mTBI/Concussion Regression Help?

[torontoguy25]

Hi All - I suffered a concussion 3 months ago and have been off work since. initially i completed total brain rest and then slowly got back into light activities and routine. My major symptom throughout this concussion was not being able to use any type of screens, it would give me horrible headaches within minutes. By the second week of august i was able to use tv and laptop screen up to 5-6 hours a day (pretty much normal) but then out of nowhere towards the 3rd week of August my screen problems came back and now i can't look at a screen for more than 20-30 mins and my brain seems to hurt in one specific spot. I also get bad headaches and pain at night... is this type of regression normal? am I still on a normal path to recovery? I'm just worried I may have set myself back again a few months but not sure if this kind of up and down regression is normal with concussions? what is the best plan of action from here on out?

I am scheduled to go back to work by end of September. My doctor has said he expects 100% recovery. Any opinions or tips coping with screens would be great!

[louisele50]

Yes it seems quiet normal, I thought I was getting better 5 months on and pushed myself too hard at work and had a bit of a relapse, make sure you have plenty of rest X

[Steve49]

Hi.

Welcome to our site I hope we can offer you both support & advice.

When I returned the 1st time I had someone from the jobcenter come out and access my work station.

They then presented my manager with their recommendations.

My manager then got H/R to sort out everything in redness for my retern.

The best peice off kit was a large wide screen monitor with a great magnifier installed on my PC.

Well I was the talk off the office as everything was brand new.

My seat & my dest was also set to my hight.

I was only allowed on it for sm sessions before I had a break.

I became talk off the office as there PC was Rubbish.

Never mind I don't have to worry now.

As I had to take early retirement.

Steve.

[sospan]

Whilst I am no expert what I have noticed with myself and others on this forum over the years, is that once the initial post injury phase is over and people start doing more, they have more symptoms.

It isn't that they weren't there, it is more likely they were being hidden by other symptoms which have eased or that now you are doing more you are exercising more parts of your body than you were previously. They often refer to the brain and as a giant muscle and like athletes coming back from injury your brain and other parts of the body needs a phased recovery. You have found your limits so now it is down to tracking what causes the problems - is it the light ? font size ? concentration ? or combinations of all of them.

What you may find is that it might be your eyes that are a contributory factor. It is not uncommon for people to find their eyesight changes post injury especially becoming sensitive to light.

The difference on how much information on a screen or TV can make a difference, for me it took about 3 years post injury before I could watch the start screen on the "Big Bang Theory" Not so much because the images flashed but because there was a lot of information being presented in a short time and my brain was getting overloaded processing it.

And to answer your question, what you have experienced is quite normal and don't be disappointed if your recovery takes a lot longer than your GP predicts.

[torontoguy25 in reply to sospan]

Thank you so much, this was extremely helpful and comforting! It also makes a lot of sense. You are right that I am definitely doing more and pushing the boundaries a bit more. I will keep this in mind so I don't get discouraged and keep pushing until I'm better!

[sospan in reply to torontoguy25]

No problem,

I used to work in IT for many years. It took a really long time before I could sit comfortably in front of a screen - but at least I can now

All the best on your journey