Adult Life after a Traumatic Brain Injury

@gillianu - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I'm so sorry to hear about a traumatic brain injury you had as an infant. It sounds wise that you are now researching any possible connection between this and health issues you've had.

Wondering if you'd share more about what occurred with the traumatic brain injury as an infant, if it's something you are comfortable sharing? Also curious what your primary care provider or a neurologist may have said about any connection between the injury as a baby and subsequent health issues you've had?

Thanks! I had a traumatic brain injury as an infant and am just now researching the possible connection to health issues I’ve had and that I have now. Its quite overwhelming to learn that even chronic stress, ADHD-like symptoms and gut issues may be connected to my brain injury! Thank you for sharing your experience! Gillian

yes I really should not wait until December but the waits to get tests done in Georgia are months out. When my BP was in the 200's after my accident the concussion clinic couldn't treat me and said to see a BP specialist at Emory University. They sent the referral to her but the earliest appointment was almost one year out. You would think they could have called her and said this lady needs to be seen sooner than a year from now. It's nuts. At this point I'm just disgusted with it all...

You have to be your best advocate and tell the doctor you need another MRI done or else need to see a different neurologist when nerve pain like numbness in extremities begins to happen it is never good and run the risk of not reversing it !! Time to get a MRI done stat !

Time for another MRI and get some answers from your neurologist !

do you have any other weird symptoms besides the head pain?. It damaged my left eye and hearing. Left me with a dent on my forehead. And now I'm sweating under my arms and have to use special deodorant that stings like crazy. I also started sneezing but exaggerated sneezing, sometimes a dozen times in a row. driving my husband nuts. My doctor is going to explain this to him next week. So many of your involuntary motions come from nerves located at your brain stem. So now I have to worry that the lesion is getting bigger pressing on those nerves. In the meantime trying to get reimbursed for my medical bills from the people that caused this is adding more stress. They seem to think that even though they admit they are at fault, I'm getting the blame for not realizing the walkway was a hazard...You just can't win!! Keep in touch if they find something for your head pain. Im tired of getting no sleep....

Thank you. something I just have to learn to live with.

I am so sorry to hear about the pain and lesion on your brain stem I hope they can help you so you can have some relief .

Thank you for answering back to me sure appreciate it . Mine gets really bad with low and high airpressure and in this part of Canada I live in well that’s pretty well all the time so it’s a life time of pressure headaches . Will talk to the the doctor about this med thanks .

So sorry to hear this, I certainly feel your pain. Ketamine is a horrible drug, at least the reaction I had to it. My head hurts constantly since my TBI and I hate that they keep calling it a migraine. It's not a migraine, it's head pain. It feels like a balloon being inflated with helium. When it gets really bad I take a Imitrex, which is for migraines. Some times it helps other times it does not. But I've developed a lesion at my brain stem since the accident that they can't touch or test, it's sitting on an artery. New symptoms are appearing so I'm concerned the lesion is getting larger. So, you. may want to try Imitrex, they have a generic. I have found all those shots do nothing. My worst times are when the back of my head rests up against something, even my pillow when I sleep. I went to the movies the other day to see Downton Abby and was miserable thru the whole movie....I hope you find some relief.