How long does post concussion head pain and cognitive fatigue last?

@jenniferctbisurvivor
Yes. I’m sorry that you too are having to deal with not only your headaches, which are really more like being smashed in the head with a hammer, than it is any headache I’ve ever experienced, while also dealing with a supposed professional who isn’t taking your pain into consideration. My neurologist sent me back to work even after I explained my headaches, extreme physical and cognitive fatigue. “What? You don’t want to work because you have headaches?” In a very condescending manner. I managed two 9 hour shifts as an automotive technician before I couldn’t speak because my brain just shut down. So embarrassing and frightening all at the same time. I’m going into my 12 th week of continuous pain ranging from 4/10 in a quiet place and only focusing on one task at a time and taking breaks in between tasks, to a 10/10 with 20/10 pain spikes when attempting to do something as simple as take a shower. The sound of my voice bothers me. And when I try to verbalize my symptoms, it comes out all jumbled, and it doesn’t help that my neurologist starts talking before I get an opportunity to finish my statement. And then I forget what I’ve said and what I haven’t. I started bringing someone from my immediate family with me to all of my appointments so I have someone else to remember things for me, and help explain it all. But I still feel like my health and my recovery isn’t being respected in the manner it should. Sounds like you and I are dealing with the same frustration. If you don’t mind, I see your comment is older than my injury, how are you now. Has anything gotten better? Have you found new ways to cope? I’m asking because I’m only 3/12 months from injury. Clear CT, with a sharp decline upon returning to work 2 months from injury with reported headaches, fatigue, pain spikes, dizziness, light and sound sensitivity, speech effected, short term memory loss, emotional and instability. Has any of it gotten better for you yet?

@emdlewis
yes, has been 5 years ago but was told that i shouldn't still be in pain...
that was 4 months after my initial fall and injuries. They found a ruptured disc. the headaches it came down to ocular migraines . broken floating rib didn't help any. as For the other issues you describe and the doctor not listening, i would be looking for another doctor. My daughter got lucky in that in her 5th try landed a good one and he treats us both. very talented younger man. i can only hope you find one that still cares about every patient that is his and treats them with respect. good luck. Have a rest of the day blessed and Ps, after time some of the symptoms have gotten better and no i did not get the disc repaired would have meant surgery and i am not for that at all after having a tumor removed from my brain.

My first Concussion I was 7 yrs old. I seemed to be ok but back in the 70s and 80s we didn't run to the ER every time we smacked our head or knocked yourself out. I got older and started having out bursts and anger issues. I have dealt with paranoia, aggravation, pissed off. I became an auto mechanic and that's when I started hitting my head more and more, walk into a tire over your head, stand up and smack the hoist arm, smack exhaust systems, rear axles. Then I decided to start to learn how to play hockey. I also was an assistant coach on the team. During practice I took a nasty fall and landed on the back of my head with my body above me and drove my chin into my chest. I was out, came to in a min. Went to the ER fell out of the car and hit my head again. Had to work so went to work with what they called a grade 3 concussion. I continued to coach and started to play hockey. Got hit several times and continued to play with a headache. Then sat out for a week, went back played was good for a few and then hit again and was nauseated. Sat in the locker room till I felt better and went back out on the ice. Woke up looking at the lights. I have counted up wards of 8 concussions, possibly more. I have had a headache for the last yr and I now have some cognitive issues like memory, thoughts, mind goes blank, I hear things and see things that aren't there. I am on medications to help but the small headache which is a pain of 1-2/10, my concussion Neurologist said that that will probably never go away. It has affected my work, cant multitask anymore, I get confused and cannot think my way out. I over react to a lot, I also have paranoia more then before. I am just here to see what others are dealing with. I have had numerous MRI, CT and all show clear, I have some diminished cognitive issues per a different Neurologist.

Just feeling down….has anyone been told that someone couldn’t believe that you are still not recovered yet, by a doctor and coworker in that demeaning tone that makes you feel like it’s your fault?

I have never had such a hard time returning to work everyday with all these symptoms and just functioning everyday. Sometimes it’s all I can do to just survive the severe cognitive impairments and fatigue during the workday, make it home and just cry.

Thanks for listening and letting me vent everyone, I am so much better than before and I know I have a long way to go and I won’t give up but it is definitely hard to hear statements like that and deal with people who have no compassion towards our TBI difficulties and recovering as much as possible. I will never fully recover but I am working so hard to learn all of the tools and tricks to function at the highest level possible!

Have a blessed day

My first Concussion I was 7 yrs old. I seemed to be ok but back in the 70s and 80s we didn't run to the ER every time we smacked our head or knocked yourself out. I got older and started having out bursts and anger issues. I have dealt with paranoia, aggravation, pissed off. I became an auto mechanic and that's when I started hitting my head more and more, walk into a tire over your head, stand up and smack the hoist arm, smack exhaust systems, rear axles. Then I decided to start to learn how to play hockey. I also was an assistant coach on the team. During practice I took a nasty fall and landed on the back of my head with my body above me and drove my chin into my chest. I was out, came to in a min. Went to the ER fell out of the car and hit my head again. Had to work so went to work with what they called a grade 3 concussion. I continued to coach and started to play hockey. Got hit several times and continued to play with a headache. Then sat out for a week, went back played was good for a few and then hit again and was nauseated. Sat in the locker room till I felt better and went back out on the ice. Woke up looking at the lights. I have counted up wards of 8 concussions, possibly more. I have had a headache for the last yr and I now have some cognitive issues like memory, thoughts, mind goes blank, I hear things and see things that aren't there. I am on medications to help but the small headache which is a pain of 1-2/10, my concussion Neurologist said that that will probably never go away. It has affected my work, cant multitask anymore, I get confused and cannot think my way out. I over react to a lot, I also have paranoia more then before. I am just here to see what others are dealing with. I have had numerous MRI, CT and all show clear, I have some diminished cognitive issues per a different Neurologist.

@margaretallen 23.5 months here. Being anxious, anxiety. Things have improved, just incredibly slow. I have erratic high BP now and think that is built up anxiety from stress and worry. I wake up like a blend of those silly movies Groundhog Day or 50 frst Dates. A bit of panic and first thing I ask myself is what day it is and what day of the week it is. I still struggle with dates. I still can't tell you when something happened (what used to be no problem). Such as, when did my face start having eletrical tingling sensations. I know I told my DR. But I use holidays for reference points now - so was it Halloween/Oct? or Thanksgiving/Nov, etc. I don't remember. I just remember it started, was really weird, and DR said it was nerves regenerating. And funny thing is - I thought it was about a year afterwards, that would make it summer time. But I would have to ask the DR when it was, because I can't tell you. I don't have any one helping me, so my mind spins in circles - worried I will forget this or that. The wrong word still comes out at times. Still have lots of typos and my speech gets jumbled at times. Yesterday, I helped with the elections and talked so much - that it was like marbles in my mouth trying to talk. Too many words trying to get out and just awkward sentences. Not the smooth quick witty little snippetts I used to do to make someone smile. .Luckily I have polite people that have corrected me when it was significant, like a wrong date or wrong location. Still have to proofread and a message takes me forever now. This one has taken 3 hours ha. I still find I have to start over a lot, and not be interrupted. I don't know what the answer is. I try sitting outside for the sun, herbal teas, essential oils, vitamins, combat breathing (3 sec slow breaths in, hold 3 sec, exhale 3 sec).

I am a 69 year-old retired female attorney. I have likely suffered from ADHD and OCD all my life. I rode horses for 40 years (now retired), first over fences and then in dressage and suffered a number of concussions in horseback-riding mishaps over that time. I experienced post-Covid immunization brain fog after my two Pfizer shots in April 2021, and then suffered a TBI in a car accident that was not my fault a year later. Research of the impact of ADHD on the minds of seniors is still in its infancy. Despite my history, my issues -- brain fog, confusion, cognitive overload, exhaustion, my husband is typing this post because I can no longer navigate digital devices, etc. -- were "diagnosed" by no less than three treaters as Alzheimer's, which a blood test last May proved I didn't have. All other common neurodegenerative processes have been ruled out. A neuropsychologist who conducted an evaluation of my condition blew off the TBI I had sustained in the car accident, saying that because I had no skull fracture or intracranial bleed all effects of the TBI should resolve in 6 weeks to three months. After living with an Alzheimer's diagnosis for four years, my neurologist now says my deficits are the result of "chronic TBIs" exacerbated by anxiety. (Duh!). The ignorance and biases of the medical profession when it comes to these issues is profound, which makes all the more important Mayo's expertise and this chat group for mutual support. I encourage all of you, however, to prepare for yourself and your providers a very detailed medical history going back as far as you can remember and regularly update it with what you notice about your current deficits and how they change over time. Childhood illnesses, traumas, etc. can prove critical to any diagnosis. Don't assume that anything is unimportant. Let your providers decide what is relevant and what is not. And the nature and progress over time of your signs and symptoms -- what's gotten better, what's gotten worse -- is also critically important. Put it all in writing so you will always have it and can refer back to it and supplement it as needed. Above all, remember this was not your fault, be good to yourself, and stay strong.

@jenniferctbisurvivor
Hello, I am also going into my seventh month and I am totally with you. It is hard going from a high functioning professional to managing a constant headache, overwhelming fatigue, cognitive challenges - not being able to motivate, multitask, read to no longer being able to process math (yet). Journaling has been a godsend as an outlet for how I am feeling (as my short term memory is shot) I can go back and see how much I have progressed. For 2 months I just sat in a chair and stared at the birds and the yard with no sense of time. Now I can speak clearly and I am no longer a fall risk. Thank goodness for my therapist’s! Keep up your therapy. Small wins add up. And keep up with this group! I am starting a new PT based on something I learned in group! Good luck & Thank goodness for this group!!!

I would like to know how long Post Concussion Syndrome lasts too. 19 months here.

And @johannawest Thank you for your post. Your multitasking and math issues caught my attention.

I'm 19 months with PCS. I'm just now able to do some basic math without having to write it down like in elementary school or use a calculator for super simple add and subtract. I was a passenger in a car accident. I still have facial pain, regular headaches, wrong words coming out, spacing out or going completely blank when asked a question, needing to write things down, constant ringing that makes it difficult to sleep, have issues working computers/phones, lose track of time, and have trouble taking the stairs (walking down is more painful than walking up them). It took a year before I got my balance back and I credit neuro-feedback and infrared therapies. A lady told me about it and said insurance covered it (she had Cigna). An email would take me 3-5 days, if not a whole week - because if I didn't finish it, I'd have to start all over again. My train of thought was just gone - like POOF! then deer in headlights look. Then on the 20th or 30th attempt, I'd finally get it written and sent.

I don't have insurance and I don't know what happened, but the auto insurance closed the medical claim and ignored me. So I didn't get the medical attention I should have had, just thank God he was with me, because I barely remember the first 2-3 weeks. Was barely awake the first week, then forced myself to stay awake and moving around 2-4-6-8-10+ hours. The seat belt injuries were brutal. I used infrared therapy 5 hours a day and it still took 10 weeks for the deep bruises to dissipate, then months for the deep tissue pads to break up and go away. I never thought the cracked ribs were ever going to heal (4 months) and I still have a sore spot when the Doctor checks it.

Experts tell me I likely have facial fractures and 99+% just take time to heal. That like 1/10th of 1% require surgery.

My left eye socket/cheek area still hurt (a constant ache, headaches, and pressure like pushing a bean bag on your face & eye).

I was really worried I'm still having headaches, forgetfulness, pain in my face. So I saw an opthomologist. Good news is that he said all the testing looked good and that my vision was still 20/15. And he, like the other DRs, said to see a Neurologist. With no insurance or referral, doesn't seem likely I will see one.

My biggest frustration is how long it is taking and how slow (& small) the improvements are. I've given up everything I use to do, because I'm barely making it through the day. House and yard and behind and showing it.

I joke that I feel like I'm in a Gunsmoke episode, using old remedies. But I'm finding out many people are reverting to the tried & true home remedies for most things due to the high cost of healthcare. Even with insurance, they opt for alternative treatments over the expensive options with insurance.

If anything, do to my situation - I have a whole new respect for alternative therapies and homeopathic. I realize it is all based on thousands of years of Chinese medicine, just never needed it until now.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would be so devastating and life altering. And there are days where I get down and wonder if I'll be like this forever. Forgetting where I put things or key points makes it very difficult to socialize. Days of staring at the computer or phone, trying to remember what to click on.

Thank you