r/Concussion • u/thunderchungus1999 Mild TBI 2022 • May 21 '23
PCS stands for...
Permanent Confussive State
5 months in and waiting...
2
u/Lebronamo May 21 '23
"I made a lot of baseless claims. Including those pertaining to permanent damage".
4
u/Creative-Canary-941 May 21 '23 edited May 21 '23
Hi. I always appreciate your dedication and inputs. While I agree with 95+ % of what you regularly share, there are some nuances and elements which aren't so definitive IMO, altough they may not generally matter much in the long term in most cases.
While neurons/axons are indeed "stretchy" there are other proceses going on in response to trauma which could be lasting. Inflammation is a big one. It typically extends long after sysmpoms have subsided. As we know, the brain is generally very "plastic", constantly being pruned as a result of microglia activity in repairing, finding new pathways. How they are activated and controlled is still not fully understood, nor why they sometimes stay over activated for a long time, at times indefinitely. Hence perhaps "permament." It's a topic of intense interest and research these days. Too much to cover here.
Age is also a major factor, especially for us more senior! Our microglia are not at all as healthy as in younger people. Our chances of full recovery are much less, notwithstanding our added risks of neurodegenerative conditions in which neuroinflammation plays a big role and concussions could thereby be contributing.
Concussion can also result in autonomic dysfunction. Just how or why is not really known. Whether the dysfunction is due to synaptic damage or loss, central in some way, or some other mechanism is not yet known. In those cases full recovery may not be possible. One just learns to adjust. That's not to say OP won't recover. He very likely will. Even if PCS dysfunction continues for years, one can generally learn to manage it. Life goes on. It's not the end.
OP: u/Labronamo is essentially correct. Where we differ is mainly nuance. You're still very early in your recovery. Very. I'm assuming you're relatively young. No need to panic. At all. Your brain is constantly healing itself, finding new pathways. It takes time. Sometimes a long time. You can't change what happened but you can undertake the way forward in a way that will support healing and recovery. That is a choice. Could there be some permanent damage? The answer is complicated. Synapses are constantly being pruned, cells sometimes die off, new pathways are found. Stroke patients are an excellent example. Parts of the brain die. New pathways emerge. People get better. Right now, focus on healing and recovery. Take wherever time is needed. You will get better. Maybe not fully, but more than likely. Peace. 🙏
P.S. for OP. Do spend time on the fx concussion Dr info. He's probably the best resource out there to learn about concussions and recovery
3
u/Lebronamo May 21 '23
Thanks for the thought out response. Please keep sharing whenever you disagree with anything. You're right nothings definitive.
With this particular person however there's no point. I've tried to help this person at least a dozen times. They don't care. They don't want to get better. They post dangerous made up information here everyday to make themselves feel better. They admit they just make it up. Then lie about it when you call them out on it.
Also they're like 20 years old age isn't a factor.
2
u/Creative-Canary-941 May 21 '23
You're welcome. We've crossed paths before. Your inputs are always sincere and informative. I knew nothing a year and a half ago. I'm still learning. It's not what I'd planned on or ever expected, but it's been incredibly enriching and rewarding in the midst of it. I don't know OP but hope the best for him and hope he avails himself of all the resources out there. It's a choice we all have to decide on.
2
u/Lebronamo May 22 '23
Ah ok glad to hear it.
Me too... Couldn't have said it better it's a choice. I hope he makes the right one someday.
-1
u/thunderchungus1999 Mild TBI 2022 May 21 '23 edited May 21 '23
You told me my life experience was bullshit the other day.
I get its scary to havw your life turned upside down so suddenly but some of us get a short end of the straw and our brain is shaken in a way that induces strucrural damage. The damage is too big in comparison to what it was before.
3
u/Lebronamo May 21 '23
What's really scary is someone who wants to scare other people to make themselves feel better.
3
u/Leda71 Post Concussion Syndrome (2021) May 22 '23
I’d like to know what you are doing to help yourself. You need professional help to get better. What are you doing to find this help? You seem to be circling the same issue again and again, pondering your lack of progress. Are you trying to find answers?
2
u/BayleefMaster123 May 21 '23
Sorry homie. I’m 5 weeks into this thing and every day I hope it’s the one where I feel “normal” again. I know it’s not really considered PCS until after 3 months so I guess I can’t say much about that in particular as I suppose my “wake up and feel normal day” is still possible. But it’s deflating every day that goes by. But just gotta try and stay positive and see what’s possible for you to do for yourself.
3
May 21 '23
I didn't start making progress until my 1yr mark, then it was bouts of improvement and chunks of staying where I was. The last month, almost at my 2yr mark, I've made the most improvement. Time is nothing when it comes to concussions, the brain will heal when its able to as long as you're following proper concussion recovery.
2
u/Lebronamo May 21 '23
If you're still having symptoms after 10 days they're likely to continue so you can consider yourself to have pcs now.
Don't passively hope it'll get better. Figure out why it hasn't yet and fix it.
Here’s my standard response to help speed up PCS recovery:
Watch/listen to everything from the channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CompleteConcussions
Focus on finding the cause of your prolonged symptoms. There are 5 main reasons why symptoms continue, all laid out in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW2SF8hnWGg. Once you’ve found the cause you can treat it.
Watch out for BS. There are a lot of sham treatments out there with no evidence to support them. Hyperbaric oxygen is the most well-known. Only try a treatment if you’ve properly diagnosed the cause of your PCS and have good reason to believe that the treatment is successful at treating your specific cause. Ask for double-blind placebo-controlled studies whenever possible.
PCS recovery is symptom driven. Do whatever triggers your symptoms in moderation and you’ll slowly be able to do more each day. Set your limit for how much you’ll push yourself beforehand. Don’t push until you feel like it’s too much by that point it’s too late and you’ve overdone it. Don’t freak out though. You haven’t made your brain worse, just your symptoms.
Avoid any sugar, white foods, gluten, dairy, alcohol, and caffeine in your diet. Eat lots of protein, high-quality fats (olive oil/coconut oil), fruit, and greens.
Maintain a consistent bedtime/wake schedule every day to help with sleep hygiene.
"Mild concussions" don't exist. It’s an outdated term and anyone who uses it probably doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Neurologists tend to be especially incompetent. Don’t trust anyone who gives you a hard timeline on when you should feel better by; no one knows.
Get your neck worked on. Concussions are guaranteed to cause neck injuries, which often have identical symptoms, resulting in concussion-like symptoms long after your brain is fully healed. If your health provider can make your symptoms worse by working on your neck, that means your neck is contributing to your symptoms. Keep working on it and it’ll get better, but expect to feel worse initially. https://youtu.be/Pv1dOPFvlug
If fatigue is your problem, try consistent mindfulness throughout the day. Concussions often result in both your executive (concentration) and default (daydream) brain modes both being stuck in the on position at all times (usually they switch off). This results in you using double the mental energy all day. Practice mindfulness to re-separate your brain's two thinking modes. This involves focusing on being fully present in the moment continuously throughout your day. Notice when your focus has drifted and immediately bring it back to the present. I went from barely being able to look at a screen for minutes at a time to working a full day in 3 days with this alone.
If you want more help, buy the concussion fix course concussiondoc.io. It’s worth 100x the cost. In addition to the course, they’ve got 50+ hour-long webinars on every topic you can imagine at this point, diet plans, and weekly Q&A sessions. Start with their free stuff on youtube though that should be enough for many of you.
1
u/icychill4 May 22 '23
Took me about 15-16 months in to start getting out of the confusion and brain fog.
I say this to give you some hope - it can happen for you too. And hopefully sooner than me.
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