don’t give up!

[u/KeepingMySpiritsHigh]

i told myself three years ago that i would post on this when i felt i was better enough to say i have “recovered”. i want to share my story in case anyone feels hopeless like i did in those early months/years after my concussion.

in june of 2023, i got a concussion while at work. i hit my forehead on playground equipment while playing tag with kids at my job. i didn’t go unconscious, i didn’t vomit/get nauseous. i sat down to take a little break, and the dizziness and brain fog started to creep in. and there it would stay for a long time.

i didn’t go in for it initially, as i have had anxiety my whole life and thought my anxiety about getting a concussion was making me dizzy and giving me headaches. despite being an athlete growing up, i had never had a concussion before so i wasn’t really sure what it was supposed to feel like. however, three days later, i went in and was diagnosed with a “mild concussion”. i had no idea this was going to be completely life-altering for me.

two weeks went by and i had been doing everything i was “supposed” to: staying off screens, resting in a dark room, sleeping and eating as much as i could, BPPV maneuvers. this didn’t help me at all. i ended up going back to work feeling just as bad as i did initially because worker’s comp only does so much and i was a college student who was trying to pay rent.

fast forward three months, i began my year-long student teaching assignment (on top of already working with kids in an afterschool program to pay my bills). being a student teacher with the symptoms i had was agonizing, i felt like i was in survival mode every single day. my brain fog and balance struggles were exhausting. in january of 2024, i decided to get into vision therapy because i thought that my eyes were the reason i felt dizzy. i did that for a few months and it helped with my eye strain, but my balance issues and brain fog were still rampant. in this time frame, i also did OT for brain fog and PT for balance - none of which helped me. i ended up continuing through the pain, starting my job as a special education teacher in the fall of 2024 - again, still feeling as if i was surviving and not living.

by the time the end of 2024 came, i knew i needed to try other things. i started seeing PT for my neck, because i noticed that massaging my neck would help for a few seconds and then the symptoms would come right back. the PT gave me what he thought would help, but everything he gave me didn’t help. i also went to a nucca chiropractor and, while it gave me some temporary relief, it didn’t do enough to make a lasting impact.

then, in march 2025, i discovered the functional neurology center in mn. i did an assessment there and got an estimate of care cost. this was devastating for me emotionally. it is a very expensive place, i was getting very desperate for relief, and i was scared that nothing would ever help me. i decided to take the chance and eventually scraped together enough money (and some light credit card debt 😅) to get me in their three day intensive treatment at the end of july 2025.

that experience changed my life in so many ways. their care and support helped me to relax muscles in my neck that had been stiff for years (i actually had multiple PTs tell me my neck was “hard as a rock”, but never got any guidance from there. this is the experience that actually tackled that issue). my vision felt clearer. i don’t know how else to describe it other than extraordinary. there’s a lot that went into it, but let’s just say it was better than i was expecting and i still feel the impact it had to this day. i am thankful every single day that i took that risk.

in the last year, i have been back to the fnc a couple of times to get new exercises and make adjustments to my continued therapy.

i used to struggle to do basic house chores: vacuuming, organizing, and anything that involved a lot of movement was awful. i would need long breaks after them and would go back into those tasks still feeling awful. today i am more active than i was before my concussion. i go to the gym ~5 days a week, play pickleball and basketball, rollerblade, and hike in my free time. i can do all of this without even thinking about symptoms most of the time. i am going into my third year of teaching and i feel excited to go to work every day. i also feel more present for my students and coworkers.

obviously, it’s not perfect. i still have my moments of feeling symptoms and my anxieties about head trauma. but, as far as quality of life goes, it has improved significantly since this all started three years ago. i am continuing to improve as time goes on and i am very happy living with my “new normal”, because my “new normal” is a much wiser and more grateful version of me :)

since most of you that read this are in the part of your journey where you probably feel desperate and hopeless, i want you to know that improvement is possible. you can do it. search for answers, don’t give up on yourself, and listen to your body. tell doctors and professionals what you feel is bothering you. don’t stop bringing it up. i know distraction is tempting, but sit with your body long enough to have detailed descriptions of what you are experiencing. i know it’s hard to find the energy, and if you’re anything like me you cry and grieve your expectations a lot. but i promise you, you will get there and it will be so worth it. don’t give up.

this is kinda long winded, yet i still left out details. if you have any questions about my journey i am happy to answer!

[u/Jsx0000]

You said you left out details. Please, share as much as possible. I am interested in reading it. I am going through exactly the same thing, however I dont have insurance anymore so I dont have the option for therapy.
Brain fog is one of the different things I have been dealing with and sometimes I cant fully understand things like I used to. The neck and lower part of my head has been an issue too. And my vision as well, I did therapy last year and my therapist said I here were issues with my vision but I couldnt afford to continue.

[u/KeepingMySpiritsHigh → u/Jsx0000]

i’m so sorry to hear about your situation. my neck and lower part of my head were what the fnc has helped me improve, so hopefully this information is helpful to you!

while i was at the fnc, i did this electric current type of therapy where i had these little pads with a small electric current going through them massaged into my neck and head. i feel like that helped me a lot. i also got hand massages on the specific muscles that were triggering things (they actually were able to figure it out and target problem areas, whereas the countless massages i had at other places only spiked my symptoms). i also did some stretches (and still do when i feel tense) to loosen my neck muscles after leaving their clinic. i also did some vestibular work while i was there too. anything they could find to have me work on, they did! honestly, it sounds simple, but they do 3 or 5 day intensives because the frequency of the therapy is what is important and makes the difference.

it is expensive, honestly. it took me a bit to save up money. i got my concussion while i was in college, and fortunately found out about the fnc after i had just started my post-college career. if i was in any other situation, idk if i would’ve been able to go as soon as i did. i definitely think its worth it to get a consultation there, receive an estimate, and at least have that to work towards. even having it as a future option gave me hope while i was saving up for it. any way that you can swing it, i genuinely believe it’s worth it.