hi there, ive had a couple mild concussions in the past from sports, accidents, etc. each time i managed to come out of it without having the more extreme symptoms (memory loss, unconsciousness, blurred vision). i only had the typical headaches, fatigue, and dizziness. i remember prior to recieving my concussions, i use to have my clumsy times where i hit my head pretty hard aroudn the house, however, i never felt and symptoms.

now, even a hit to the head that doesn't seem to have much force to it (jumped and banged my head against the ceiling), i immediately get the symptoms of a concussion. it usually last for a couple weeks, and if im lucky, as short as 1 week. do you guys have similar experiences?? or are these what i consider as "light hits" acutally strong enough to concuss me again?

Yeah, it does seem like bumping my head slightly can cause my usually mild PCS symptoms to ramp up in severity for a little while. A few weeks ago I smacked myself in the head lightly with a fridge door (it opened in an unexpected direction and i was in a rush) and i was dizzy and slightly disoriented for a few hours. It certainly wasn't a new concussion, just an aggravation of the old one.

hi if you are experiencing concussion symptoms then the answer is probably yes stop, hitting ya head move the trampoline or basket ball hoop outside LOL sorry but you must be one tall dude or or good jumper

welcome go see your doc if it is worrying you

lol i refuse to go to a doctor unless i am worried that i fractured my skull or internal bleeding. having been to the doctors twice, it seemed like they know very little, and sent me for an unecssarry, cancerous CT scan, and gave me the typical " go home and rest". i probbably know more abotu concussion than most general physicians form my experience and internet resources haha.

and incircles, how long ago was your concussion?? the last time i hit my head was about a year ago. is it possible to aggravate a concussion that was already 1 year ago?

also, does anyone know if you are prone to brain damage when aggrevating a previous concussion?? like a ligth hit to the head, but will cause symptoms to reappear.

Calson,
One thing that I've always read about Brain injuries, is that One, leads to another, leads to another. And, THAT is NOT good.
You don't seem to have faith in your doctors, and, Emergency room doctors aren't set up for TBI.
And, Further, YOU HAVE NO WAY OF SUSPECTING INTERNAL BLEEDING!

You need a really good neurologist, who specializes. Are you near a city with a good University Hospital? Get to the Cheif of neurology. Sometimes you really hafto dig, to find what / WHO you want, NEED.
Don't give up.

What you say is true. If you have had a concussion, you can't really know the extremity of the damage, and especially with more than one. That takes a clinical psychologist, in my experience, and testing. (Not scans, tests like school). Although, an MRI maybe ordered.
CT scans use very little "cancerous" radiation.

Notice any personality changes? Ask someone who has known you all your life.
Outlook changes? Think about it. Friends disappear? Lost relationships?

There are some really good books on Amazon, and they have the readers comments, as well.
One or two may be right for you. Just search TBI, or head/brain injury.
Investigate. Learn.
You'll be better off for it.

That's what I can tell you for now, I sometimes wish I had a magic wand, but I don't.

Keep the faith, and carry on.

Best to you,

ASB
Pete

You "bumps" could very well be concussions. The more concussions you have the easier it is to get another one. What symptoms do you have after these bumps?

Do you ever get a metallic taste in your mouth? That is a concussion. The dizziness or disorientation is also signs of a concussion.

When you bump your head, it is always a new event, even if it just appears to be a relapse of symptoms of a previous concussion.

If the previous symptoms come on without a head bump, that is called decompensation (relapse into old symptoms). If there is a new impact, then it is a new concussion.

I have had thirteen concussion over a 45 year span. I was unconscious only once. Now, I can get a concussion shaking my head NO. I get the metallic taste, disoriented, and foggy brain.

Some people get other sensations, strange smells, lack of sense of smell, sensitivity to common smells, ( coffee is a common smell that bothers some with PCS), ringing in the ears ( mine ring in the pitch of C6 sharp) , food tastes different or bland, visual abnormalities, and other sensations that are not like you have experienced in the past.

So, yes, you are having additional concussions. Stop doing that. Eventually, your brain will not have the ability to recover. The reserve capacity gets used up. Especially as you get older. Forty is the start of the down hill part of brain function. Recent studies say it starts at 27 years old, but after 40, it is very noticeable that you do not recover well.

I have found that Physiatrists and Rehabilitation Specialists are better at understanding concussions that the vast majority of neurologists.

Read Dr. Glen Johnson's TBI Guide a www.TBIGuide.com . It is the best on the net.

hi mark sorry don;t mean to hijack your thread Carlson, but this metallic taste mark, were did you source that info have you ever been checked for a skull base CSF leak or fistula

my symptoms are fatigue, dizziness, and headaches. im 18 yrs old btw.

and when you say you can get concussion from shaking your head, it doesnt make sense to me. like you have the same amount of fluid surrounding your brain still, as any other person, so theres no way the brain can impact against the skull and cause damage right? with such slight movement, your brain shouldnt move too much

I just want to comment this. I have experienced the same thing with getting a slight knock and even just by gently whiplashing my neck at one time. The sympthoms came back stronger, with for me headache beeing the major thing. So I know that this talk of re-injury is correct and that it most definelty has to do with you beeing concussed before and still suffer from PCS.

I brought this issue up with my Senior Staff Neurologist that I see, and her opinion was that this small of a hit or bump could NOT cause the damage done normally from a concussion. She couldnt say why I had intensified sympthoms. It is easy to just blame it on increased anxiety and necktention from knowing that youve been hit/bumped etc.
Her professional opinion was that I did not do any in-reparable damage. But she couldnt say what mechanism cause the increase of symptoms.

Im almost a year into the PCS and still feel very little if any improvment. What HAS improved is that I thanks to the anti-depressants, think in different paths and am no longer depressed. I start to accept my life as it is. Im far from really accepting it, but I can enjoy myself WITH the limitations applied from the PCS.

I have people I know who had the same thing as me for 1.5 year and are now fully recovered. One even got himself a new concussion that lasted for two weeks and then went totally away. He was afraid that it would be cumulative and start the cycle from the start. BUT IT DIDNT!

My thoughts (based on my experience on this exact subject) on the cumulative part of concussions is that while your brain is in "recoverymode" its is cumulative in a more serious way than if you are as healed you will get, before getting a new concussion..

Can anyone give me their insights on the topics I have gone through!?

This is to me one of the most important subjects, because it right now keeps me from doing a lot of the stuff I love so much. Im giving it at least 1.5 year before a start doing anything that can hurt me.

Emil from Sweden

about eight months ago, and since i just aggravated mine tonight with weightlifting, i'd assume that it's possible to aggravate a year-old one.