Concussion

[NorthWallsBoo]

Hi

I had a gardening accident two weeks ago, Seemed minor, but ended up having concussion diagnosed at a&E. Went back to work after a day off, but really struggled with more involved tasks, experienced exhaustion, vertigo, headache, nausea, the works. Signed off last Thursday for a further week by gp.

I’m very conflicted - I can manage cleaning, gardening, even walking around town, so seem normal, but I am very irritable and still suffering the above on and off.

Part of me thinks it’s obvious that I’m skiving as I can cook dinner and look after the family. Should I take the rest of my sick leave and if I do should I be ok soon?

[Feebie8]

Hi there,

I gave myself a concussion in Nov '18. I didn't take any time off work and I'm suffering with Post Concussion Syndrome seven months later.

Do NOT underestimate your injury. You may be "ok" at certain tasks right now but if you think that you are "normal" with your brain injury (that's what it is) you are fooling yourself. If you keep chipping away and putting your brain under more and more pressure when it desperately needs time to recover, eventually you won't even be able to do the things that you can do now.

All the symptoms that you have are your warnings, listen to your body no matter what your brain says especially in you labeling yourself as skiving. Try your best to ignore those thoughts, your brain is injured and you'll be doing yourself a huge favour by changing your thinking. You need to recognise that if you broke your leg you wouldn't be going for a run now would you? As much as we can't see our damage, it's a serious injury that needs to be taken seriously and treated as such. It's also an injury that's different for everyone...I kept going because I thought I could still do this and do that, I ignored what my body was telling me and I fell badly... so much so that I wanted to drive myself into a wall to stop my mental and physical pain. Who knows how long it will take, there are no guarantees or time scales for recovery. Eventually hopefully yea...maybe. I'm nearly eight months in...

Be patient and rest now so you don't pay for it later. Be kind to yourself as difficult as it is, you need to be xx

Catherine

[Danger19]

Hello my lovely,

I think it's important to understand how a simple bang to the head can affect our brain. You may think that the accident in the garden was minor and just small. A hard enough bang to the head, and it doesn't have to be a massive whack, but a bang to the head will cause the brain to wobble, this means it will bang off the sides of the skull. I'm not having you on, I'm a nurse and I promise to only tell you the truth. A person is not aware of the brain banging off the bones of skull but as you can imagine this would have a effect on how we function and behave.

For some reason people view concussion as not a very serious condition. I can assure you that it is. Your brain has experienced a traumatic injury and will need time to readjust, so you need to rest, give yourself a break. What people don't realise is that the brain determines everything about a person. It controls personality, ability, concentration and general function. When you realise that, you understand how your brain may struggle to manage to facilitate your usual way of behaving.

Now I hope you understand what your brain has experienced and why your GP has signed you off work. Most Doctors do not give sick certificates unless nessacary. Please don't be scared or worried by what I've told you, plenty of rest and no stress, worrying or anxiety is what you and your lovely brain needs. Take it easy and just accept you need to give yourself and your brain a little time to rest and heal. You are not alone my lovely, we all understand that feeling of confusion when you attempt to do something that usually you can do without thinking and suddenly you can't understand what you need to do to complete the subject.

I wish you peace, happiness, good health and a lot of good luck my friend, Vikki

[cat3]

I can only echo other advice to listen to what your brain is telling you. Continuing as normal is likely testing it beyond capacity whilst what it really craves is recuperation and lots of rest...….hence the irritability. Take as much time as you need m'dear 'til the stress, fatigue & other symptoms subside. x

[RecoveringH]

Hi NorthWalls,

Sorry to hear you had a gardening accident. Here is my non doctors prescription for you. Buy a 10kg tub of Epsom salts from Hexeal for £11.40. Use two mugs full per bath. Make sure fully dissipate the salt before you get in. Best baths are body temperature. Stay in bath 20 mins minimum, best is 40 mins to 1 hour. I use a timer to ensure I stay in long enough. Make sure window open for deep breathing extra oxygen.

Bath daily until you have used up all the Epsom Salts. Then think about work! This will speed your recovery as it will reduce inflammation.

Having a bad day, do the bath first thing in the morning after getting up. Overdone it in the morning, have the bath before lunch.

Had a bad day, have the bath either before dinner or before bed.

Benefits of Epsom Salts here: draxe.com/epsom-salt/

Hope you feel better soon. Best wishes.

[Hidden]

Hi mate, just stop now, don't try to keep going even if you think you'll be ok, take 3 months and get reassessed before you do anything.

Many symptoms take a couple of months and longer to manifest.

You'll find that you feel tired and get jumbled up, the big fatigue will hit you and that's game over for years. I think if you push it you just get an even worse result.

Just stop, my skin is crawling thinking back to those early days.

Sleep, sleep, sleep.

[WinB]

Hi North,

I had a brain bleed =SAH 4 and it has taken me years to know my limitation when my brain shuts me up it is telling me it needs a rest. Listen to your brain and read .."A Letter from your brain" it explains about head traumas and what your brain has gone through so good luck xx Never listen to tales of woe's as you have your own to contend with. Good luck and when down I try and remember happier times and I sing a lot happy songs. All the best on recovery xx (My Poor family as I am tone deaf ha ) Good luck xxxx

[Amber-11]

I was a gardener and did not stop work, but was put on light duties. The neurologist said take paracetamol and asprin max dose every day, and did not mention rebound headache or medication over use headache, there is an nhs page about medication over use headache.

I was on a paid training contract at a prestigous garden etc, and my colleagues said I should not apply for jobs as i was not well enough, so when the contract finished after 6 months after the brain injury from an rta, I did not try to work again for a long time, and when i did work i got too many migraines and could not sleep because of pain. Before the rta I worked full time and had no headaches.

I think resting for 3 months would have been better, as now i am unable to work for more than 2 hours and I have so many migraines and headaches if i don't restrict what i do, i would love to work in a gardening team again. i was eventually diagnosed with photphbia, exertional migraine and recently migraine made worse by movement

But a lot of the neuroligists did not give a clear diagnosisn , eventaully after about 7 years i saw one who said i had a big probelm with exertionl migraine after head injury and he had come across it, and that made things a bit easier..

I do hope you have a better outcome and i know of 2 pople who intially rested after a brain injury: one for a year with her parents and after that, she worked for many years and is fine in retirement and active;

and another rested for 3 months, and was then fine and is working full time again. sorry this is badly written screens give me headaches!