Concussion and pain

I had a moderate TBI 33 years ago and noticed that my filters were damaged. I couldn't block noise or other sensory input as well as before due to the brain trauma. I'm still a bit sensitive to noise but everything else normalized through time. Does you medical provider include cognitive pain management, retraining the brain to compartmentalize it so that it doesn't hit you as hard? Having the fibromyalgia pain and inflammation slapping you around would be hard. I hope your support team can give you the pain and emotional care that is needed.

When I had my first Epilepsy seizure at about 45 years old the neurologist did an MRI and whatever else it is called when they can see your brain and saw a clump of veins that could bleed out. They listed it as a TBI even though I don't remember hitting my head and my mother said, "not that I (she) could recall". 3 months later, the neurosurgeon went into my brain and glued the clump together. 5 days later, they went in to my brain and cut the clump out. It was an 8 hour surgery that left me with a vision impairment, memory problems and other problems. I can no longer work and have to live on $300/month after rent is paid. Get your brain checked out because if you have a brain bleed, you will have big problems if you live.
P.S. Thanks Canada for keeping Disabled people in poverty.

Crawford,
I’ve been there 12 years ago from riding my bicycle that stopped the front cycle blocked that moved from the bicycle to my brain… it hit me. It took me for the yeas, I stard to eat food, talk again with my family, walk again and on…

Having a TBI is maybe a different way than others. Even today my memory was lost from that accident. Now, I lost 80% of my ability of working at my City or driving to stores or going to a doctor… thankfully, I have my great wife,… 😇

@kayabbott

Thank you for this reply! When you had your filters examined did you have any doctors tell you nothing was wrong at first ever?
Currently I’m doing post concussion therapy and it’s helped a lot so far. I had sensory issues prior to the whiplash due to fibromyalgia but now my sensory input, light and sound, plus pain levels, basically heighten twice the amount prior to my concussion.

Long story short, after a car accident in 2020 my primary care doctor said I had a concussion and all of a sudden I had head to toe high pain levels. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, Raynaud's, etc in 2021 at the Mayo Clinic. Never did I never did therapy for my concussion then. 2022 I had a whiplash injury and got concussion and my pain levels doubled basically, I just now am doing concussion treatment.

I did the cognitive behavioral therapy at the Mayo Clinic pain clinic in 2021 but I don’t live close by to Mayo and haven’t been back. I don’t think the specialists at the hospital I go to do cognitive pain retraining however I’m sure I can find one in my area

I’m so sorry to hear this. I have had several CT and. MRI’s but nothing regarding impressions or anything wrong. Getting a second opinion and waiting for results

My skull was fractured in two places and cerebral spinal fluid was leaking out an ear, so no problem with the doctors dismissing a moderate brain injury (TBI). However, I did have a whiplash injury (car rear ended) 6 years later and the neurologist dismissed any concussive injuries because the MRI didn't show any. Based on my recording my previous TBI recovery, I did have a concussion. Those symptoms were brain fog, tired, the stair-step progression of recovery with plateaus, and I now had hypothyroidism. You live in your brain while doctors just view you from their tests and training tell them. They can help you, but rewiring is long, hard work and not everything rewires. If an ability has been dented, then it is good to grieve the loss and then fill the gap with other abilities or interests.

@kayabbott
I lost my memory or understanding that lost 80% of my ability - physically, mentally, includes:
1. Swimming
2. Playing my guitar music as a semi-pro
3. Forced to retire my job at my city
4. Reading/writing/teaching from my college of computer use & programming and the same when I worked at my city
5. How about remember as our kids as a baby & and marriage… what happened with Christmas or moved from in house to the next better house
6. And in…

From my bicycle accident, when I was exercising daily, 12 years ago turned me to a TBI person. I go to a lot of doctors like TBI anti-seizure meds, family doctors from the top of mt head to the bottom of my feet…

So, I wonder, folks like you talks if your history, body types, brain needs, write very-well, understand of what your are doing == “normal+” use. I’m down from 100% to 20%.

Well, I enjoyed of what you wrote and the others…
Greg D.

I am a retired scientist/writer, so I live in my brain. It sounds like yours was a pretty severe TBI. I have a friend that had a skiing accident a few years ago and lost a lot of pieces of herself; she is still her, but some abilities and memories are missing. Mine was a moderate TBI 33 years ago, and my rehab was pretty intensive, so other than emotional changes (some for the better), some lost memories, and anomalous left temporal lobe EKG (missing words/numbers), everything rewired. I spend a lot of time learning, new hobbies, crossword puzzles, and such, Having a brain injury is a bit like going in reverse; starting with dementia and working your way back. You don't realize that part of you is missing until it is found. Emotionally this slaps you around, and it is important to have a good support system. I went back to work a few weeks after (in hospital 6 days) and got a lot of jokes and nicknames from coworkers about being "drame bamaged"; I suspect they wouldn't have been cruel if they knew what I was going through. Head injuries also remove emotional filters. I did learn a lot about how the brain works.

This was very helpful thank you! It’s interesting because I’ve had several MRI/CT’s but no abnormalities found. I’m getting another opinion but so far no diagnosis regarding a TBI however I definitely feel different now than prior. First my speech started to slur then I started getting headaches and migraines, followed by slower cognitive thinking. Between my initial injury (July 2023) and now I lost consciousness twice and broke a bone during one of my falls, they were diagnosed as syncope episodes. I personally feel like the whiplash and concussion I had from this injury completely messed with my nervous system health and that seems to be the majority of it, prior injury I had cold sensitivity but never heat sensitivity and now I have that plus sinus tachycardia and several other symptoms. The nervous system is so complex and difficult to understand. I haven’t been diagnosed so far with any additional autoimmune conditions or nervous system conditions

Same with new symtompms post concussion. Right!! We know something is “different” but when we advocate for ourselves half the time it’s dismissed or they assume we know nothing about our health and take everything we “Google” to heart then are labeled as one of those people who just google their symptoms. It gets to be aggravating that’s for sure. The most difficult thing is to conveying to others my brain isn’t capable of what it used to be and they act like it’s more their problem than us, the one experiencing it