Recovering from Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

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Please remember, we are not able to give medical or legal advice. If you have medical concerns, please consult your doctor. All posted comments are the views and opinions of the poster only.

I actually suffer from Hyperacusis (hypersensitivity to sound) unrelated to my concussion. Let me tell you it is awful. Especially when I lived with it when it was very severe for nearly 7 months. It was related to a hearing injury a while back. Its typically from Chronic loud noise exposure. That's how I got mine.

It is not even nearly close related to the eardrum. The eardrum is just a sliver of skin protecting contaminants from your middle ear. Its connected to the 3 bones in your ear that contracts when you hear loud noises. Your ears pop when you swallow due to the eardrums connections to the Estachian tubes. Which regulate pressure to the middle ear. Its a rare condition. It has believed to either be related to an aggravated auditory nerve or the hearing organ (the cochlea) itself.

I am very fortunate to not have any setbacks in my Hypercausis department once my concussion. I just wondered onto this page because I'm still recovering and I have awful reading difficulty at the moment. I would highly recommend anyone to check out Hyperacusis Network Forum. Someone may be able to help you there. When it comes to this. Every cause to the problem is different. I've met people who got hypersensitivity of ototoxic drugs, ear infections (middle and inner), loud noise, a blow to the head, and one even having theirs related to Epilepsy. Everyone is different. Therefore, your healing is different.

Taylor, I just happened to stumble on your post here. I also have hyperacusis--three years now, due to work injury. I am hard of hearing, and wore hearing aids to do my job as a video relay interpreter (sign language) when someone on other side of call yelled comment into microphone of desktop conference phone. Yes, the sound came in via my headset that connects directly with my hearing aids, so the sound was presented immediately next to my eardrums. I felt like I had a concussion for five days. Miserable for months. Still struggling. I can't wear my hearing aids, so understanding people around me is even harder and more exhausting. Anyways, I am trying to find info where such a focused sound blast CAN cause a tbi. Plenty of examples via military, but usually includes an explosive positive/negative blast as well as the sound blast. Anyways my point of responding--new research paper (Sept 2018) by Nunez et al, "An integrative model accounting for the Symptom Cluster Triggered after an acoustic shock." It is the best explanation to date that it's "not all in our head" --yet is!
Regards, Karen

So this is going to sound crazy, but I've been having all the symptoms described here, but I haven't had an injury. The doctors have been totally baffled, but I finally landed in the hands of a physical therapist who is helping with my vision and vestibular issues. She's the one who suggested that I might have a brain injury since I have all of these symptoms of one. Has anyone ever heard of spontaneous brain injury? Just wondering if this is really what is going on since every article I read about brain injury seems to fit with what I'm experiencing!

No, actually... I've been looking for someone else who somehow ended up with a brain injury without jolts or hitting their head. Mine actually started at a party in Mexico where the music was so loud that it physically hurt. By about 10pm something snapped and I couldn't form coherent sentences, despite not even being drunk. The next morning wasn't any better, and the person who I hung out with all night was the same way, though we'd become extremely antisocial and avoided each other, despite being best of friends the night before. I wish I'd kept in touch to find out what happened to her, because I'm certain she ended up just like me, but we were travelers on our way to different places... My neurologist doesn't believe that's how it happened (he was skeptical even AFTER the MRI showed white matter damage, after the previous 2 doctors sent me home 3 separate times with ibuprofin, telling me to sleep it off). He thinks it was a parasite that got into my blood stream and went to town on my brain. He also offered me no guidelines or suggestions for what to avoid or how to aid recovery. I've had to figure that entirely on my own through research and trial and error over the past year.

I've known people to acquire brain injuries from being unknowingly drugged at parties. This appears to be a more common phenomenon these days. From what I gather, social deviants with access to liquid drugs like MDMA, LSD, etc. will put these into people's drinks at clubs, parties, bars to get a laugh from watching someone flip out. When mixed with alcholol, these drugs can cause serious brain and heart damage, especially at high doses.

Mindy, thanks for asking this question because I have every symptom mentioned and no brain injury. Definitely will be reading this thread and you're not alone in this!

Another thing to consider is your unknown history, before your brain began to retain memories. It is possible that you may have experienced a fall on your own or a drop from someone when you were an infant and of course have no recollection of it. I've seen kids fall pretty hard and many parents will pick their child up and hold them until they stop crying but they rarely consider or understand how a simple jolt can damage the brain, especially when it is in it's infancy. Another possibility is that your TBI was so severe that you can't even remember it happening. Seems very unlikely but I've had several concussions and at least one I can't remember anything leading up to it. I've spoken with others about their TBI and one guy told me that evidently he rode his bike all the way home and didn't remember it. In both of our cases there were witnesses, and I ended up in the hospital and he had bruises to indicate an injury, but I do wonder if someone were to hit their head alone at home and then wandering to bed if they just wouldn't wake up with a mild headache thinking it was all a nightmare or not even remember the hear injury at all. Far-fetched perhaps, but reality has some strange stories that seem less likely than fiction. Like someone else suggested, just jolting your head fast enough, from a car accident or something similar, can cause injury to the brain too. Wish you well and good luck with your recovery!

Do you have hearing loss and tinnitus? If so, you may want to be screened for a vestibular schwannoma.

I have moderate (closed head) TBI from the major jolt in my auto accident. Have you ever experienced a jolt? That "jolt", may have been the cause. Ex: falling down, being pushed against a wall.

I just had an MRI due to a second concussion this year. I had no idea the testing was so loud. I had sound and light sensitivity due to the concussion so the 20 minutes was pure torture. It was like having a jack hammer being used on your head. Music added to the noise level. I could hardly function once I was done. Anyone else ever experience this?

Yes, just went through that

Yes, mris are very noisy with body and brain shaking vibrations. Construction grade ear plugs, and choosing no music from the headphones can help. Bringing your own thin pillow can help isolate your head off the table. The use of an mri to diagnose concussion is also questionable but I am not a doctor, just recovering myself.

I had the same response during an MRI of a knee...I 'd had ones before my concussion ( nearly 2 years ago) but still wasn't prepared for the impact of the noise plus feeling like I was trapped.. Even though I had listed post concussion syndrome in the medical history, the tech was oblivious...

Yes, I have experienced these same symptoms during an MRI but also when trying to use a computer and early on, while trying to read.

I am always disoriented after an MRI - a feeling of having been in another world and having to re-adjust to what we tend to think of as "reality." It usually takes a little while to regain my balance and normal function. However, even though I have ongoing hyperacusia, I have learned to love the weird, loud sounds of the MRI machine. I know that sounds strange! I just relax into it and let myself be intrigued with the variety of sounds. I even fall asleep!

I had a head injury resulting in hypersensitivity to motion, light and sound. After getting nowhere with my ENT department for ear filters, I got some Bose noise reducing earphones. They have saved my sanity. I just pop them in whenever there is noise my brain can't handle. I also wear sunglasses a lot to dampen down the light sensitivity. When driving, because I am holding the wheel which stabilizes my head more than being a passenger, that is also beneficial. Also avoiding vehicles with less shock absorption and not sitting over wheels or near side cambers. It's been a year of discovery of what works. Hope this is helpful to you.

I'm in my 2nd year of rehabbing from a severe motorcycle accident where I was busted up from head to toe. Of my injuries, I received my 3rd diagnosed concussion (this concussion and my first I was knocked out by). I add "diagnosed" because I played ice hockey for over 20 years and trained in MMA and boxing for three years so I doubt three is the actual number. I'm sure there were more. My brain must hate me for all this.

Anyway, as a result of this head injury, two of my symptoms are frequent hypersensitivity to light and sounds. When it does happen, I have to stay in a room, lights off (but not completely dark), and with zero sound. The sound sensitivity is far worse than the light. Sometimes they happen together, sometimes individually.

It can often take about 48 hours of almost complete isolation to get rid of the symptoms. If I don't get that time frame, it drags on and I get really irritable. I don't want to be around anyone at all.  My girlfriend, who was in the accident with me (but wasn't injured) and I live with, understood and was supportive when I couldn't walk, feed or bath myself but she doesn't understand and gets angry when I try to tell her about not playing music in our apartment. I use earphones for everything I watch or listen to so I don't disturb her but after many arguments asking her to use them and refusing, I gave up asking.

I don't get much quiet time at home because she does about 75% of her work from home. When we didn't live together, I had lots of quiet time and it helped stabilize these symptoms.

Anyway, I have seen three neurologists for this and other injuries from this accident and one tried to get me in a traumatic head injury program. I have other problems too (concentration, focus, memory loss, vision problems etc) but they won't accept me because my insurance doesn't cover the treatment.

I think because there's no cast, crutches, or wheelchair with these brain injuries coupled with the fact that people cannot understand why something like music can bother someone makes it difficult for people to accept these conditions. It leads to too many arguments with my girlfriend because it's difficult to live with me when these flair up. That stress is another problem that compounds all of this too.

I'm going to show my girlfriend these articles to see if it helps her understand. I've tried to explain it to her before but it didn't accomplish anything.

I might move back to my parents house because they have a second floor to their house that they don't use and I can stay there and have the quiet I need to heal. That may salvage my relationship with my girlfriend too.

This will be short, on 11th month of mtbi...still rough. Get book "chicken soup-tramatic brain injury survivor stories". It will help both of you. Praying for your recovery...you are not alone.

The day you posted this was the day of my injury. I can relate to a lot of the things you said. For me though I didn't have any symptoms until about 9 months post injury. The decline was rapid and is destroying my life. I'm unable to work or socialize like I did post injury. Nobody understands what's wrong with me and doesn't really seem to even try. My car fell on my head and fractured my skull. I live with my mother now because I'm unable to work or function in the world. This is the worst place I could live because she's a hoarder and has stuff everywhere. I feel constant fear of getting hurt again living here on top of the fear of life in general. I'm so fearful of what the future holds for me and if I'm going to continue to decline. My anxiety is debilitating. I miss my old life. I miss the old me. I don't know how much longer I can go on like this.

I'm sorry you experienced something so devastating. I've learned that the trials that befall us we can endure, because our creator promised he wont allow us to bear more than we can handle. To me what you have been through and are going through is testimony to that fact, so first i want to say," DONT GIVE UP!" Have you talked to your mom about tidying up and getting rid things you all dont need? Maybe you and her together along with a little help could start out little by little or a room at a time if need be, would go a long way!! I know my mood an outlook are better in a cleaner place as well. Do you take anything for your anxiety? If not it be worth looking into, I'm speaking from experience. Again dont give up, you may not believe it right now but what your going through is only temporary. This is how i know, make time to read this scripture Revelations 21:4 - it's God's promise to us. In the meantime i think things can get better for you and i hope they do. Please take care!!

I understand how you feel. I have 3 daughters, 2 who live with me, and I have to constantly tell them to clean up after themselves or I'll fall. I passed out in my backyard and hit the back of my head hard enough I died. After reviving me, they had to put me in an induced coma. I woke up hooked up to all these machines. I tried to get up and fell straight on my face. The nurses rushed in and told me I couldn't walk... I'm like what you mean I can't walk?? It's crazy the little things in life we do every day that we take for granted until you are literally not able to do it anymore. It sucks because nobody knows how you feel.

Your brain is still healing. Be patient with yourself. Check to see if there is help for hoarders in your area. One of my friends suggested a parasite cleanse can also cure propensity for hording. You can also go on anxiety meds temporarily to reset your brain chemistry and get you out of the tailspin. Talk to a doctor.

My doctor is useless, he’s telling me I have nothing neurologically wrong with me because my MRIs are completely normal. He’s telling me I’m just really depressed more so than I have been in the past. I don’t understand how he could possibly think that. I had a fracture to my skull base and to my temporal bone. I had a hemorrhage in my left temporal horn but my Intercranial pressure never went up so high that they had to do surgery. I had a brain contusion and I think another hemorrhage somewhere. I started to feel less cloudy but also have confined myself to the house completely. As soon as I started feeling a little better my ears started feeling full and then all the sudden I had tinnitus and hearing loss. I am really depressed and some really sad things happen in my life before my head injury but I had sick a bad injury that I can’t understand how I have no permanent brain damage. Something is wrong and I feel like I wait to see a doctor and they just tell me I’m fine and push me out the door when I know I don’t feel right. Everything scares me....I wasn’t like this before. I felt fine after my head injury and it wasn’t until nine months later that I felt like something was wrong.

Mike, it sounds like your symptoms came on quite a while (9 months?) after your TBI, which is unusual - maybe this is why the doctor isn't listening. Some things to consider - from one layman to another. First, when you have a TBI, it makes you VERY susceptible to additional head injuries - even from knocks that you wouldn't think would cause a problem. Is it possible you engaged in an activity more recently that could have caused this? Some examples are riding a bicycle, motorcycle, or even a vehicle on a bumpy road, using power tools, or playing a sport where impact can occur or you are running hard, like soccer, football, or basketball. I have experienced a recurrence of post-concussive symptoms from banging my head against a headrest of a car in a tiny fender-bender, which took months to dissipate. Long story short - you are at a higher risk for more injury, and maybe this is playing into your symptoms. Second, depression and anxiety are VERY common post-TBI symptoms and they are affecting your life significantly enough that you should look into treatment. (if you haven't already) This may involve medications for a little while. Some people have a hard time with taking a prescription, but it's very important that you get help or it will not get better. Last, but not least - YOU know how YOU feel. Something, as you said, is not right. It is rare for the effects of a TBI to be visible on an MRI months later. I would not call a normal MRI in any way conclusive for the symptoms you are describing. TBIs usually mean a new "normal" - things aren't ever going to be the same as they were before the injury. But that doesn't mean you just have to sit with what you got. You may need to see some specialists to get help for the various issues you are experiencing. A neurologist can speak to the tinnitus and fullness in your ears, and/or an audiologist may be able to prescribe special earmuffs or earplugs, or a smartphone app that can help. A psychologist and psychiatrist can help you with your depression and anxiety - you'll need the psychologist for some weekly appointments until you can get your feet back under you, and the psychiatrist for any medication management. I don't know your financial situation - but at the same time, this is help you really need to get better - I ended up feeling like the medical bills were worth it in the long run. Don't give up, speak your truth, and keep asking questions. Recovery takes a long time - it took 5 years before I felt remotely normal, and at 10 years out I still have (permanent) symptoms. Go easy on yourself and try to stay patient. Be open to finding things to be grateful for every day. Good luck, I hope this helps.

To the post on fish oil causing gout are you sure that wasn't concentrated fish oil in gel caps?  You can OD on that stuff.  Best to use none concentrated.  They are a lot bigger but its fish oil not concentrated for more vitamin contents. Does the ringing in the ears ever go away?  My constant headaches did go away after 10 weeks,  but now the ringing in ears is unbearable.

I have suffered from PTC, Pseudo Tumor Cerebri other wise known as IIH Idopathic Intracranial Hypertension, which is a disease that causes to much CSF and literally squeezes the brain putting increased pressure on brain, which causes brain injury, I also was in a car accident that gave me whiplash and ruptured 2 discs in my neck, so I had to have neck fusion surgery. All the syptoms you have described apply to me, I am going on 14 years with this disease and these problems. I have a VP Shunt in my head that is supposed to keep the pressure off but unfortunately they have a tendency to have a lot of problems and bread down often which requires another surgery. I have no quality of life at all, but my faith gets me through.

There's a therapy called Cranial Release Technique, CRT, that might be useful to investigate...it's been a great help to me. My extremely-layperson understanding is it frees up space and mobility in your skull to give your brain half a chance to get on with healing.

Thank you so much for this article. I'm a couple of weeks shy of 2 years recovering from a head injury due to a fall during snow skiing. I've been so isolated and lonely because over-stimulation from sound, music, lights, crowds, environment. I've never been told by the neurologists or primary care doctors to see a neuro optometrist or audiologist. I made these appointments after reading this article. I know have noise dampening ear-molds made specifically for my ears (ER 9, 15, 25). They come with 3 filters depending on how much filtering I need in any social setting. I'm out of the house more enjoying music and people for the first time without being miserable and causing more pain. I still have to pace myself as to not over do it. Bouncing back is hard with pain and insomnia. With neuro optometrist testing I now have names to put with the symptoms of my vision. She can help me & that is so encouraging! I've also had cognitive testing with results coming next week. I feel like I'm finally making progress in my recovery. Thank you for this article. Sometimes you just have to be your own healthcare advocate. Research, read and do it! Thank you for pointing me in a direction I didn't even know about!!!

Suffering from mild tbi and not having the right Doctor its big question mark about your life. I have been complaint for 9 months about my fatigue, migraine, pre-syncope, and pain in my eyes etc... I end up making an appointment to a vision therapy doctors and told me i can not be able to do daily activity or my therapy due to severe post concussion. But my therapist kept saying all of this month that nothing is wrong and I could go to work. Thank God I did not have passed out during driving a car .

Thank you all for the comments and the article.  I had my fourth concussion this Memorial Day.  Was playing a softball tournament and got hit in the orbital area by a ball that took a bad bounce.  Had three prior ones when I used to snowboard - but those were over 10 years ago.  I'm 42 now and the recovery from the last concussion took way longer.  The sensitivity to light was something I never noticed before.  I had to hole up in my apartment with the lights off and blinds drawn for 10 days.  The CAT scan said I was fine but I just don't feel the same as before the accident.  I'm now four months out and am just now admitting to myself that things are different.  I am having such a hard time with work - focusing on one task is so hard.  I am a CPA and spend all day every day under florescent lighting looking at dual monitors. Just driving back and forth to work aggravates me like never before and noises frequently startle me or make me feel a bit of panic.  There has been alot of construction in around my work and home this summer and I get on edge going though every day. I dislike being in crowded restaurants now and social activities are something I no longer look forward to.  I am losing contact with people that I used to socialize and play softball with.  They don't understand why I've pulled away from things and I can't really get through to them what I am dealing with.  I will be looking into some of the resources I've found here to hopefully find my way back.  It's very hard to admit to myself that I may have some permanent loss of function after the last concussion. 

I never had a reason to think about TBI. I only heard about it in the military. Until I had a head on collision with another vehicle and then the totally hectic things begin! My whole life just went down hill! first my job,my home,my wife and then my son dies of a brain aneurism. Then my automobile crash and my girlfriend! She has been an angel and I thank GOD for her everyday! So now I see that material things are really just that material!!! But special people are a true gift! Mike

Sympathized. A lot. Especially /because/ my TBI was so minor in the scheme of things, a lot of people have been very dismissive and simply don't understand (but act like they do). Every day I'm grateful for my husband, who has never once demanded anything from me I can't provide and who's been completely understanding and compassionate at every turn.

Same. Mine was minor according to the TBI symptom rubric (and the fact that I can even say things like that and know what they mean after almost a year seems like a small miracle wrapped in hope for a full recovery). But nobody seemed to really believe me, including doctors and neurologists. At work (started a new job immediately after I got this TBI) the guy who hired me accused me of lying on my resume and doing drugs in order to explain my extremely odd and antisocial behavior. I wouldn't figure out that it was due to a TBI for 3 more months...

I have hope that I can be normal soon. I have 4 children and they are so little. I'm sorry this happened to all of us. I'm praying to god for all of us to get better.

It is very difficult to sleep and to stay positive. I have to over think every sentence I write. Even still I miss words and the ability to communicate well. My family tries to understand and so do my friends. However, that is almost more frustrating. The first specialist I went to see was stuck on the fact that I had fluid on my brain. Which I did. However, refused to acknowledge a recent traumatic event I had been a highly active person. I lived in a ski resort for roughly eight years, snowboarding, jumping off cliffs, car accidents, and then I met a violent individual that had decided I wasnt worthy of my teeth or brain. He just took me out in one violent act. It was one time. I went to the authorities. He was incarcerated for two and a half months. I am living in a world I try so hard to understand. I left the first two drs. behind. Both woman and both poorly managed me and my tragic event. I did the the things I knew would help. Lose weight, exersize and managed to get the fluid off my brain after two and half years. However, I found this out after I found a new specialist that had basically said what I had originally told the original drs., that I thought I had a t.b.I that I read I should see a neurologist/ cognitive doctor. The neurologist who did my spinal tap then said," you do not need to see one of them, the pressure on your brain isnt do to a t.b.I. " I responded, " I was thrown through a three teared coffee table with thick glass and wood. I guess he didnt like that I broke his table because he repeatedly beat me in my mouth until I was almost unconscious and my teeth were loosened had to be braced and are not salvageable. My missing teeth were extracted for my braces." Then again how do you piss off a woman about to stick a huge needle in your back? I am a stubborn individual. I read alot about what was going on with me. I want to believe in the medical world. I want to believe those drs. had my best interest in mind. Except it is my mind, my brain, and my worries. I have to change my life. I am use to taking care of up to sometimes thirty tables in a restaurant. Laughing and joking with a full bar, while playing keno, and enjoying the rush of it all. Now I am happy I can sometimes catch a ball. I refuse to give up on life and my recovery. It looks like now I have damage to my visual cortex which sometimes is secondary to epilepsy. Which would explain a lot. Good luck! Keep on searching for your answers!

I just read all the posts...    i'm going through a similar experience to many here.  I was in a whiplash car accident over 3 years ago.  I've had a headache every single day.  no joke. every day.   I've had vision issues (trouble reading, focusing my eyes).  I've limited myself to low intensity activities like canoing and yoga.  I've had to quit the sports i used to do; hockey, basketball, mountain biking, hiking because they're too high intensity.   memory issues, fatigue, poor sleep.    after 3 years i've lowered my expectations and i'm just hoping for a partial recovery.  fortunately i've been able to keep my job although everything is harder and i'm exhausted by friday.   The best advice (mentioned above) is you just need to accept that you now have a lower capacity for activity, work and stress.   I've changed my sports to yoga and kayaking/canoing - they are lower intensity but still fun and engaging.  Its been tough dropping the sports i used to do and the friends that went with them... really tough.   I've also got music which for me is the guitar.  my musical abilities were unaffected by the injury (thank god).   I don't notice my symptoms while i'm doing the above activities so i try to do them frequently.   i've noticed small improvements a year year since the accident ...   its a long haul but one has to stay hopeful and do what's best for you health.  by the way this is not my first concussion...  i was in a near death car accident at age 19.  had another concussion in my late 20s snowboarding.  head injuries seem to add up and eventually you're permanently living with symptoms.   another thing that's helped me me is very controlled cardio.  I do a stairmaster 3-4 times/week for 25-30 minutes but i keep my heart rate at about 130 bpm (roughly a canoeing intensity) this seems to be good for mood and energy level; but going harder than that sets me back.    you almost have to forget your old life, accept your new limited one and then find a way to be happy.   for me it takes constant diligence to stay above water on the side of happiness and fight slipping below the surface where depression lurks.   keep fighting everyone! 

My son suffered a TBI/ concussion 4 years ago playing varsity soccer. He is still recovering. He missed his junior and senior year of high school because of it. We tried concussion clinics, near-psychologists etc. There is a great deal the medical world does not know about the brain. My son Michaels eyesight was knocked out of whack. He went to vision therapy fro 2 years and got his eyes to work together again which alleviated much of his vision issues. He still has light sensitivity, wears FL-41 lenses inside and outside, he still cannot look at a computer screen for 5 seconds without major setbacks. He can read his phone though. He could not watch TV, play video games, or look at screens of any kind - except his phone. The phone screen does not bother him and his hearing was not affected. He has had severe mood swings, constant headaches, and cognitive exercise like adding two 4-digit numbers drains the life out of him. During his first two years of down time, he learned how to play piano, bass, guitar, and drums. He now plays drums in a band with his older brother who is a guitarist. They are a two man band. This is their passion and what they both want to do for a living. Michael is 20 years old, he works during the summer as a landscaper and buses tables in the winter. He cannot read anything on "paper" and cannot look at a computer screen which limits his job opportunities a great deal. I stumbled on an old teacher of mine whose son had some issues with his hands and could not play guitar anymore. His went to a Structural Massage person who studied the "Hoshino method of massage". After 5 sessions, he got his hands back in working order. Massage? Would that help Michael? We drove 3 hours twice a week for a few months, then twice a month, now every 3 weeks. After 20 sessions now, Michael is feeling much better. He started feeling better after 2-3 sessions and says it is the best thing he has done in 4 years of searching for help with his symptoms. We continue with the massage and we have also started seeing an Orthoganist. The Orthoganist works to adjust the top vertebrae called the atlas. Michael's atlas was really out of whack and is currently on his 6th session and is showing signs of change to some of his remaining symptoms. I am sooo thankful for my chance encounters with some old friends that pointed us toward massage therapy and the orthoganist as effective alternative options that don't seem to be on the radar of the normal channels of most healthcare providers. Keep positive. Keep searching for other helpful treatments. We are optimistic that he will eventually fully recover. Time will tell... Patience, support, and understanding helps everyone involved in treating a TBI.

It worked really well with me... You have to be really well at this if you really want this to work for you.low back pain symptoms

Thank you for supporting him through this. I wish you wellness and happiness.

Be careful with supplements even Fish Oil.  My husband was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle two and a half years ago and suffered a TBI.  His neurologist recommended Fish Oil and it is good for the brain BUT he ended up with a very painful case of Gout due to the Fish Oil (Omegas).  I'd say to try it because we were told his reaction was rare but if you start having some new pain and your toes swell up - stop and get to the doctor.  With medication and lots of cherry juice, it can be cured!  It has been a long 2 1/2 years but there has been improvement.  He can talk to someone in a social atmosphere for an hour now where at first it was only 5 minutes.  He has to rest afterwards and usually has a headache from all the stimulation but he doesn't break down with shaking and crying like he did at first.  He still has trouble processing in group situations, better one on one.  He was an architect and had to retire the day he got hit.  He has a hard time figuring out "what to do next".  He has trouble counting out change.  In our conversations, he usually hears the first part, misses the middle (because he is still processing the first) and hears the end.  His brain just "makes-up" what he thinks I said in the middle which has caused a lot of misunderstandings.  We have been married 40 years.  This is the hardest thing we have ever had to go through. 

I have been scrounging the internet to find something uplifting about PCS. All I can find are hopeless accounts of people who feel sorry for themselves. This is exactly how I am feeling right now, trying to study for a final exam but unable to focus due to my PCS and the stress and anger associated with it.
It's been five months, and all I want to hear is that I will one day recover. Is that too much to ask?? I am 24 years old and otherwise healthy as a horse.
Thank you for the tip on the Omega 3 supplements. I am heading to the store immediately to purchase some.

See what your brain thinks about avocados and garlic, too. For me at least, AVOCADOS ARE MAGIC and I've taken to just chowing down on a clove of garlic for a pick-me-up (as long as I'm not about to breathe on people;). Berries, esp. blueberries and blackberries, are great brain helpers as well.

I am about to reach the end of my second month after getting a concussion, which is short compared to many. But I just want to give you hope that everybody is different. Your own brain is on its own timetable. The fact that you are studying for exams might mean that you're overdoing it and putting pressure on yourself to "toe the line" with your education. Your brain might heal faster if you take a break from school. I hope you have a neurologist or other professional who can help you determine this. I Talked to some people that were really skeptical about my neurologist just saying, "walk and rest, walk and rest" -- but there is great wisdom in this. I rally hope you can be patient with yourself, though even after two months I can relate to your wanting to get better faster. Best of everything to you....

I've had multiple mild concussions due to skiing accidents. The most recent was about a year ago in 4 days. High DHA omega 3 fish oil has helped with my brain injuries more than anything else on this planet...spare restful sleep. I don't expect anyone to really buy into this. But it's worth a shot. I'm not even here to endorse a particular brand/product. Just want to help people figure out that they can manage their symptoms at least somewhat. Our brains are 30% DHA, it only makes sense to use that to help rebuild it! The other end of the spectrum with recovery lies with hormone insufficiency! I recently started taking Velvet Deer Antler tincture that is helping me regain my energy and testosterone levels. It may not work for all, but my research has turned up that most injured brains have problems with hormones. And you all should try to research this area of health and see if any products work for you! Good luck, I hope you all find relief soon. Just thought I'd try and brighten up all your worlds with a bit of hope that there are things that can heal the body. What those are, though, will be different for every case...

After suffering a TBI in 2007 one of my many after effects is my sensitive hearing. This device from the article above seems to be quite helpful.

Any other vets talked to the VA about having these supplied?

Thanks.

I as well suffer from many symptoms. I want you all to focus on the positives. It,s hard but you,ll heal much faster. Look into meditation. Butter burr for migraines. Eat healthy obviously. And focus on what you can do not what you can,t. It is such a struggle but I know many people worse off. I will be praying for you all! 

I feel like such a failure; stupid most of the time. I was in an accident over 2yrs ago and only 3 mos ago was I diagnosed. I spent months in and out of doctors offices and physical therapy and still I can't function as I did befpre. I was only a semester away from receiving my degree, after 6 yrs while being a single mom to 3 children. I sleep, boy do I sleep, what feels like ALL the time. I just know my children are disappointed with me. Now I lay awake looking to see what I can do about my newest issue, the dentist. The drill and other utensils sent me into a panic, what I felt was the beginning of a seizure. The Pain, oh Dear God In Heaven, the pain. I just pray. I prayed to get me through the 1.5 hours of dental work and now after a dental mistake must go in tomorrow. PTSD is the closest I can explain feeling after I go through the horrific pain, vibrations and noise. I cried as I read these comments and the pages because I Want to be who I was before! I was able to multi task 10 different things and survive on 6-7 hrs of sleep. Now I need at least 1.5hrs of a nap each day. I'm a failure to myself and a failure to my kids. Now I wear glasses because my eyes won't adjust correctly. I don't want to wear glasses. I'm sad. I'm scared and I'm angry. I don't say why me, but I just want me back and that woman is gone.

Hey. I hit a guard rail going 80+ mph. I was not wearing a seatbelt. The back right side of my head was impacted. I still have an indention. It affected how i experience sensations. Sound is intolerable at times. Loud booming voices, ect. I do wear ear plugs. I have severe and chronic pain from old sports injuries and a botched spinal tap. The TBI amplified the pain i had and it slowly broke me down physically. My mental and physical state slowly declined over a period of 10 years. Now, almost twelve years later, i still live with my folks. I am to be 32 yrs old this September. My father is 60, my mom, 52. It is very hard at times and although we love each other, we often argue and my father is very loud. He served in the Marines as a Journalist during Vietnam and has this tuff love that has kept me (us) alive. The main thing that bothers me is the headaches, my spine and neck, and severe PTSD. All i remeber about the impact is that it was loud and though i thought i had lost my head (i checked), it was not painful. The next day was. If i move too fast, or work too fast, i vomit and collapse with a booming headache. I gotta be careful not to overheat. It took 10 years for the TBI i recieved to take its toll. I also Boxed Amature before and after the wreck and was in a few other wrecks where i was almost knocked out. Theze milder concussions built up and added to the major 1. At times the pain is so much that i just want God to take this soul and mind from this body here on Earth but i pray more and think of the people who fought and died for us to be here and the others like me who are far worse. I Thank God for what i still have, and it keeps me from thinking about what i lost. This life is just a test, but we cant give up because its just a test. Even though we dont do as good as others might, in the end, everyone wins anyway. But you cant take the easy road out because thats a loss and that means a loss.

I feel the same way..I was in a car wreck when I was 18 traveling at the speed of 113 miles/per/hr. And since I have been suffering from migraines, memory loss, never used drugs, have 3 daughters and the shit thing is I can't even begin to help them with there Math. I talk talking about a subject and switch to another story and forget what the I was talking about in the 1stplace. I have had probably 6 or 7 car accidents and on terrible abusive relationship which didn't help matters.I know hate is a strong word but I'm beginning to hate life. I have no one who understands the anxiety and depression .. The pain from migraines. .i just wish i could get a prescription w/no refills of a bottle of decon, or silver bullet. ..I pray that the Good Lord, Almighty Creator, steadily holds my hand, and shines through the darkness, that we all suffer. In his name Rise Up.. Thank you!

It's Friday evening, 6:3o pm on 25 April 2014. 3 1/2 years I fell hiking down an icy clip of a mountain.  I was 49.  I fell ~ 8 feet and was stopped by my head.  So many years later, I have such ringing in my ears after a long day on the computer that I just want to cry.  But I feel stupid. I think that if I say anything to anyone, I 'll be considered a hypochondriac and whiner.

I just want my energy back. I want to feel happy. I want to not feel everyday is a chore to get through.  At times, I want to just throw in the towel.  

Guess I'm feeling sorry for myself. In fact,  I AM  feeling sorry for myself.  Maybe tomorrow I'll feel better.

Thanks for letting me leave my troubles for tonight on the shoulders of this cyberspace.  I'll make it through .

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