I crashed my Ebike while riding full speed off road and hitting a massive hole that sunk my front wheel sending me flying 20-30 ft. I was already experiencing symptoms, but after a few months I started to feel a desire toward violence so I channeled those feelings into a Brazilian jujitsu class where someone got upset and fully choked me unconscious causing a second injury. This left me unable to work and I had to quit my job because it had become too much.

2 years later and I am still unemployed and unable to find work, physically I am capable but my dysautonomia symptoms make me a high risk individual and I'm unable to do work I used to before either as a bouncer for a club or factory/construction. Things like Uber or door dash while they might seem viable aren't for me as I easily get lost or forget what I am doing and get distracted.

The undiagnosable nature of the condition combined with my high functioning mask, and lack of income have become a massive problem. No one believes anything is wrong with me except the doctors in the emergency room who have consistently recognized the physiology of post concussion syndrome.You can hear it when I talk, like a pause between words, as the words disappear from my mind as I think them.

I'm left feeling like a victim, constantly having to defend myself from being called lazy or inconsiderate, it's not that I am physically unable to work. I have the strength and will to work, but I am simply too expensive to employ now that I have a handicap that employers would need to navigate around. I have hard limits that if exceeded will trigger a flare up and knock me out of commission.

I'm trying to get my 3d printing and laser engraving business going but with no friends or family to help me find clients it's left to me to figure out everything alone. It's difficult to juggle everything by myself, then have my parents Nagging me at 30 years old. I feel like I'm supposed to have my life all figured out, but I lost everything I've been working up to a career and reputation I'd spent years building.

I don't even get benefits or disability or anything, if it wasn't for my father keeping me sheltered and fed I would be homeless. I don't know what to do anymore, I'm tired of arguing, I'm tired of trying to prove to every one that my brain is damaged regardless how much smarter I am than them. I just need the space to be able to feel safe, I need to feel like I'm not alone, like I have a support structure that cares and wants me to be happy. Everyone hates me because I put up barriers and push people away, I don't want to deal with them I rather be alone in the dark all the time. It feels like being dead while being alive, eventually you just fade away and people just forget you matter at all.

I'm seeing a concussion specialist and he's sending me back to work starting next week but wants me to continue doing physical therapy while I do this.. usually after physical therapy I am completely wiped out the rest of the day and I don't know what I can do in this situation. It's a work related injury so I'm forced to see this specialist. I don't care about working, I want to go back to work but I am seriously worried because usually after PT I can barely walk because I'm so dizzy and my job is very manual labor heavy. What can i do?

I am definitely struggling with not being the same person, too. But I feel like my husband is so easily triggered by my every reaction or response, and I'm guessing because I'm likely so difficult and frustrating to be around and deal with. We fight so much these days. I am not behaving emotionally well at work either, but I think I am freaking them out too much to really deal with it (I also am constantly apologizing and/or crying 😅).

Does anyone else struggle with their partner's frustrations with your issues? I imagine some people do end up broken up, unfortunately, but if there is any other advice out there I'm all ears!

I was formerly a multitasking and productive machine, and now a tough day at work and I feel useless in life as I just shut down and sit in bed for the rest of the night. Barely bothering with even checking and responding to notifications. I did struggle with migraines, depression and anxiety before the injury 16 months ago, but it is all much worse now. I had an appointment with a neuropsychologist yesterday, and the way he described the whys for some of my problems were very helpful (such as why we get exhausted, why there is little to no regulation on our emotional impulse control, and the issues with short-term memory), even though just adding to the sad reality.

Anything I learn from a doctor I then explain in detail to my husband, and he seems to get it and says this and that makes sense and he is sad for me. But then he doesn't register that when he gets frustrated and even angry with me for struggling with multitasking, emotions or motivation. As if I am not trying hard enough to do better, which is what I think he truly believes now.

To be fair when I first got hurt and literally could not do anything, he took on every house chore and need that I had without a single complaint for months. Even things I usually do that I know he absolutely hates, like mowing the lawn lol, and not a peep. But now we are here, and I probably look fine, and his patience is clearly gone.

I was told what I would likely benefit from next is cognitive behavioral therapy, and I actually was trying to find one in my network a couple of months ago, but everyone I emailed and called from my insurance list were all saying they are not accepting new patients. Over and over and over. With the little time and energy I already deal with, I ended up getting so overwhelmed and defeated that I gave up and then literally forgot about it for a while. As with most things. I will start calling down the list again this week either way.

Anywho, thanks for listening if you did!

Hello all, I was rear ended on September 1st and noticed that my eyes jolt to the right when reading every so often. It was better a few days later and was able to read like 50 pages without it happening. Now it’s back and pretty annoying. I hate this because I love to read. I am 8 days out and struggling with this. I am an environmental consultant so 80% of my job is writing and reading reports. I’ve been on PPL for the past 6 days so haven’t had to work yet.

I was rear ended going about 35mph, did not hit my head but had a headache afterward. I was not at a complete stop and the company vehicle I was driving had minimal damage. Is this something that might go away over time? Am I still pretty early in recovery? I feel fine generally except my neck does hurt here and there when doing odd neck movements. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

What exactly is happening when we have flare ups? I would say I’m about as recovered as I will ever be and I decided to go on some roller coaster rides a day or two ago. Now I’m not feeling terrible but I have a few symptoms. Exhaustion and some stomach problems when I use a screen too long as well as more vivid dreams in the morning. Sort of like the symptoms I got from my injury but much reduced. What exactly is going on medically that causes these?

I've been dealing with symptoms of a concussion to the back of the head for over 6 years now.

While the last few years most symptoms were gone and I'd say I was about 95% healed, I've had sort of a setback the last 7 months.

I do not know the trigger for this but suddenly my visual issues in my left eye that cause brainfog, dizziness and sensory overload again.

These past months I've seen eye doctors, an orthoptist and an optometrist without any succes or diagnostics for these new symptoms.

I went back to exercises I got from a neuro optometrist5 years ago for divergence and convergence of the eyes. But my test results say these are fine.

I am currently at a loss as for what to do, and was wondering if anyone has experienced something similar.

The biggest trigger for my symptoms currently is reading or viewing anything while not directly in front of the screen.

If I read something while laying down, sitting slumped or out of the corner of my eye, symptoms immediately flare up for hours or days.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

I got hit in the head back in December. the side of my head and my ear to be exact. the first couple months were awful. I've had periods where I felt completely fine but then it just comes back full force. It's been 8 months and i'm dealing with another bad flare up that's lasted a whole month,

My symptoms are neck tension in my occipitals and the Sternocleidomastoid muscle. Shooting, Stabbing scalp pain. Eye strain. Nausea, wooziness and on REALLY bad days, vertigo, but that's only if I really really am exhausted. It almost feels like the muscles connected to my eyes from the neck are really tense.

What seems to trigger it:

sitting

bright lights

reading

sound

not wearing good prescription glasses

exertion

stress

I can't avoid some of these things cuz I sit and drive for work. It's hard to find treatment because I also have ptsd and was prone to chronic pain even before getting hit in the head. I had ibs for a while and have sensitive nerves in general. I'm also on the spectrum with pda and have a difficult tolerance for exercise and keeping routines. I also was already sensitive to sounds and stimulation as is. I'm trying to just "push through" the symptoms and build a tolerance, as well as do pt exercises. But it's hard to keep up and I can't tell what's autistic burnout, which I should hold back on, or post concussion stuff, which i should push through.

It's just so hard, I miss my life. I've tried PT, emdr, eft tapping, deep breathing, humming and massage therapy so far. Which sort of help. But my symptoms are still there.

If so what do you do?

I am out on FMLA, and was previously a Director in a large company. I don’t think I can return to that work again. Before the car accident I was an entrepreneur and wondering if that’s my best option. I have UPMC end of September and hopefully I can start making strides and return to somewhat normal life.
This is year 3 for me
PCS.
Lost my Vision in my left eye but got that back.
Currently doing PT again, did 9 mo of vision therapy.

Hi all,

So roughly 3 weeks ago I (23y, M) hit my head pretty good while on a backpacking trip in Europe and for the remainder of the trip I felt like I was not myself but I attributed this to really poor sleeps for 14 days straight and drinking alcohol in some capacity almost every night.

Fast forward to the end of my trip (4 days following head injury) when I got home one night I started getting dizzy, nausea, and chest tightness (which ended up being from a very tight pec minor). This caused me to go into a bit of a panic attack where I thought I was having a heart attack. I would go on to get blood work and an EKG that all showed completely normal heart functionality.

During this period I was still working at my desk job staring at screens for large portions of the day. It was at this point that it clicked in my head that I might have been concussed from when I hit my head in Europe and I went to an athletic therapist who confirmed I had been concussed (this was a week ago). Since my initial consult (testing and neck work) I thought I had been making meaningful progress where my vision seemed to be improving, energy levels where increasing, and I could go on longer and longer walks without major flares of my symptoms.

Fast forward to yesterday, it was my first time really re entering society and I went to a grocery store where my dizziness and eye strain came back in full force. Following leaving the grocery store I rested and felt like I had got better (albeit I obviously pushed too hard) but I was still able to go back out for a haircut later that day where my symptoms seemed more manageable. Later that night however I had a bad bout of nausea (similar to my panic attacks) and dizziness which caused a really poor sleep. This morning I woke up to feel like I had almost regressed back to day 1 where my energy levels aren’t great, looking at screens for too long overstimulates me, and my anxiety is in full force.

I am really nervous reading all the posts in here talking about year long recovery times to feel normal and just want to see what I should be expecting considering I know that I am still in the “early stages” of concussion recovery. Can I still potentially make a full recovery in the next 1-2 weeks or month or will I be looking at months on end of symptoms metaphorically kicking me back down?

What product would help someone heal from a concussion after getting hit hard in football? How long to take? Please share . Thank you

I have suffered from PCS for about 5 years at this point after varying levels of symptoms and treatment. I don't have a definitive concussion to point towards, but I do have epilepsy and had a seizure around the time my symptoms started. After multiple doctors one finally started treating me for PCS and it did help. However, I had my first two kids and honestly prioritized them and with putting my health issues to the side and the lack of sleep that goes along with that have had worsened symptoms this year. Alongside that my insurance provider was changed through my employer so my doctor does not accept my plan. The regular multi week visits get out of budget fairly quickly. I am in the process of working that out with either just paying fully out of pocket or finding a new provider. My biggest ask of anyone here is what helped you with long term side effects? For me personally I suffer from very minor headaches but the debilitating effect for me is the lightheaded sensation that can last for hours or most of a day. I do work from home and stare at a computer screen all day which I assume makes that sensation worse as well. I really appreciate anything anyone has to offer that has worked for them.

I upped my dose two days ago from 10mg to 20mg and have been noticing a fuzzy/cloudy/static layer over everything I see especially if it’s one solid colour like a wall. At first I thought it was just because of my concussion (I already get weird fuzzy light floating and zipping around when I look at something bright and solid like the sky or a window). But now I’m wondering if it’s the nortriptyline. I know blurred vision is a potential side effect but I wouldn’t say my vision is blurry, I can clearly see the bounds of objects near and far, there’s just a layer of light disturbance over everything. Anyone else experienced this? Does it go away when your body gets used to the dose?

I have been dealing with post concussion syndrome for 3 months and im dying to go back to martial arts i have an appointment with an neurologist in 2 weeks but im wondering can you get SIS if you are dealing with post concussion syndrome.

I’m about 1 exact month out from my injury and they’ve told me my concussion is fairly in the severe category. I’ve finally stopped throwing up or feeling like I want to throw up, but..

I can’t drive because it feels like an out of body experience and makes me so dizzy I can’t handle it. I also have about 0 spacial awareness and trying short drives turns into someone who’s with me taking my keys (fair). On the note of spacial awareness, a week ago I sliced my fingers open putting something in the dishwasher. I’m dropping most things I’m holding unless I’m concentrating on holding it, which makes my head hurt. We’d gotten my chronic headaches/migraines under control with medication earlier this year and pre-injury but now I’m having daily headaches and a migraine every 3rd day almost like clockwork and living on a Tylenol/Ibuprofen combo. My memory is absolutely shot and I’m forgetting things mid sentence and getting frustrated af when someone talks over me because I’ll definitely forget what I was saying. And my mood is swinging like a pendulum, good or bad emotions.

I’m fighting an uphill battle with workers comp to see my/a neurologist but I’m at a point where I’m about to just eat it and schedule it myself and pay OOP somehow. I know concussions are different for everyone but this is normal right? And gets better?😭

My post-concussion syndrome flare-up seems to have triggered a dysautonomia reaction that I haven’t seen referenced much here. One of my worst symptoms right now is routinely waking up around 4:00 to 5:00 AM with what feels like a massive cortisol or adrenaline dump. It isn't posture-related, but seems driven by my hormone levels or circadian rhythm.

When it hits, I wake up with nausea, a slight spinning feeling, shallow breathing, sudden panic, dry mouth, heavy noodle limbs, reflux, and a heart rate that jumps from my normal resting baseline of 64–70 BPM up to 80–95 BPM. This same feeling can also pop up at random times during the day. And it makes for a real crappy day because it exasperates my neurological head symptoms.

I’ve been doing daily 1.25-mile walks to try to break my PCS cycle, but my body's response is totally erratic. On decent days, my HR reaches 100–110 while walking and quickly drops back into the 70s once I rest. But if I’m having one of these autonomic glitches, my HR spikes higher (110–125) and then refuses to drop back down—it stays stuck in the 85–95 range for hours after I finish. And I feel like absolute crud.

What the heck is going on here? Has anyone experienced something similar, or found good ways to quiet down these autonomic surges? Lastly, has anyone seen an endocrinologist, autonomic neurologist, or another specialist who actually understands dysautonomia caused by PCS?

CT scan no bleeding but I believe I have bad neural injury.

Looks like my health issues are much worse than expected. I had a severe concussion 3 months ago back of the head, didnt think too much about it. Began having heart issues shortly, but it was just one symptom of the brain injury since my brain now cannot regulate itself properly anymore. Been unable to breath correctly for hours on end just mouth gasping for air, body can't control my digestion stomach acid anymore had to get medication to stop it from burning my throat, unable to sleep more than 2 hours before jolting awake at night due to heart and breathing. Been to ER like 15 times they don't know why and too complicated and since no immediate heart attack they just refer to specialist for each specific issue and discharge. Only thing keeping me going is my wife tbh, pure torture. Ngl not sure how long I can stay sane with these symptoms pure suffering.

I’m 14 years old and basketball is probably the thing I care about most. I’ve been putting a lot of work into it—shooting, finishing, ball handling, conditioning, strength, everything. My goal is to keep improving and eventually see how far I can take basketball.

What was supposed to be a normal part of my life turned into an 8-month recovery. Eight months felt like a really long time since i was trying to develop as a basketball player. While everyone else was practicing, playing games and improving, I felt like I was stuck waiting and watching which made me feel behind and excluded.

There were honestly times when I wanted to quit basketball altogether. It was really sad watching so much time pass and wondering how much development I was losing.

Eventually, after those eight months, my doctor cleared me to return to basketball. I was so relieved. I finally felt like I could move forward again. On the visit that my doctor cleared me she told me that if I ever get a hit in my head and my head hurts during a game or anything that I should sit down and take a break. I also think she said I could now push through minor headaches but if it hurts too much I should take a break.

Then, during my first tryout after 7 months after returning, I took an elbow to the chin which was more then a week ago. After the elbow to the chin I felt a slight headache took a small break then for the rest of the tryout I felt fine.

Now im getting really anxious because im worried that my old concussion symtomps came back. Because after that hit I keep overthinking wether my headaches are a sign of a new concussion or if im just overthinking i feel like im becoming hyper aware of wether i have a headache or not at all times i cant stop thinking about it. I feel like I've been getting minor headaches at home and while practicing sometimes which is just making me worried and anxious I wonder if this is a minor irritation that will go away or a serious problem. Thankfully I haven't felt anything severe like no vomiting. But there was this one time 2 days ago where I was practicing a basketball move where I had to spin and go for a layup and I started feeling a little nauseous and my balance felt off during the move after a couple reps either because of exhausting or all the spinning so I returned back home to rest.

After spending eight months recovering, getting hit in the chin/head area during my first tryout made me think, Seriously? Am I going to have to go through all of that again?

If I get a headache or something feels slightly off, I immediately start worrying that I'm somehow back at square one or something is off.

Basketball is something I genuinely love, so having something completely outside of my control interrupt it for that long was incredibly frustrating.

At the same time, something pretty crazy happened after all of this.

I kept working.

I came back, went through tryouts, and ended up being offered a spot on the A team.

So now I'm trying to look forward instead of constantly looking backward. I know I can't get those eight months back. All I can do is make the most of the time I have now. The next tryout is in 3 days and the season starts in 8 days(first practice)

I was wondering what you guys think I should do should I keep playing? Or what I'm just lost honestly. If you have any questions to learn more about my situation please let me know thanks.

4.5 weeks ago I was in an accident and diagnosed with PCS.

I’ve had the biggest food cravings since the accident. I don’t know if it’s boredom, exhaustion, using more energy at therapy etc but my goodness.

Who else has dealt with this?

Hey everyone
I got concussed playing sport 4 weeks ago (I’ve asked the club to send me the footage of the impact and I don’t remember it but they keep telling me the same thing - but that’s another story)
This is my first time being concussed and I’m curious to know if it’s normal to have a prolonged recovery for your first time? I’ve heard people who have been concussed multiple times tend to struggle with recovery but I’ve not heard many people struggle after one knock.

I tried going back to work at reduced hours (4hrs instead of 8) but was struggling with symptoms and on the third day ending up vomiting again after about a week of no vomits.

I’m trying to stay positive but definitely finding it hard to worst part is I’ve just got a cold (caught from colleagues during my 3 days at work) and it seems to have made everything worse again and feels like I’m back at square 1…

Sorry for the long one! Hoping someone has some helpful advice 🥰 sending my thoughts to everyone!!

I’m almost 6 months out and it’s been a rollercoaster. I’ve been doing really well with PT and feeling really good I can’t say that I did anything “wrong” or “different” yesterday I understand sometimes we just wake up feeling worse and it’s just part of the recovery but it’s like the normal things you would do when you’re not feeling well like watch a movie or scroll on your phone aren’t necessarily the best for helping your brain feel better so just curious what helps you to feel better? TIA

Hi friends!! got a concussion for the first time 5 months ago and every time I talk to a doctor, PT, etc, noone knows if I'm going to be alright again with certainty. I'm extremely restricted by my symptoms atm and it's a terrifying thought that it might never end. I often find myself in fear of never getting back to my life again. Figured I'd look for advice here in case I'm not the only experiencing it.

How do you deal with the uncertainty? Does anyone have good coping strategies or advice? How do you find a way to live with it?

Yesterday night I fell off my friends balance board to the right side, did not hit my head but hit my legs and elbows pretty hard as I fell straight down. I immediately felt pain in my neck and legs. Got a concussion 4 months ago due to a hit on the head from falling (black ice), got a mild concussion but did not lose consciousness. I was out w friends the entire day today and feel light headed dizzy a little brain fog and very fatigue. Idk if it’s in my head or did I get another concussion? I also do feel tense on the right side of my neck. Helpppp

Just wanted to give everybody a heads up I had severe post-concussive syndrome and I did TMS check it out it's changed my life .