2.5 years of dizziness post concussion. Pregnancy + postpartum flare ups.
TLDR
- had a concussion in 2023 in biking accident
- been dealing with dizziness off and on since
- extreme dizziness during pregnancy
- now 7mp postpartum, having bad flare ups
- dizzy while walking or biking, not sitting or laying down
- made much worse with exercise so I haven’t been able to do anything
- looking for other’s experiences and thoughts
Full story
I had a concussion from a bike crash in sept 2023. I was descending a hill and went right into a big hole in the road I couldn’t see because of the sun. I was going over 20mph, flew over my handlebars and the left side of my head took most of the impact of the fall.
I didn’t pass out or throw up, I was wearing a helmet that only had a scuff, no cracks. I had whiplash the following day and about a month of pretty intense headaches, light sensitivity and dizziness where I spent most of the time in bed in a dark room. I had a brain CT and they didn’t see anything abnormal.
But since then I’ve never really returned to normal. I’ve delt with dizziness on and off since then, mostly while walking and biking and gets much worse when I’m exerting hard on the bike. I can’t push myself or I feel like I’m going to pass out or fall off the bike.
For reference I’ve been an endurance athlete my whole life (ran college track and cross country) and am used to exercising 6 days a week, up to 3-4 hours on the bike at a time.
I was pregnant last year and the dizziness got so bad I could barely go on a walk. wasnt anemic, but I did have gestational diabetes so I never knew what the cause was. I kind of just thought it was pregnancy (doctors don’t know much about women’s health so thought it fit into that bucket)
Now at 7 mo postpartum, I had gotten back on the bike finally from months 3-6, but I’ve been dealing with dizziness flare up the last few weeks and I haven’t been able to bike or go for walks. I feel unsteady holding baby which really sucks.
It did seem to get worse around the time I went back to work. I work remotely and stare at a computer for 8 hrs per day and am on a lot of video calls. I also was ramping up my workouts and had gone on a few bigger rides that definitely taxed my system. That combined with breastfeeding and not great sleep, I don’t think my body was recovering well at all.
Im at a loss, I always thought the concussion wasn’t that serious because I didn’t lose consciousness.
To me, it seems like the dizziness flares up when my body is exerting or fatigued (exercise, pregnancy, breastfeeding and lacking sleep) but also sometimes it seems random (just walking).
Anyone have a similar experience with exercise Or pregnancy and post-concussion dizziness?
side note ever since the concussion I regularly use the wrong words for things! And that combined with mom brain has me barely able to communicate 😂😂