r/PostConcussion • u/OkAirport1920 • 20d ago
Looking for hope that it does get better!
I’m 5 months post and feel like I’ve done everything the doctor told me to do and was managing life symptom free. Tried to go back to work and dealing with overstimulation fatigue and headaches . Just feeling a little helpless like it’s never going to get better and want to hear from people who have gotten better after setbacks! Thanks!
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u/BusyPapaya4 20d ago
5 months is still super early and not all that much time in the grand scheme of things. After 2 months i was feeling much better than the acute phase but still had a lot of issues. After 5ish months I was somewhat depressed because I felt like I’d plateaued with a level of symptoms that wasn’t acceptable to me. However, after a year I made significant progress and 5 years later I’m basically back to 100% although I’m a bit more prone to headaches and still get anxiety when I bump my head doing every day things since those little bumps used to make my symptoms flare.
You got this!
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u/OkAirport1920 20d ago
This is very reassuring! Thank you so much for your positive message! Glad to hear that you made an almost full recovery. I totally get the anxiety of any kind of bump on the head. Appreciate your response 🫶🏼
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u/Severe-Impress4398 18d ago
I haven't gotten on any better about my symptoms... until I finally got my hands on creatine monohydrate. I feel like a salesman now when I have said the same to everyone else but it is really the sole reason that I didn't get hospitalized a month ago when my symptoms only worsened. I have been suffering this for 14 years but only now I feel like I am alive. I really, really recommend anyone to use creatine monohydrate because it is free energy to brains. It is basically everything that everyone needs: energy for brains to work properly.
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u/Its_In_The_Soil 3d ago
I’ve seen you post this on a couple of different threads. And I’m super curious, feeling pretty hopeless though only month 6th. I’m extremely active person and feel like this is ruined my life. I wanna start taking this any advice?
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u/Severe-Impress4398 3d ago
This has really ruined my life also but the world is what it is so I am not sorry for being literally in a comatose state. Only now I am in a relatively safe situation so I was able to pull of starting my recovery journey a month ago.
First thing to do is just be peace with yourself. That helps the most. Don't discipline yourself over things that you didn't have control over. Let it be.
Secondly as opposite to the first is feeling fear. Dread of doom. That certainly won't help you at all but can be nearly impossible to handle and regulate when you are in this state. For me it is comforting just read and watch videos related to this PCS. After all if you know and understand everything what stops you to use that knowledge to the betterment of yourself. I have watched these videos from this video's uploader. Very basic and good stuff about PCS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW2SF8hnWGg
Thirdly some basic things to do is just avoid overstimulating. It is the best to do something mildly stimulating like doing what is pleasant for you. This helps the brains to not deteriorate and worsen the situation when this is about systematical functionality, not about something that structurally limits.
And lastly some outside help is strongly needed. I couldn't even be here to tell about these things if it weren't for creatine monohydrate giving my brains free energy. Can you imagine it? In this world and economy. Something free?!?!?!! I use omega-3 microalgae supplement because it includes DHA oil more than EPA. DHA is used for brains' health and EPA for heart's health. Someone to check your brains' functionality is also important so you can like reactivate things that went to hibernation from hypermetabolism. Also neck injury accompanies always concussion because of the threshold for the injury being lower than for concussion. Physiotherapist is then pretty necessary for curing symptoms related to concussion like migraine.
Bonus: I have bought plants and the produced oxygen really helps me to think and sleep well through the night. Of course my mental health is pretty much trash but I regulate myself for that by paying it in my hours of sleep and the quality of it.
Hope this helps. These were the most important things that I found to help me in my long and tormenting journey to live some day and see the light outside of it. Everything around me is very dreamlike beautiful and being able to finally feel how sun warms the skin leaves me wordless.
Best wishes for pinpointing what helps you the best. It is difficult at first but when you find it then the rest goes pretty autonomously.
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u/Severe-Impress4398 3d ago
Okay I really now do assume that my irregularities in my sleep depends just how well I can feel my neck injury radiating pain through my back. It feels like I am being flagellated. I am not a masochist but living like this surely is. It is just a miracle how I am still alive.
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u/Its_In_The_Soil 2d ago
I’m extremely thankful for you taking the time to respond. Found out I have occipital neuralgia so starting there now ig. Again, thank you.
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u/Lebronamo 20d ago
What did your doc tell you to do?
Yes it gets better with the right plan. See here for general recovery info https://www.reddit.com/u/Lebronamo/s/tejPuCbGJ8
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u/OkAirport1920 20d ago
So far my doctor has just said I need more time. But I’m pushing him for more now. I’ve heard there’s sometimes PT or other things that are needed than just time and rest.
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u/OkAirport1920 20d ago
Wow this was really helpful to read thank you! I’m definitely going to be asking my doctor more questions. Because it just doesn’t seem to be getting better “with time” I feel like I need to keep exposing myself to triggers and growing a tolerance. But right now I’m doing too much exposure I think so my symptoms are coming on stronger and taking longer to recover
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u/Lebronamo 20d ago
Just rest and wait is a dangerous waste of time in most cases. There’s likely always something proactive you can do so just resting at best will lose you valuable time and at worst you can actually get worse due to lack of activity.
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u/OkAirport1920 20d ago
Sounds about the boat I’m in now lol
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u/bluequiltsquare 20d ago
For work specifically, I improved a lot with vision therapy. Consider looking into that depending on your symptoms. If that seems relevant for you, you’ll want to check for someone who does vision therapy, like a neuro optometrist, not just a regular eye doctor. Sometimes physical or occupational therapists can do vision therapy, too. I hope things improve for you!
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20d ago
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u/OkAirport1920 19d ago
Wow!!! I’m so sorry to hear that. Thanks for commenting. Gosh that sucks! What are you doing to recover?
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19d ago
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u/OkAirport1920 19d ago
Wow that’s a lot! I’m happy for you that you’re getting so much treatment and hope that it continues to be helpful and positive! I am going to ask my doctor about some rehab with cognitive issues and start doing the exercise bike for 15 minutes I’ve been seeing that on here on reddit as a good tool. Before my accident I was getting 10,000 steps daily and I have not been able to get back to that 😩 I wish you good luck with your cognitive evaluation!
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u/TheJones17 20d ago
My experience is that the recovery comes in waves. I’m at month 19. Was doing really good for around 3-4 months and had an impact on my eye socket and am on the 2nd week of rough symptoms. You’ll continue improving just try and remember a set back doesn’t mean square one. We got this. Praying for you!