Concussion - any survivors here?
Discussion
Hi all,
I thought i'd post to ask for help or maybe some advice about concussion, more specifically post concussion syndrome.
I had a bicycle crash, landing heavily on my head and cracking my helmet all the way through - the impact was about 15mph. I laughed it off initially, carried on my ride and only hours and days later started to feel strange. Days later I ended up in A&E as the symptoms persisted - difficulty in stringing sentences together etc. Everyone was very good to me and whilst I didn't require an MRI scan and they believe my brain to be 'OK' a week on I still don't feel normal.
A leaflet, printed upside down, was shoved into my hand and i exited the building with the registrar's words repeating in my head 'this is probably post concussion syndrome'.
Are there any concussion survivors here? Can you help me understand how long I might be stuck in this weird state? Maybe I am like this for the rest of my life, I hope not but I have no idea - i'm sure you don't either.
Can I ask you to share your experiences, that they might help me? Is there any hope to improve?
I feel like I've lost a sparkling brilliance that I never knew I possessed.
I thought i'd post to ask for help or maybe some advice about concussion, more specifically post concussion syndrome.
I had a bicycle crash, landing heavily on my head and cracking my helmet all the way through - the impact was about 15mph. I laughed it off initially, carried on my ride and only hours and days later started to feel strange. Days later I ended up in A&E as the symptoms persisted - difficulty in stringing sentences together etc. Everyone was very good to me and whilst I didn't require an MRI scan and they believe my brain to be 'OK' a week on I still don't feel normal.
A leaflet, printed upside down, was shoved into my hand and i exited the building with the registrar's words repeating in my head 'this is probably post concussion syndrome'.
Are there any concussion survivors here? Can you help me understand how long I might be stuck in this weird state? Maybe I am like this for the rest of my life, I hope not but I have no idea - i'm sure you don't either.
Can I ask you to share your experiences, that they might help me? Is there any hope to improve?
I feel like I've lost a sparkling brilliance that I never knew I possessed.
yes i came off my cycle without an helmet, headbutted the kerb. Went to hospital as knocked me out and split my eye brow open.
A few days it took to sort out. Wouldn't class me a survivor as there are much worse injuries to get over, Was sick a few times. If sorted its self out quite quickly.
A few days it took to sort out. Wouldn't class me a survivor as there are much worse injuries to get over, Was sick a few times. If sorted its self out quite quickly.
Thanks for that - glad you came out of it ok! I am getting beyond a week since my accident now and am reading about some people taking months, taking years even, to 'get back' to how they used to be.
I feel frustrated that I don't wake up and this has gone. I wake up to a new day and I'm still feeling the effects - my typing is strange, i run out of energy quickly, I hate the motion of a car and can't drive, I don't want to look at a bicycle again - I feel like I live in a fog cloud or that what I'm seeing is all on a TV in the background somewhere and isn't really important or interesting.
Two of my main hobbies were wiped out straight away and I'm stuck at home feeling strange and with nothing to do - Wishing I didn't feel so strange and panicking about what has happened to my brain.
I feel frustrated that I don't wake up and this has gone. I wake up to a new day and I'm still feeling the effects - my typing is strange, i run out of energy quickly, I hate the motion of a car and can't drive, I don't want to look at a bicycle again - I feel like I live in a fog cloud or that what I'm seeing is all on a TV in the background somewhere and isn't really important or interesting.
Two of my main hobbies were wiped out straight away and I'm stuck at home feeling strange and with nothing to do - Wishing I didn't feel so strange and panicking about what has happened to my brain.
NB. I'm 44 now. Concussed twice so far...
As a kid I was outside running along the side of a classroom at my primary school. Another kid was running alongside another side of the classroom. We reached the same corner and our heads collided heavily. We were both sick and both ended up in hospital. I can't remember how long it took to recover but not more than a day or so.
When I was 11 I went over the handlebars of my bike and landed on my face. Two nights in hospital with intermittent vomiting. Fine (other than grazes on my face and forehead and stitches on my chin) within a week.
As a kid I was outside running along the side of a classroom at my primary school. Another kid was running alongside another side of the classroom. We reached the same corner and our heads collided heavily. We were both sick and both ended up in hospital. I can't remember how long it took to recover but not more than a day or so.
When I was 11 I went over the handlebars of my bike and landed on my face. Two nights in hospital with intermittent vomiting. Fine (other than grazes on my face and forehead and stitches on my chin) within a week.
MitchT - Good to know you got over both of those, thanks so much for taking the time to tell me.
Years, they suffer for years. As my symptoms haven't resolved in the expected period, I guess this is me now and I hate it.
Thesprucegoose said:
What are you panicking about? it is just brain bruise sometimes takes longer to feel right. Why not try painting or something to relax and take your mind off it.
I fear this PCS thing, post concussion syndrome - I just read things like "Quentin has been suffering from PCS for years blah blah blah " "Ally from Massachusetts has been suffering from PCS for several years." Years, they suffer for years. As my symptoms haven't resolved in the expected period, I guess this is me now and I hate it.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Thanks for that info - yours sounds like a very big accident, I hope you are recovering well - I did the same initially, that I laughed it off and carried on for an hour to finish my ride - my symptoms built up in the next few days. I will be quicker to react next time and to take action when others have head injuries.I have to say I am feeling much better than yesterday - I still don't feel 100% right and my balance is a bit strange but I feel more present that I did, the feeling that I am watching a TV of my actions is diminishing.
I really did feel awful and couldn't sense any progress I started to go down a hole thinking that I might be stuck in a spaced out reality forever- it was not pleasant! I was quite angry that I had 'allowed myself' to be injured, if that makes sense.
This is day 9 since the accident and I'm crossing my fingers every day that i feel the 'disconnected' feeling is becoming less.
Hi
Effects of post-concussion syndrome can last for a number of months.
Also, don't rush back out on the bike until fitness is confirmed. A secondary concussion could really take the jam out of you donut causing brain swelling and something called Intercranial pressure.
There is extensive treatment for PCS available; watch your moods as well as they can be a sign not all is well. Believe it or not, anti-d's get prescribed to reduce irritability, insomnia, etc which does happen with a number of affected people.
Basically, if you not 'normal' dont wait for it to go away but seek medical help.
Effects of post-concussion syndrome can last for a number of months.
Also, don't rush back out on the bike until fitness is confirmed. A secondary concussion could really take the jam out of you donut causing brain swelling and something called Intercranial pressure.
There is extensive treatment for PCS available; watch your moods as well as they can be a sign not all is well. Believe it or not, anti-d's get prescribed to reduce irritability, insomnia, etc which does happen with a number of affected people.
Basically, if you not 'normal' dont wait for it to go away but seek medical help.
Whilst I have never had this, I have come off my bike in decent fashion. One minute on the bike, then next a fair distance away and time later, who know how I was conversing with a stranger checking for broken bones.
Nothing lasting (apart from very brittle front teeth) - so given enough time all should be good!
Nothing lasting (apart from very brittle front teeth) - so given enough time all should be good!
Bike crash for me too. 2009, cycling home from work. It was a 18mile route and generally took an hour. I left work at 5pm and would’ve been home at 6ish. Things didn’t quite go as planned and I turned up bloody, battered & confused at a house about 20mins from home, this was at 6:30 so 50minutes or so are unaccounted for. For reasons unknown I’d gone off a single track country road & into a a shallow ditch. I’d hit my head, my helmet was split in two, opened up plenty of my right side as I’d gone into a hawthorn hedge, managed to get a haematomma on my left thigh and smashed my ribs up.
I’d no doubt been unconscious for a while and remember coming round and deciding I was dreaming and I’d be waking up in a while do everything was ok ! Not quite, I picked myself up and made it to a nearby house. I didn’t know who, where or what I was but the chap (saviour) retrieved my phone from my jersey pocket and without hesitating I put my code in. He rang the mother in law !!
Blue lighted to S
horpe General and I started to fit in the hospital, passed out again briefly. Had MRI etc and I’d got a small bleed on my brain. I was kept in for 5 days for them to keep an eye on me. I can’t really remember much about my stay in hospital, the ambulance rides or the crash. The memories haven’t come back to me either.
Fast forward to 2019. My mood has altered post accident apparently, I was super chilled pre, I’m a bit more easily riled now. I don’t notice it but a few others have. My left/rights are comically buggered....Mrs will tell me to turn right and I’ll swing left !! I really have to concentrate on which is which. There’s plenty of scars to show for it too but the internal wiring is still affected to some extent.
I’d no doubt been unconscious for a while and remember coming round and deciding I was dreaming and I’d be waking up in a while do everything was ok ! Not quite, I picked myself up and made it to a nearby house. I didn’t know who, where or what I was but the chap (saviour) retrieved my phone from my jersey pocket and without hesitating I put my code in. He rang the mother in law !!
Blue lighted to S
horpe General and I started to fit in the hospital, passed out again briefly. Had MRI etc and I’d got a small bleed on my brain. I was kept in for 5 days for them to keep an eye on me. I can’t really remember much about my stay in hospital, the ambulance rides or the crash. The memories haven’t come back to me either. Fast forward to 2019. My mood has altered post accident apparently, I was super chilled pre, I’m a bit more easily riled now. I don’t notice it but a few others have. My left/rights are comically buggered....Mrs will tell me to turn right and I’ll swing left !! I really have to concentrate on which is which. There’s plenty of scars to show for it too but the internal wiring is still affected to some extent.
I’ve had a couple, first was a motorcycle crash on a trackday in Spain, was unconscious for 5 minutes or so, spent the night in hospital.
The effects, nausea, problems concentrating, vision issues stayed with me for 6 months or so, it was really worrying but slowly subsided.
2nd time was a over the handlebars of my mountain bike, out cold for a couple of minutes, took a couple of months to feel 100%.
Take it easy and listen to your body, you’ll know when you are fully recovered
The effects, nausea, problems concentrating, vision issues stayed with me for 6 months or so, it was really worrying but slowly subsided.
2nd time was a over the handlebars of my mountain bike, out cold for a couple of minutes, took a couple of months to feel 100%.
Take it easy and listen to your body, you’ll know when you are fully recovered
Found this thread and will bump it as it's not that old and I am looking for some advice from others who've had repeat concussions, or experts in the field.
I've had, best estimate on countback, 6 decent head injuries in the last 30 years (I'm 46 now) and find myself a different person these days.
For background:
1988: fainted in class and apparently fell like a chopped tree, hitting head off a desk on the way down - out for 5-10 minutes
1991: car accident from c.50mph into someone who pulled out from a junction right in front of me - momentary unconscious
1992: beaten up after a night out by 4 tts armed with fence posts - out for a couple of hours
1992: hit head at an Army function and spent c.5-6 hours unconscious in a beer garden - everyone thought I was just pissed and left me to it!
2002: a rafter fell on my head while renovating a workshop - didn't lose consciousness, I think hospital did concussion checks at the time
2011: 30mph car crash when a Facebooking driver pulled directly across my path - momentary unconscious
Seems what did the most damage was the second concussion in 1992 which came quickly after the first one. I spent my 20s not wanting to leave the house, fearful of public spaces, apathetic, unable to hold down friendships.
But the 2011 car crash, despite being a less severe hit, had a big effect on my slowly rebuilt confidence and trashed my short term memory and my ability to concentrate, too. I got a lot of migraines which are slowly easing over the years, but struggle to retain information and my ability to self start anything - even writing this, which has taken me a year to instigate - is abysmal.
Only the beating was diagnosed as concussion at the time, but of the rest I only attended hospital for one of them, so it's a guess as to how many were severe enough to do proper damage.
I've been diagnosed with post concussive syndrome, had congitive assessment done which highlights some areas where I function very badly, and am in cognitive therapy which has helped me come to terms with the fact I'm not the bloke I used to be, but frankly isn't helping me move forward.
To be honest I feel like I'm worsening rather than improving - it's very very hard to function at work and my standing and reputation has suffered a great deal in the last 8 years; looking after my children is hard as I have limited patience or tolerance and tire quicky; I have a terrible stress response, don't sleep well, and get migraines easily as a result.
I've tried hard not to hang every problem or shortcoming on a handy nail labelled post concussive syndrome, but I'm struggling to understand what reasonably is a result of too many bangs to the head, what is due to other formative factors, and what is due to me hanging stuff on that nail
I'd like to make sure I can unpick the parts where I'm leaning on the diagnosis where it's not really a factor. It currently looks like a downward spiral despite weekly cognitive therapy which I feel ought to be achieving the opposite.
So anyone have any ideas how to set out on an upward spiral?
I've had, best estimate on countback, 6 decent head injuries in the last 30 years (I'm 46 now) and find myself a different person these days.
For background:
1988: fainted in class and apparently fell like a chopped tree, hitting head off a desk on the way down - out for 5-10 minutes
1991: car accident from c.50mph into someone who pulled out from a junction right in front of me - momentary unconscious
1992: beaten up after a night out by 4 t
ts armed with fence posts - out for a couple of hours1992: hit head at an Army function and spent c.5-6 hours unconscious in a beer garden - everyone thought I was just pissed and left me to it!
2002: a rafter fell on my head while renovating a workshop - didn't lose consciousness, I think hospital did concussion checks at the time
2011: 30mph car crash when a Facebooking driver pulled directly across my path - momentary unconscious
Seems what did the most damage was the second concussion in 1992 which came quickly after the first one. I spent my 20s not wanting to leave the house, fearful of public spaces, apathetic, unable to hold down friendships.
But the 2011 car crash, despite being a less severe hit, had a big effect on my slowly rebuilt confidence and trashed my short term memory and my ability to concentrate, too. I got a lot of migraines which are slowly easing over the years, but struggle to retain information and my ability to self start anything - even writing this, which has taken me a year to instigate - is abysmal.
Only the beating was diagnosed as concussion at the time, but of the rest I only attended hospital for one of them, so it's a guess as to how many were severe enough to do proper damage.
I've been diagnosed with post concussive syndrome, had congitive assessment done which highlights some areas where I function very badly, and am in cognitive therapy which has helped me come to terms with the fact I'm not the bloke I used to be, but frankly isn't helping me move forward.
To be honest I feel like I'm worsening rather than improving - it's very very hard to function at work and my standing and reputation has suffered a great deal in the last 8 years; looking after my children is hard as I have limited patience or tolerance and tire quicky; I have a terrible stress response, don't sleep well, and get migraines easily as a result.
I've tried hard not to hang every problem or shortcoming on a handy nail labelled post concussive syndrome, but I'm struggling to understand what reasonably is a result of too many bangs to the head, what is due to other formative factors, and what is due to me hanging stuff on that nail
I'd like to make sure I can unpick the parts where I'm leaning on the diagnosis where it's not really a factor. It currently looks like a downward spiral despite weekly cognitive therapy which I feel ought to be achieving the opposite.
So anyone have any ideas how to set out on an upward spiral?
I've had a few over the years and actually just recovering from a minor one suffered on thursday, caught a bad heel edge snowboarding and got whipped into the floor backwards onto my head... fortunately i was wearing a helmet.
My worse concussions that have resulted in hospital stays were always when i wasn't wearing a helmet (young and stupid, or young and stupid and out on the piss).
I've had three that wound up in hospital stays (aged 17, and two in my early 20s), and probably 3 or 4 in 10 years of snowboarding that were hard enough to rattle my head but didn't need medical intervention...all while wearing a helmet.
I've got tinnitus that comes and goes, this may or may not be related. I can be a little forgetful here and there, but never really pinned it on head injuries.
The most important thing is to know the warning signs after a knock and when to call the docs, things like differences in pupil dilation, sudden urge to sleep, passing out, difficulty speaking, bleeding from the ears etc.
I've been in bed resting 3 days and returned to work today and have taken it very chill, will be giving it 2 weeks til i'm back on a snowboard or skateboard, and got a new snowboard helmet on order already (most are CSPC rated so only good for one big knock).
The worst thing you can possibly do is ignore the warning signs and immediately return to sport or whatever activity.
My worse concussions that have resulted in hospital stays were always when i wasn't wearing a helmet (young and stupid, or young and stupid and out on the piss).
I've had three that wound up in hospital stays (aged 17, and two in my early 20s), and probably 3 or 4 in 10 years of snowboarding that were hard enough to rattle my head but didn't need medical intervention...all while wearing a helmet.
I've got tinnitus that comes and goes, this may or may not be related. I can be a little forgetful here and there, but never really pinned it on head injuries.
The most important thing is to know the warning signs after a knock and when to call the docs, things like differences in pupil dilation, sudden urge to sleep, passing out, difficulty speaking, bleeding from the ears etc.
I've been in bed resting 3 days and returned to work today and have taken it very chill, will be giving it 2 weeks til i'm back on a snowboard or skateboard, and got a new snowboard helmet on order already (most are CSPC rated so only good for one big knock).
The worst thing you can possibly do is ignore the warning signs and immediately return to sport or whatever activity.
FNG said:
FNG's story
That's a long and painful background, makes me feel comparitively lucky... do you think anxiety could be playing a part? If so then it could be worth trying to target that and address it... I suffer from general anxiety disorder and 100% tend to fixate and worry when i get injured, and start to attribute and link things where I needn't.Edited by designforlife on Monday 13th January 15:36
Interesting one about anxiety. Perhaps so. I’ll expand.
I’ve been attending CBT for a good 18 months now and that’s definitely made me understand my situation far better. Until recently I was just bimbling along with migraines and mood swings and needing a lot of sleep and wondering why I didn’t used to be like this, and getting frustrated. I know a lot more now and maybe a little knowledge is a dangerous thing!
Certainly it’s highlighted that I’m stuck in a well paid job with high expectations placed on me, that I know I can’t deliver and which I’m being progressively more sidelined over. In an industry facing existential change, that feels like a rock and a hard place.
But I have a stay at home mum and 2 little ones to worry about. I can’t see what other job I could do that allows me some slack for my concentration and memory issues, and anyway don’t have a great deal of support to downsize the house and wage for the usual and generally reasonable reasons. So am stuck feeling bad about work, home isn’t great, career is non existent, money is already tight and there’s no obvious light at the end.
You’d hope and expect that it’s just taken me a long time to realise this; it’ll take as long again to figure out the way forward that works for me.
I’m immensely grateful for the CBT sessions and maybe just need to trust that process more, it’s just that the fight to stay employed is getting harder as time goes by and my rep / value falls.
So TL;DR, yeah could well be underlying anxiety. Aside from realising that and accepting it being a good start, any tips how to combat it?
I’ve been attending CBT for a good 18 months now and that’s definitely made me understand my situation far better. Until recently I was just bimbling along with migraines and mood swings and needing a lot of sleep and wondering why I didn’t used to be like this, and getting frustrated. I know a lot more now and maybe a little knowledge is a dangerous thing!
Certainly it’s highlighted that I’m stuck in a well paid job with high expectations placed on me, that I know I can’t deliver and which I’m being progressively more sidelined over. In an industry facing existential change, that feels like a rock and a hard place.
But I have a stay at home mum and 2 little ones to worry about. I can’t see what other job I could do that allows me some slack for my concentration and memory issues, and anyway don’t have a great deal of support to downsize the house and wage for the usual and generally reasonable reasons. So am stuck feeling bad about work, home isn’t great, career is non existent, money is already tight and there’s no obvious light at the end.
You’d hope and expect that it’s just taken me a long time to realise this; it’ll take as long again to figure out the way forward that works for me.
I’m immensely grateful for the CBT sessions and maybe just need to trust that process more, it’s just that the fight to stay employed is getting harder as time goes by and my rep / value falls.
So TL;DR, yeah could well be underlying anxiety. Aside from realising that and accepting it being a good start, any tips how to combat it?
To be honest if I read that post without prior knowledge of the concussions I would certainly say that a lot of your situation could be explained by anxiety and/or depression.
It sounds like the past head injuries and PCS are contributing to things but certainly not the be all and end all... so I would say there is hope.
I'm just starting my battle with anxiety as my wife has convinced me to get referred for therapy/CBT and further investigation into it, as my method of trying to handle it myself only works up to a point.
From what you've said, a lot of your stress seems to stem from work... you actually mention it in a more problematic tone than your concussions, that says to me that it's probably the bigger immediate problem, perhaps that you feel trapped in it and the PCS just makes that even harder to manage?
In terms of tips to combat it, everyone has said that anxiety issues benefit greatly from CBT, so it could just be that you need to look at having it tailored towards that?
If you quit work tomorrow, would the PCS have as big a daily impact on your life and day to day as it does at the moment?
More questions than answers there i'm afraid, but it could help you navigate things.
It sounds like the past head injuries and PCS are contributing to things but certainly not the be all and end all... so I would say there is hope.
I'm just starting my battle with anxiety as my wife has convinced me to get referred for therapy/CBT and further investigation into it, as my method of trying to handle it myself only works up to a point.
From what you've said, a lot of your stress seems to stem from work... you actually mention it in a more problematic tone than your concussions, that says to me that it's probably the bigger immediate problem, perhaps that you feel trapped in it and the PCS just makes that even harder to manage?
In terms of tips to combat it, everyone has said that anxiety issues benefit greatly from CBT, so it could just be that you need to look at having it tailored towards that?
If you quit work tomorrow, would the PCS have as big a daily impact on your life and day to day as it does at the moment?
More questions than answers there i'm afraid, but it could help you navigate things.
teenage rugby player in the 90s,
suffered a few concussions ( the rules have changed now and concussion is taken much more seriously)
one case had me starting to vomit violently in the car home and slip in and out of consciousness. A very rapid rush to hospital and I was monitored overnight.
a week of feeling weird and disoriented, then back to normal.
it can be scary now but you'll be back to normal in a few days.
if not, get seen to in case it is more serious.
suffered a few concussions ( the rules have changed now and concussion is taken much more seriously)
one case had me starting to vomit violently in the car home and slip in and out of consciousness. A very rapid rush to hospital and I was monitored overnight.
a week of feeling weird and disoriented, then back to normal.
it can be scary now but you'll be back to normal in a few days.
if not, get seen to in case it is more serious.
I don't think I can add anything that hasn't been said. But this piece on Jalopnik sprung to mind.
https://jalopnik.com/what-a-race-car-crash-does-to...
https://jalopnik.com/what-a-race-car-crash-does-to...
designforlife said:
To be honest if I read that post without prior knowledge of the concussions I would certainly say that a lot of your situation could be explained by anxiety and/or depression.
It sounds like the past head injuries and PCS are contributing to things but certainly not the be all and end all... so I would say there is hope.
I'm just starting my battle with anxiety as my wife has convinced me to get referred for therapy/CBT and further investigation into it, as my method of trying to handle it myself only works up to a point.
From what you've said, a lot of your stress seems to stem from work... you actually mention it in a more problematic tone than your concussions, that says to me that it's probably the bigger immediate problem, perhaps that you feel trapped in it and the PCS just makes that even harder to manage?
In terms of tips to combat it, everyone has said that anxiety issues benefit greatly from CBT, so it could just be that you need to look at having it tailored towards that?
If you quit work tomorrow, would the PCS have as big a daily impact on your life and day to day as it does at the moment?
More questions than answers there i'm afraid, but it could help you navigate things.
Thanks very much for this. It sounds like the past head injuries and PCS are contributing to things but certainly not the be all and end all... so I would say there is hope.
I'm just starting my battle with anxiety as my wife has convinced me to get referred for therapy/CBT and further investigation into it, as my method of trying to handle it myself only works up to a point.
From what you've said, a lot of your stress seems to stem from work... you actually mention it in a more problematic tone than your concussions, that says to me that it's probably the bigger immediate problem, perhaps that you feel trapped in it and the PCS just makes that even harder to manage?
In terms of tips to combat it, everyone has said that anxiety issues benefit greatly from CBT, so it could just be that you need to look at having it tailored towards that?
If you quit work tomorrow, would the PCS have as big a daily impact on your life and day to day as it does at the moment?
More questions than answers there i'm afraid, but it could help you navigate things.
I’m pretty damn certain that my work situation is the root of most of where my head is at, but then my work is suffering because of the concussion damage.
As a single man I’d have slung my hook to Australia and work with my brother for a while. As a dad and husband I can’t do that. My wife is petrified of me chucking it all in and doing something else. And am utterly lost as to what else I can do for a living anyway.
Self employed seems the obvious route as I can’t sack myself for under performing or having a migraine or leaving early! But I’m an automotive engineer and I only know about how to build cars. An expensive way to turn a large amount of money into a small amount (been there done that). Add that starting up means risk, needs a second income and needs hard work and physical labour and lots of hours, all things that f
k my head up, and you can see where I’m getting stuck. Does that count as depression - I don’t believe so, have been depressed before and it doesn’t feel like that. Resignation to my lot, certainly. Anxiety - I’ll be taking my counsellor through this on Wednesday so let’s see!
Apologies to all for the self analysis and stream of consciousness, this is not really on topic, but it’s been really useful to write out.
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