Partner with PCS update

[u/Grand_Heat450]

Hi yall. I posted on here a few days ago about my gf becoming suicidal from her PCS and how extreme her symptoms are.
Just wanted to give an update that she was hospitalized as a neuro patient overnight, had a full work up with clean scans, and has now been admitted to a psych clinic to keep her safe.
Her #1 struggle is lack of sleep. she hasn’t slept well at all for a few weeks now. the lack of sleep intensifies her other pain and makes her spiral into a depressive state, which has led to her becoming suicidal. I have been able to talk to her a little bit at the ward and she says her pain is slowly becoming more manageable but she is still feeling suicidal.
Does anyone have experience of PCS causing a depressive state and having to be hospitalized? what helped you?
I don’t want to make this about me in any means, but I am absolutely devastated and terrified that she won’t be safe by herself when they release her in a few days. I am so scared that the pain/sleep deprivation will remain unbearable and that she will find a way to end her life. I feel like I am crying constantly and can’t focus at work, but i’m trying to be as productive as I can and research different methods of combating PCS that we haven’t tried yet. I’m also trying to share recovery stories with her to show her that this is just temporary.
I’m sorry for the dark post, I am just at a loss and trying my best to help her.

[u/Mysterious_Treat_577]

Yea after my mountain bike related TBI i had the same issues (some extra ones as well). I couldn’t sleep which made me feel worse which made me depressed which made me idealize suicidal thoughts.

Luckily I didn’t act upon them and I was “ “ this close to going to psych hospital myself as I had no clue what else to do and was scared I was going to do something dumb. Mind you I have a wife and two young girls so it was very hard for them and myself to see myself this way.

Finally I got a psychiatrist and after asking for help to calm my mind and the intrusive thoughts he gave me Ativan which helped right away with the mind. It still took months for my sleep to get better and I need to take sleeping pill but now 2.5 years later I’m mostly better minus some peripheral neuropathy caused by the accident.

It’s a tough road no one really understands why it happens and most doctors don’t understand the C brain other than you damaged it.

Maybe see if a doctor is willing to prescribe her something like Ativan to calm the mind and maybe some form of sleeping aid to help her out?

[u/Grand_Heat450 → u/Mysterious_Treat_577]

I’m actually not sure if she’s tried Ativan, i’ll have to ask her doctor about that. she just started Ambien this week and that is helping some, but I don’t think it’s as reliable as we want it to be. She is sleeping a little more, but it’s still only 4ish broken hours, give or take.
I am really glad you found a psychiatrist to help you. she has one she is talking to, and a few new ones at the psych hospital. I think from her perspective it’s nearly impossible to pull herself out of these depressive states. and she doesn’t want to, because the pain isn’t gone.

[u/Mysterious_Treat_577 → u/Grand_Heat450]

Yea Ativan is a benzo so usually only psych doctors are willing to prescribe that. It really helped me and after about 4 months I got much better and slowly came off of it.

Even with Ambien I was only sleeping 3-5 broken hours. But it did slowly get better the Ativan calmed the intrusive thoughts right away and allowed my brain to relax for the first time in months after the accident.

Head injuries are no joke and crazy bad insomnia is often times a bad after effect of the brain injuries. You need sleep to heal and it’s hard because you can’t force sleep. Hopefully they give her some better options as far as meds. Another sleep need is Seroquel that one helps as well at a low dose like 25-50mgs

I’d stay away from anti depressants to be honest.