Concussion Advice

[RAZRr1275]

I wound up getting jumped and mugged and got a minor concussion (neurologist said I'd be down for a week or two). Brain fog is mostly gone but still a little noise sensitive. Any tips for recovery? When can I start doing things like concerts or minor cardio again? Everything I'm seeing is all over the place in terms of taking it super slowly vs trying new things once symptom free at a certain level. I don't want to screw this up by taking things too quickly but I'm also used to a pretty active lifestyle so its kinda soul sucking to do nothing.

[Jr.]

Quote: Originally Posted by RAZRr1275

I wound up getting jumped and mugged and got a minor concussion (neurologist said I'd be down for a week or two). Brain fog is mostly gone but still a little noise sensitive. Any tips for recovery? When can I start doing things like concerts or minor cardio again? Everything I'm seeing is all over the place in terms of taking it super slowly vs trying new things once symptom free at a certain level. I don't want to screw this up by taking things too quickly but I'm also used to a pretty active lifestyle so its kinda soul sucking to do nothing.

If you have health insurance, you should be able to see a PT that can help get you back to activity. There is a protocol they should be able to follow that builds up the activity over a week or so.

First thing is being completely symptom free through a cognitively normal day (whatever normal is for you, not including physical activity). Once you can do that, then you start building up physical activity and checking how you feel.

The hard part about concussions is that people respond differently to different levels of activity and recovery rates can range pretty widely.

[Blzer]

^ QFT

My first concussion lasted a month. Couldn't easily drive or hear loud noises for that one. After it was over, though, I was fine. I was completely free of any such symptoms.

Then four years ago, I got another concussion. To this day and as I type this post, I still have PCS (post-concussion syndrome) and experience several issues. Many of them have to do with bright, blue screens. Others have to do with rapid head movements, etc. I can't play baseball for fear of getting hit in the head at bat or on the base paths, but I play slow pitch softball... and when I do, any head-first dives that I have attempted cause a jolt in my head that I can't recover from for at least ten minutes or so. Haven't rode a roller coaster, gone skiing, or anything since. I've also limited body-surfing while at the beach. Any time I watch a boxing movie, I sit and think to myself: "One light blow like that and I'm dead." It has changed my life. It makes me think: "This is what Mike Matheny experiences. This is why he had to retire." I operate normally as if nothing is wrong, but I feel slightly foggy/hazy every waking moment of my life now.

Everyone's concussions are different, but the first part is that the brain has to heal. You have to first become concussion-free, whatever the hell that means. That means lots of rest, lots of sleep, stay away from bright screens and loud noises, etc. After it has healed, you are supposed to do with it as you would do with any other injury: rehabilitate. Slowly start getting back into things. Sleep less than too much, try some brain activity, do some walking, etc. Work it up more from there. Two years ago, I would have laughed in your face if you asked me to try and do some running. Last year, I mustered the ability to start long-distance running again. I guess my body can do that now. I have also gone to a couple of concerts as well. Anyway, ultimately it's better to be safe than sorry. Take two weeks well, well off of anything that would be described as "too much." I never took time off work, and I think that hurt me considerably.

The way my neurologist put it is that "There is no physical damage to note of, and the brain simply thinks that there is pain so it tells you that there is." I don't know, concussions are tricky and that's why CTE can only be diagnosed postmortem. Basically though, what he was telling me is that the rehabilitation is to get my brain to work out the kinks and get it to train and not receive signals to tell you that there is pain anymore. I don't really know if I believe him, because it's been a couple of years with this. I have learned to live with it, though.

I just hope you don't get a second concussion though, man. That's probably what did me in.

[RAZRr1275]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jr.

If you have health insurance, you should be able to see a PT that can help get you back to activity. There is a protocol they should be able to follow that builds up the activity over a week or so. First thing is being completely symptom free through a cognitively normal day (whatever normal is for you, not including physical activity). Once you can do that, then you start building up physical activity and checking how you feel. The hard part about concussions is that people respond differently to different levels of activity and recovery rates can range pretty widely.

Quote: Originally Posted by Blzer

^ QFT My first concussion lasted a month. Couldn't easily drive or hear loud noises for that one. After it was over, though, I was fine. I was completely free of any such symptoms. Then four years ago, I got another concussion. To this day and as I type this post, I still have PCS (post-concussion syndrome) and experience several issues. Many of them have to do with bright, blue screens. Others have to do with rapid head movements, etc. I can't play baseball for fear of getting hit in the head at bat or on the base paths, but I play slow pitch softball... and when I do, any head-first dives that I have attempted cause a jolt in my head that I can't recover from for at least ten minutes or so. Haven't rode a roller coaster, gone skiing, or anything since. I've also limited body-surfing while at the beach. Any time I watch a boxing movie, I sit and think to myself: "One light blow like that and I'm dead." It has changed my life. It makes me think: "This is what Mike Matheny experiences. This is why he had to retire." I operate normally as if nothing is wrong, but I feel slightly foggy/hazy every waking moment of my life now. Everyone's concussions are different, but the first part is that the brain has to heal. You have to first become concussion-free, whatever the hell that means. That means lots of rest, lots of sleep, stay away from bright screens and loud noises, etc. After it has healed, you are supposed to do with it as you would do with any other injury: rehabilitate. Slowly start getting back into things. Sleep less than too much, try some brain activity, do some walking, etc. Work it up more from there. Two years ago, I would have laughed in your face if you asked me to try and do some running. Last year, I mustered the ability to start long-distance running again. I guess my body can do that now. I have also gone to a couple of concerts as well. Anyway, ultimately it's better to be safe than sorry. Take two weeks well, well off of anything that would be described as "too much." I never took time off work, and I think that hurt me considerably. The way my neurologist put it is that "There is no physical damage to note of, and the brain simply thinks that there is pain so it tells you that there is." I don't know, concussions are tricky and that's why CTE can only be diagnosed postmortem. Basically though, what he was telling me is that the rehabilitation is to get my brain to work out the kinks and get it to train and not receive signals to tell you that there is pain anymore. I don't really know if I believe him, because it's been a couple of years with this. I have learned to live with it, though. I just hope you don't get a second concussion though, man. That's probably what did me in.

Thanks! I'm one week in now and spent most of that period in bed 16-18 hrs a day with maybe 5-6 hrs screen time with flux only with minimal lights and only podcasts with headphones on no music. Now that I'm 7 days in I'm trying more time awake and just put some music on today after I realied I could take 30 secs of someone laying on their horn outside with no headache although I did get some of the neurologist you had was saying and cringed in advance anticipating one that never came. I'm starting to go a little stir crazy so I think I might try going outside with shades over the next few days and maybe a show on Saturday or next weekend if I'm feeling up to it. The only thing that's hard to evaluate is brain fog since I have some other mental health stuff that makes that pretty normal for me so its hard to tease out what could be that vs concussion so I'm going mostly by things like memory and response to stimuli in terms of how much better I'm getting. Today felt pretty normal in terms of getting through a standard day. Listened to some music, had screen time slightly less than normal but not by too much and no headaches or noticeable extra brain fog so I think I'm starting to come back. I'm kinda going by what caused me to go to the ER in the first place as a guide for what needs to get better. I got KOd so I couldn't remember the first couple hours before or after the event very well and **** like lights and soft music was driving me mad. So I guess I'm in the rehab phase. Gonna try to ramp up lights/music and try my screen without f.lux on in the next few days and then go outside with shades on to get my phone activated and see how that feels. It kinda sucks since I also skinned my knee as well and my face is pretty scraped up so it's hard for me to figure out how my balance is and my face is setting off some body image stuff that's not really making me want to go outside (pretty sure i asked the doctor if my face was going to scar more than i asked about if the concussion was going to **** me for life lmao)

[Blzer]

Did you get a CT scan and an MRI? Just curious if anything showed up on those.

I wouldn't rush anything like a concert, man. That's intense and prolonged. Rehab doesn't work that way. You can't just say: "Yeah I think I feel good," and throw nine innings in the World Series. I would take it very slowly. It took me six months after my second concussion to finally decide that I was no longer actually concussed. And like I said, the first one took a month. You have to consider the importance of your brain and your life in the long run here.

[RAZRr1275]

Quote: Originally Posted by Blzer

Did you get a CT scan and an MRI? Just curious if anything showed up on those. I wouldn't rush anything like a concert, man. That's intense and prolonged. Rehab doesn't work that way. You can't just say: "Yeah I think I feel good," and throw nine innings in the World Series. I would take it very slowly. It took me six months after my second concussion to finally decide that I was no longer actually concussed. And like I said, the first one took a month. You have to consider the importance of your brain and your life in the long run here.

I didn't get a MRI but I did get a CT scan and it turned up clean.



I'll hold off until like a month or so in before I try that then. You're right I shouldn't take too many chances. I guess I need to figure out a different social routine so that I'm still seeing people without being reliant on the music scene.

[SuperBowlNachos]

I got a concussion about 2 years ago. I have no memory for about 5-6 hours. A couple before and after the event. For a little while after I had no memory of the previous two weeks. Stay off your phone and computer as much as you can. One thing I read online was that omega 3 could help brain health overall. Who knows if it's actually true, but really omega 3 has real health benefits. So I picked up a bottle of fish oil pills. They are cheap, what could it hurt?

I started doing cardio after a 8 days. I was back to feeling 100% after about 7. I can't comprehend how NFL players are back playing football so soon. I was lucky that it didn't linger for a month. I did go alcohol free the entire month after though.

Also, RIP to your wallet. I think my trip to the ER cost about $3600 total. Luckily I had decent insurance. I broke my nose too which I didn't noticed until it was too late. It's still off center, but not enough to affect my breathing or make it worth re-breaking to correct and fix.

[RAZRr1275]

Quote: Originally Posted by SuperBowlNachos

I got a concussion about 2 years ago. I have no memory for about 5-6 hours. A couple before and after the event. For a little while after I had no memory of the previous two weeks. Stay off your phone and computer as much as you can. One thing I read online was that omega 3 could help brain health overall. Who knows if it's actually true, but really omega 3 has real health benefits. So I picked up a bottle of fish oil pills. They are cheap, what could it hurt? I started doing cardio after a 8 days. I was back to feeling 100% after about 7. I can't comprehend how NFL players are back playing football so soon. I was lucky that it didn't linger for a month. I did go alcohol free the entire month after though. Also, RIP to your wallet. I think my trip to the ER cost about $3600 total. Luckily I had decent insurance. I broke my nose too which I didn't noticed until it was too late. It's still off center, but not enough to affect my breathing or make it worth re-breaking to correct and fix.

Luckily they said they're going to drop the bill since it was the result of a crime.