hello all,

happy to be contributing to this forum, xxl and seth both did amazing jobs explaining what to do/what not to do and i don't want to be repetitive. my situation isn't the same as everyone's obviously.
here's what i'll say writing from a place of hindsight.

1.) if you are troubled with severe vertigo, see a vestibular physical therapy doctor - FORGET your neurologist. the PT Doc will ultimately diagnose you, treat you, and you will get better. i've been seeing the most amazing doctor and she is helping me a TON with different exercises and things. if you find you feel more dizzy or more vertigo (two completely different things) after sleeping too much like i did...keep it to 8 hours.
***nausea trick - keep limes handy in the kitchen, whenever you feel that gross, nauseated, feeling like you need to spit about to vomit kind of thing, squeeze half a lime and drink the juice as a shot. helps me every time***

2.) if you can, take time off work. by the grace of god, somehow i got 3 months off from work. i thank my Doc for filling out the paperwork and HR for approving it, if i were to forget the supplements, the physical therapy, medications, and everything else - i'd just want the time to rest and HEAL. this time is so crucial, i wish i hadn't tried to push through...i waited 3 months to apply for a medical leave, imagine if i had applied right after the accident in august - i'm sure i'd be functioning at 90% now versus the 75% i'm currently feeling.

3.) don't let the memory issues mess with you. this was and sometimes still is, my number one problem. my memory is horrible now, things that happened 2 minutes ago feel like they were 2 weeks ago. even 4 months out, i still feel the same. i don't think my memory/sense of time has improved, i've simply gotten used to it. hopefully one day this will clear up, but i won't put money on it. you've just got to adapt. before i realized this, i was suffering with derealization/depersonalization, panic attacks, incredible anxiety - and for what? we all have enough going on already, plus the TBI/PCS, and now this? give yourself a break and only deal with the problems that you can solve...the memory, no one knows if/when/how this will be fixed, so i have had to...and i suggest you also, let it go.

4.) get blood going to the brain, there is something called graded exercise. the principal is that you have a new and much lower baseline of exercise, and you continue to improve upon that little by little. apparently it's helped PCS patients recover much faster than a group of PCS patients who did not. it releases endorphins, it is a distraction, and it'll help when you're at home binge eating because you're too afraid to leave the house alone or go to see friends, haha. don't push yourself too hard, go for 20 minute walks...or less! just get started.

a few months ago, i thought there was no end in sight. i became incredible depressed and was stricken with constant anxiety, crying myself to sleep for weeks. while it is important to stay at home, minimize stimulation, you also need to continue with your life and maintain normalcy. still see your friends, but opt for dinner and a movie - relaxing things. if you need to go shopping, go during on a weekday or earlier in the morning on the weekends when there are less people. write everything down, and just deal with it, you CAN handle this. once i told myself to stop feeling so sorry for myself, gained a positive attitude, it became a LOT easier to handle (hence staying at work for so long before requesting medical leave).

almost 4 months later, i am feeling much better. you will get there too. we may all NEVER return to our normal selves, but you WILL get better. take what you can from it. look at the pros - while heavily outweighed by the cons, and keep it moving.

from this experience:
-i've learned to be alone
-more organized as i have to write everything down
-the more i pay attention to my symptoms, they more they happen! funny thought huh!
-enjoying the simpler things in life
-realizing that i'm blessed to have those who helped me out through this in my life

good luck and hope you all heal quickly.

This is great to hear, Lily! I think the numero uno thing(s) for me were, like you mentioned--staying positive and also accepting my situation. Mark always told me that acceptance was the first step toward real recovery, and he was dead on with that. Also, and this might seem completely odd-ball, but I have allowed myself one drink a night--maybe 1 good beer or a glass of wine, and this had also really helped me. Just thought I'd mention. Cheers, and keep on moving in that positive direction, sounds like you are on your way to a good recovery and a full life again!

Seth8a,

Its really interesting what you mention about a small glass of wine or a beer. Alcohol for me has been one of my most anxiety inducing things since injury. I felt a lot better 3 months post injury and then went clubbing, drinking heavily with my friends, and going out on weekends. After about a week or two of that my symptoms came back and have been here to stay ever since.

I wonder now if my anxiety over not having a drink is almost counter productive and if I were just to relax and allow myself to have a little bit after work like a small glass of wine or like half a beer if that would get rid of that anxiety association and would let me just chill out about the whole thing. If you think about the amount of alcohol I am actually intaking with half a beer I can't imagine that the brain is going to be THAT sensitive to such a small amount of alcohol. Especially if I'm not drinking on an empty stomach or really quickly or something like that.

Have any thoughts on that?

Sorry to miss this--I am seldom on NT anymore. Yes, I think you are over-thinking this, actually. Definitely one drink would not hurt you--unless you have a problem with alcohol. The odd thing for me is that I always had trouble with alcohol in moderation--that is until I started having a drink once a night about 7 months after my injury. I cannot drink more than one. However, this must be said that I did not drink for the first 7 months of my recovery, and was a non-drinker for several years even before my accident. But my brain chemistry seems to have changed, a lot more sensitive in some ways.

Hang in there! You'll get better. By the way, I found a lot of good healing went on after I stopped being on NT so much and once you've gleaned all you can from this site--I really suggest anyone to look to other places for succor and advice. I was helped hugely here--but it can become an obsession after awhile.

Take care.