John,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. I am glad to hear your son recovered so well. You, your wife and son MUST accept the fact that your son's brain is still injured and always will be. This means he needs to be very cautious with activities than can cause another concussion. He also may struggle with stress or even have bouts of depression.

Please, keep an eye on him. As he goes through the hormonal changes of the next few years, his brain will be seriously challenged.

My best to you all.

Three year anniversary of my TBI - gratitude
 

It was the Monday after Thanksgiving in 2010 that I sustained my TBI. Seems a good time to reflect on the reasons to give thanks this holiday season.

There are five weeks for which I have no memory, including Thanksgiving that year (retrograde amnesia) through Christmas/New year’s (post traumatic amnesia). I can celebrate my recovery progress over the following months; periodic assessments from my clinical neuropsychologist:

12/30/2010
“Patient’s speech was fluent, but paraphasic with notable word finding difficulties. He misreported his age as 40. He was unable to follow a 3-step command but was able to follow some 2-step commands. He registered 3 of 3 words, but could not recall any with distraction, or identify any when provided with multiple choice cues. The patient produced some confused speech and numerous paraphasic errors. He reports difficulties with memory and decision making. He does display an aphasic disturbance as well as some confusion and difficulties with attention and memory.”

1/24/2011
“On evaluation, this bright motivated gentleman has many preserved skills; however he does show significant difficulties with visuospatial learning and recall, as well as mental flexibility and multitasking. He displays weaknesses in aspects of executive system functioning (retrieval of learned information, mental flexibility, abstract reasoning, problem solving, and verbal fluency).”

4/26/2011
“On examination, the patient demonstrated intact cognition in all domains assessed including learning and memory, attention, processing speed, language skills and executive functions. He has shown an excellent recovery from his severe injury only five months ago. From a cognitive standpoint there are no concerns with respect to the patient returning to work full time or returning to driving”

I will always remain grateful to all who enabled my recovery and encouraged and empowered me to return to a normal life.

A public thanks to: Scott Petersen MD, trauma surgery; Steve Chang MD, neurosurgery; Michael Sochacki MD, orthopedic surgery; Christine Kwasnica MD and Suzanne Kelley NP, neurorehabilitation. Happy Thanksgiving, I am grateful to you all.

I remain grateful to all family and friends who visited me during and after the hospital stay, and for all your prayers and well wishes.

Most of all, love and gratitude to Karen, my wife and caregiver. You were (and are) a rock of love and support. :hug:

I appreciate the encouragement on this page as I am trying to hang in there. My currently trying to deal with my anxiety and depression as I wonder when this will end. Does anyone have any natural remedies that may help? or advice about that kind of medication? I am nervous to mess with it and want to heal naturally, but my emotions have been getting the best of me lately

thank you

Hi kacee. I have had, and often still do have periods of anxiety and depression.

I have seen improvement in these emotional challenges by practicing mindfulness meditation, and also I find yoga practice to be very beneficial.

I don't take any medication or herbal supplements other than vitamins, which include a multi, B complex, D, thiamin. Check the vitamins and supplement link.

Kacee,

Natural therapies for anxiety include acupuncture, massage, supplements, talk therapy, reiki, very light yoga, meditation, etc. There are many more to list! :)

Talking with a therapist during my TBI helped a lot, it gave me a chance to get out the mucky feelings I had every week as well as any anxious feelings I had. I also felt much better the next morning after the appointment. My brain felt like the weight was lifted a bit.

I also did get massages from time to time on my neck and back to release the inflammation. I was also diagnosed with Occipital Neuralgia, so I had physical therapy and massage to deal. In the beginning when it was really bad, I had nerve blocks and muscle relaxer shots for the neck, which relieved some of my pain.

When you have PCS, the small victories always are the best ones.

Hope this helps,

Elisa (Consider)