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Most people are familiar with the term concussion. You can get it from a bang on the head (in sports or everyday life) and it can result in symptoms such as:
- Confusion
- Losing consciousness
- Disorientation
- Seeing ‘stars’ (before your eyes)
- Unable to answer simple questions, such as the person’s own name
- Slurred speech
- Faraway stares
Because we are very familiar with the term concussion, we forget how serious it is. It is a mild traumatic brain injury and rather than jump back into everyday life, it’s important to take time out and let your brain heal. People who have repeated concussions can experience depression and suicidal tendencies.
While most people know about concussion, not many people are familiar with Post-Concussion Syndrome. PCS symptoms can continue for weeks, months sometimes even years after the bang to the head. Symptoms include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Poor concentration
- Poor memory
- Sensitivity to noise
- Sensitivity to light
- Problems sleeping
Many of these symptoms mirror ADHD symptoms which can cause a lot of confusion during the diagnosis process. People who have ADHD feel their ADHD has become worse while people who didn’t have ADHD feel like they do after a head injury.To help explain all about Post-Concussion Syndrome, I interviewed Robert McCrindle. Robert is a teacher and counsellor, who specializes in with ADHD and post-concussion syndrome.
Download an interview about PCS with Robert McCrindle here: http://goo.gl/VuOH5
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wow, thank you for putting into words what is happening in my head. The article is spot on and so is Tyler’s comments. Thank you Tyler for writing! I’m 4 months post concussion and so so far from normal. I used to take Vyvanse but stopped because of the accident thinking it would hinder my rest and healing. I did take it one day and it was just as Tyler described, suddenly I could see so much more. It was amazing. But the next two days I crashed and had to sleep a lot. I’m waiting for my next available neurologist appointment in November for some answers. It’s now only August. Workers comp insurance limited network of doctors is not very helpful at actually helping a person heal and get back to work.
**the link to the video is broken**
I was deployed to Iraq when a mortar blow up outside my fully armored dump truck door. The dump truck took all the blast thank God, but I had a concussion from the vibrations of the blast. I was always a bright student in school before and was not diagnosed with ADHD in my youth, which makes being diagnosed with ADHD at the VA very difficult. I know I have it and because of the concussion they are prescribing me methylphenidate because it really helps. The VA has put me on so many different drugs that make me even more depressed because I simple feel like a robot on them that I refuse to take anything but this which is helping. I’ve been in it for 8 years and can explain it best like my mind working at 720 or even some days 420 (VHS) without methylphenidate, but with it it’s like seeing things in 1080P. Just like everything at the VA though it’s hard to get what I really need. Vyvanse Inhave been trying to get from the VA since I tried it almost 6 years ago. It’s like seeing everything in 4K in my opinion. It’s so expense to get without insurance and I can’t do much outside of the VA so I’m stuck with Methylphenidate which don’t get me wrong I’ll take what I can get, but I just feel like theirs something better out there to help my mind focus and have my brains neurotransmitters that weren’t damaged by the concussion work more effectively. My mind seems like it’s slipping and I don’t know what to do. With out methylphenidate I feel hopeless and even with it things are still much strenuous then necessary. Vyvanse made me more talkative at work and I could come up with little sly comments very quickly which made me more comfortable around my employees and peers and customers and my wife and kids. But the VA insists that they will only do the methylphenidate which is the same thing in their opinion but it’s not. I just want my life back. I want to be the bright, funny, sly man again that I used to be before my concussion!
Thanks for listening!
I have post-concussive syndrome, I have now for two years. I go to a rigorous high school and am taking all honors classes. I’m currently a freshman and got a 4.0 GPA this semester previous, despite displaying all of the symptoms of post-concussive syndrome listed above (as well as a couple not listed). My doctor is talking about a lot of remedies to treat my symptoms, especially those of stress and anxiety. Thank you for this site. Whether you have personal experience with the disease or not, it’s nice to know that there are people out there who know what this is like. Thanks again.