“Drinking too much caffeine restricts blood flow to the brain and dehydrates it” – dr. amen
ditch the coffee if you have a concussion
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A concussion-friendly site for optimizing your recovery.
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I just had a severe concussion. It has been 5 weeks. I passed out and then fell and hit my head very hard. I was unconscious for a day and a half and stayed in the hospital for 3 days. After 4 weeks I tried to go to work but only made it for 2 days. I can not concentrate, I do not like noise and I have headaches and pressure in my head. I am frustrated and feel a lot of anxiety. I just read the articles about diet and rest. Am I rushing to get back to normal. I am 59 and not used to doing nothing but sleeping. What should I expect.
Hi Steve,
It sounds like you are trying to get back to normal way too fast, especially since you were knocked out! This can set you back.
I’m recovering from a mild TBI, 5 months in and have seen the best specialists in my area. I’m lucky to have one in particular who Dr. Mary Ann Keatley who’s been working to help rehab brain injury patients for over 20 years and runs the brain injury for hope foundation. She co-wrote two books called “Understanding Mild Traumatic Brain Injury” and “Recovering from MTBI” which you and your family might find helpful. In them she talks about the process, and how long it can take to recover, sometimes up to two years or more depending on severity and age.
There’s really good information on this blog about which supplements to start, but rest, going “dark” no screens, brain strain etc. will be helpful. Also put ice packs on the back of your neck. This will help slow down the blood flow to the base of your brain, potentially giving you some relief.
My eyes were also affected by my trauma, so I had to get special glasses. The symptoms of getting a headache after reading for 15 -20 mins pointed me in that direction, and then cognitive testing further indicated something happened to my eyes.
I got special ear filters (fitted ones ER 15/25) by an audiologist to dampen background sound and still enable me to hear conversations. A soft pair you can get at the store works well to block out most sound, especially with a pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones. I tried a cheaper alternative which didn’t work nearly as well. They’re worth it when you have an MTBI.
I can also say the one thing that has helped the MOST with alleviating the constant headaches and put me on the path to recovery is receiving hyperbaric oxygen treatments. It’s an “off label” therapy, as my Dr. described it. It’s legal for her to prescribe, it’s just that insurance companies usually don’t cover it, since the FDA hasn’t approved it to treat TBI yet, even though it’s the one thing that most TBI patients find gives them the most relief. You can visit http://www.HBOT.com for some research.
Apply for disability from your company if you haven’t already, because unfortunately this injury can take a long time to heal from. Social Security Disability may also be another option down the road.
Eventually, you may need to consider cognitive therapy, where the therapist can give you some test to see which parts of your cognition were affected, and develop a rehab plan for you to get back what you’ve lost. I’ve just started this therapy.
Hope the above helps!
Best wishes on your recovery & journey.
Great tips!! Thank you for responding & sharing your success!
-Lucy