Car accident & post concussion syndrome early days

[Antique-white]

Hi I was involved in a car accident 3 months ago and have recently been diagnosed with Post Concussion Syndrome symptoms vary but mainly consist of headaches, migraines and photophobia. I returned to work pretty much straight away but subsequently my symptoms worsened so I’m currently off work for a couple of weeks. Medical advice hasn’t been too helpful so I guess I am wondering if anyone has any helpful guidance of what I can do / ask for to help my recovery. Thanks !

[Marnie22]

Hi and welcome. I can't really comment on post concussion matters as my brain injury is very different to that. I would say have a look at the Headway website, but the very best thing is to phone the Headway website on 0808 800 2244. They are great and will be able to answer your question and give you info.

I wish you all the best.

[Antique-white in reply to Marnie22]

Thanks Marnie22. I have found Headway pretty helpful as I am finding that my GP doesn’t really know anything about PCS and doesn’t really know what to say other than we will review you in a month. Which is why I posted on here really as it feels like I need to know what I want / need when I go to the GP.

Thanks again 😀

[BeezyB]

I'm 2 years out...and still struggling!! Mild concussion but didn't take time off from work because docs didn't acknowledge it was TBI. I knew it was! Be your own best advocate & take care of yourself!! It takes time for your brain to heal & more time if rushed. The brain just shuts down when overly fatigued by pushing it to do...

[Antique-white in reply to BeezyB]

Hi Beezy thanks for your message. I am sorry to hear you are still struggling 💕. It’s difficult to acknowledge also I didn’t even know there was such a thing as post concussion syndrome. Helpful advice thank you I really resonate with the shutting down sentence and every time I think I’ve pushed myself and I have a really bad headache or other symptoms I think back to this. Thank you

[LouBL0u]

Hi

I also had post-concussion syndrome - if you google it, it is surprising how much of ones behaviour it covers! I returned to work 2 weeks after hitting my head but a client advised my boss that "I wasn't right". I realise a year on, that I had no awareness at that time of how it was affecting me and how I was coming across - I lost impulse control, started swearing, not coping with social life and lots of other things. I sought an appointment with a neurologist who diagnosed me with FND (Functional Neurological Disorder) I then went to brain re-hab at a specialist FND centre which I found helped me a lot.

Take care, it's a process of recovery and very individual.

x

[Antique-white in reply to LouBL0u]

Arh bless you LouBLou that sounds really difficult. I’m pleased to hear you got the support that you needed. Did you have to ask your GP for anything initially ?

[Angostura]

Hi, I too have PCS with vestibular migraines and PTSD from a car accident. Although my Dr diagnosed PCS and signed me off work for 6 weeks, it wasn’t until I was referred to the brain injury clinic that I found someone who could explain and help with my symptoms. I realised that I was caught in a boom and bust cycle; I’d think I was getting better at which point I’d run at life only to find the migraines etc came back with a vengeance. I had to learn that my brain couldn’t be hurried back to health and pacing became my priority.

Headway were helpful, particularly with the ‘invisible injury’ aspect of a brain injury. They have lots of pamphlets on brain injury and concussion which you may well find help you to manage the adjustments you need to make to allow your brain time to heal. And do ask your GP to refer you on to a brain injury expert. It also helps to make a diary of what happens when, that way you can gain an understanding of what your brain and body needs. Above all don’t push it, and be as kind to yourself as you can - you’ve had a shock and your system needs time to settle down again. Best of luck. X

[sospan]

Time is your friend.

There isn't a "cure", medication or anything much you can do above "rest". Rest is a difficult thing to quantify as it is different for each person. What you are aiming for is to reduce mental "stress" and not necessarily worry - you want to reduce anything that will add will take up too many brain cycles. e.g. video games or complex puzzles.

The more you brain can relax the more it can do its own thing.

Exercise is very difficult, too much (e..g running or anything that shakes your head) can be detrimental but you need to keep going to counteract the effects of fatigue.

Try to avoid reading too much on the subject as there is the phenomena of acquired symptoms. This is where people read up on a subject and then because they feel they have the same original injury, develop symptoms to match what they have read. At the moment visual problems caused by head injury is "in vogue" and people are latching on to it almost as a comfort blanket.

Turning back to time, sadly there is no definitive timeline for people to recover, sometimes it is weeks, months or longer.

[Hidden in reply to sospan]

The visual element is 'in-vogue' for a very good reason. If you do have a real visual processing problem it can be tested for and treated with prescription glasses. These visual processing problems cause alarming psychological issues, affect your body regulation, cause visual sensory overload, impacts further on your already dysfunctioning cognitive systems and creates fatigue.

When tested for, by qualified neuro-optometrists, trained at medical science university institutes in the UK, and further treated, the effects can be extremely positive. It deals with the visual impact psychologically, reduces cognitive issues and greatly reduces fatigue.

It is a recognised certificated medical treatment but the NHS has not yet integrated it into their system, it is not bogus or pseudo-science but very real and has a great impact on the neuro-visual elements of brain injury.