unusual post-concussion headache

I am a new member. I have a history of multiple concussions which I have always been able to recover from with rest and a slow return to activity. However, for the past 6 months, since a failed attempt to return to work, I have not been able to get over my constant headache. The unusual thing is any physical or mental activity, even talking or listening, will spike my headache to intolerable level. Doctors are puzzled. I am wondering if tms could be involved since these symptoms occurred shortly after a breakup and while starting my first serious job, getting my first car, and setting up my first apartment.

 

Julia32 when you say you have had multiple concussions, have you been cleared from these incidents. I assume you are young and maybe you had them while playing sports at your school. Anyway, we can start here, let me know, bless you.

 

Eric, I am not sure what you mean by "cleared." I am 32 years old - my first two concussions were from playing basketball in graduate school, the 3rd and 4th happened after I was in the work force. I am now severely incapacitated, unable to work, or even walk, talk for very long, read, or see any electronic screens. My life is not worth living at this point

 

Hi Julia: I hope you are hanging in there. My daughter had a concussion and had to hide out for many months as well. It is very difficult to get good help from doctors on recovery from concussions. My suggestion is you find a doctor who is very experienced with concussions. They can tell you how to get back into activity, gradually. Also, a turning point for her was after I saw the Sidney Crosby (hockey player who had a concussion) interview. Here is a link to the interview: http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV Shows/The National/ID/2404163337/ There is also a magazine article with more detail: http://www.macleans.ca/society/rebuilding-crosbys-brain/ The article mentions that he saw a neurological chiropractor. After finding this info we found a neurological chiropractor only 2 hours away. My daughter started seeing him and she improved rapidly for a period of time. Another famous person with concussions is Tom Shadyac. He turned his life around after recovering from his concussion. When you do recover from the pain there is a lot to live for, so don't give up on yourself.

As far as TMS goes, I asked Steve O. one day if he thought concussions were TMS, he suggested I ask Marc Sopher. So I emailed Marc and he did respond to me. I would suggest you do the same, or ask any other TMS therapist or specialist.

Good luck and keep on plugging away.

 

Julia, is all of this due to headaches? cause if it is, the tms approach will not harm you if you try it, its about not fearing the symptoms or focusing on the symptoms.
It's about not feeling sad for yourself and believing their is going to be a light at the end of the tunnel.
It's about learning to live again with 1 small step at a time.

Do you let the thoughts of these symptoms stay with you your every waking moment, if so you are feeding the pain.
Can you not talk due to headaches or something else?
Your case is unusual but we were all unusual at some point in our life, you cant let that stop you from believing in recovery. We will go from here if you wish. Peggy gave some great advice too.
Bless you

 

Thanks Peggy and Eric for your helpful responses.

Peggy, the hockey player has an interesting story but I am more interested in the personal story of how much the functional neurologist helped your daughter. I have located a functional neurologist not too far away and had actually made a couple of appointments with him but then cancelled when I felt my headache would not allow me to benefit from them.

Eric, yes the headache is my main problem. The bad thing is that any activity, including walking, talking more than a few minutes, or listening to people talk or even music, will make my headaches worse. I am obsessed with the headaches right now because they control my life - my life has been brought to a standstill because of them.

I cannot read or use the computer, but my mother, who is taking care of me, reads me the information here and types my posts in for me. She has also read the Divided Mind and shared all relevant information with me. I have spent the past week thinking about possible stressors that could be causing the headache to continue non-stop for the past 7 months. I would like to go to psychotherapy, but since I cannot talk, i don't know when that can happen.

I definitely feel trapped. I appreciate your help and concern.

 

Julia: I know it's hard to figure things out when your brain isn't working. My daughter (who had the concussion) said things get a lot better when she gave up trying and just went with it. She must of given up on being frustrated as well. I am sure most of the TMS'ers on this forum understand that feeling as well. I spent at lot of time in my bed for 2 years. I drew a lot of Ohm signs. That was my thing when I was bored and didn't feel like reading.

My daughter started seeing the chiropractic neurologist after she was somewhat better. She could drive there and back. She could function a lot better after seeing this guy. Her recovery plateaued after a month or two and she stopped going. It has been a year and a half since her injury (a ball had hit her head playing soccer). She functions quite well, but can't jog for over 5 minutes or she gets a headache. I personally think TMS techniques would help her at this stage. I wonder if the headaches have become a conditioned response. As far as TMS goes, I don't know what could be wrong with releasing pent up emotions. My daughter doesn't listen to me when it comes to TMS. She needs to find her own way. Our journey to TMS recovery can be a long and winding path, where we just don't get things for a long while then one day it hits us, and we find what we need to recover.

 

It Is hard to find the right doctor. When i brought my son back to live with me, the first place we sought care was from a concussion specialist who was considered one of the best. However, he said he could not treat Joe because he said his symptoms were no longer from concussion syndrome but were from chronic headache. So we went to the headache neurologist he recommended but he had no clue to investigate what joe has.

Joe did try talking much longer than usual Monday night when a friend visited to see if the tms idea would work.it didn't and now he said he has a relapse and is refusing to increase walking and talking until he feels better.

 

Dear Julia,
I deal with a lot of concussions through my job. I am the nurse at a boarding school and we have seen many students through concussions. We bring them to a CONCUSSION SPECIALIST. The effects of concussions is cumulative, the more you sustain the more serious it is. I strongly urge you to find a physician who specializes in this area.
Could it be TMS? Maybe the anxiousness about it is adding to your symptoms but again, I strongly urge you to see a specialist. What you are describing are classic symptoms of multiple concussions.
Keep us posted.
I will pray for you.
Yours, Angel

 

Angel, we have talked (and visited one) to several of the leading concussion clinics in the East and all have said they cannot treat my son because his symptoms are not typical of post-concussion syndrome. What he has, we do not know. Headaches, all the time, no matter what he does or doesn't do. When he feels "better" our next step is to get the myelogram the headache specialist recommended, to rule out a spinal fluid leak, and other issues that can be identified through this test. After that, we don't know. And I don't know when my son will say he feels "well enough" to do the test.