r/PostConcussion

Hi All, I feel like as if I have been steadily declining I have headaches around 5 , I can't tolerate outside environments, can't walk more than a minute or a two have digestive issues can't exercise, extreme neuro fatigue also some due to my mistakes of overdoing last two weeks.

I know in PCS many people have for years but I feel as If I am starting to get the extreme of PCS. How common is it to get this is in 5.5 months and when and how can I start to get some relief can you please share insights from your experience?

Thanks

It’s been 10 months since my accident and I’ve barely been able to work.
Luckily I’ve been able to rely on savings and family to help out financially, but those times feel stretched and seem to be coming to an end.
I own a property and I’m thinking I might have to sell up and live off the $ to alleviate the pressure to go back to work full time which I just can’t fathom at this point in time.
I can’t get any income protection so I’m wondering how everyone else survives financially.
I’m in Australia - Aussies, what do you do?!
Any advice welcome.

Noise concealing headphones make me vomit and fall over. Yes I’ve tried multiple brands. They are are conducive to whatever is wrong with my vestibular system.

We had to replace our 30 year old refrigerator, it finally broke. It turns out they don’t make turn like they used to. The new one is fucking LOUD. So that I have to wear earplugs 24/7, which gives me headaches (I’ve tried every type, foam, wax, silicone, loops, earmuffs), and makes my noise sensitivity so much worse. Our fridge is not enclosed in any sort of cabinets to bugger the sound, it just sits out in the middle of the kitchen. It is a full sized 5-people-who-cook family fridge. It’s so fucking loud. I thought the old one was loud but it’s nothing to this.

My bedroom, the only place I cannot hear it, has mold. Or something. It makes me sicker to be in there (yes I run a hepa filter but I cant have it on while I’m in there because of the noise sensitivity). Being out here makes me sicker because of the noise. I’m deteriorating. I cant live like this anymore. I was actually finally getting a little better before this (been sick 1.5 years). I don’t know how to keep living.

Does anyone know of a really good quiet refrigerator? We got out new one from Costco, if I can have a new one to propose that is 100% guaranteed to be quieter, I might be able to convince my parents to return and replace it. Otherwise and don’t know how I will keep living. This seriously feels like the end for me.

What broke your constant 24/7 migraines and headaches?

Used to have headaches all the time and migraines every once in a blue moon then got a concussion (fell off a bike on campus however I didn’t properly rest affer(, constant mild headaches then a whiplash from dancing, constant strong headaches and second concussion (assault where I got punched in the face by an intoxicated individual( migraines and a second whiplash from a car accident . I have constant headaches and migraines it’s gotten better to a 4&5/10 migraine & headache in the morning but it’s just 24/7 w the nausea. Have prism glasses and Fl-41 from some vision therapy, did some functional neurology, did Botox 6 times but no rlly working, did ajovy twice (monthly) which helped bring it down to a 6/10 most days or a 4-5/10 occasional days. My abortive is ubrevly and nurtec doesn’t rlly take it away as much as ubrevly sadly. Really need hope & help as I am going back to uni next Jan. Also will be taking time off to my home country (Korea) where acupuncture is cheaper as that helped overall a little bit with relaxing. Also after my most recent accident I started waking up every single night since December and did a sleep study so waiting on results, also hormones are very irregular (I’m a female) which doesn’t help. Also developed POTS (dysautonomia) /after the most recent accident. Really need some advice& help and would love to hear experience for this with constant migraines and headaches as I miss being a uni student as my life has been taken away the past two years.

28M, 6+ weeks into something my doctors can’t figure out — anyone been through this?

Hoping someone has been through something similar.

I’m 28, generally healthy. Back in November 2023 I had a minor concussion playing football. A couple days later I started peeing constantly about 6L a day, drinking water nonstop, constant thirst, had a racing heart, body temp fluctuations, brain fog. Lasted 3-4 weeks then went away completely. Did check ups at one point my thyroid tsh was low but went back to normal.

August 2024 I tapped my head on an overhead luggage bin getting off a plane. Few hours later, same thing — peeing 6L more a day and thirst. Lasted 2 weeks, resolved.

Then 19 months of being totally fine. Ran a marathon. Lived normally. Bumped my head a few times during that period and nothing happened.

April 12 this year it came back with no trigger. Hadn’t hit my head in months. Wasn’t sick or stressed. Just started.

But this one is completely different.

First 5 days were like before — excessive thirst, peeing 4-5L a day. Then April 17 it flipped. Output dropped to 400-1200mL despite drinking 2-3L. Concentrated urine. Headaches, dizziness started.

April 27 my thirst just disappeared. Not reduced — gone. Next day my hunger went too. Can’t tell when I’m hungry, can’t tell when I’m full. Three weeks later, still gone.

Then it started flip-flopping. Brief bursts of peeing a lot, then clamping down hard for days. Drink 2L, pee 400mL. Next day pee constantly. No pattern.

I got a full workup at a major hospital. 3T MRI brain and pituitary with contrast — clean except partial empty sella (apparently common, often incidental). Sodium stable at 138-141 throughout. Cortisol stim test normal. All pituitary hormones normal. Kidneys fine. Inflammation markers clean.

Doctors couldn’t find anything. Everything looks normal.

I’m at week 6-7 now. Still no thirst. Still no hunger. Still oscillating between peeing a lot and clamping completely. Sleep is broken. Constant low-level headache. Weak on standing. Brain fog.

My sodium is still fine. Everything keeps testing clean. But I keep flip-flopping and the not-knowing is killing me.

The first two episodes had clear triggers and resolved cleanly. This one has no trigger, keeps evolving, and has lasted 4x longer than my previous ones.

Anyone been through something like this? Episodes that come and go for years then one that’s completely different? Multi-system stuff where thirst, hunger, and sleep all get affected at once? Cant find anything online at all.

Nothing is making sense and I’m worried this time around it’s permanent because no one can explain and no one has ever heard of this. And this episode whatever it is, is so different compared to any of the other episodes. And I only started getting these weird episodes after I hit my head.

I believe most people care about treatment. First of all, to discuss this issue, you must distinguish whether you have functional symptoms or structural symptoms.

These two are completely different. The former is like a cold; you can expect a sudden and complete recovery one day because your brain is perfectly healthy—it just lost its way. Structural damage, on the other hand, is true TBI. Your brain is genuinely broken, only so microscopically that it cannot be seen on MRI. For a long time, doctors relied on MRI to determine whether structural damage existed, which caused a lot of confusion—mixing up concussion with invisible brain injury.

Therefore, as a patient, you first need to know whether you are functional or structural. That is the most important thing.

Currently, the most reliable method is DTI—a special MRI sequence that observes the direction of water flow in the brain. By finding whether your pipes are broken, you can determine if it is brain injury. Only by doing this can you know if you truly have structural damage. Doctor's judgment and standard MRI are unreliable.

Once you have the result, read on.

Functional damage: Congratulations, your brain is healthy. You should aim for a full reversal through effort.

1. When you suffer a blow to the head, you should remember that not only the brain is inside your skull. If you are dizzy, check for ear stones (BPPV). If you are light-sensitive, see an eye doctor. If you have headaches, check your neck. In short, not only brain injury causes symptoms. Only connective tissue, the brain, and heart muscle cells cannot repair themselves. As long as your brain is not damaged, no matter what other parts are injured, you will recover completely. Leave it to the doctors.
2. Mindfulness therapy. After a concussion, many people fall into anxiety and worry. They cannot calm down. It is just that you are too afraid, causing various physical reactions. Try to calm your mind, accept that you "feel not normal," instead of thinking about what to do. You may find that one day when you no longer think about it, you will be fully healed.
3. Exercise. I believe many people scoff at this, thinking it is as trivial as "eat more apples to stay healthy." But in fact, after a concussion, many areas have insufficient blood flow, which can cause cognitive problems. You can use fNIRS or fMRI to detect blood flow issues in the brain. Through high-intensity exercise, when blood circulation speeds up, your brain will suddenly be flooded with blood, and your brain fog and cognitive problems will disappear. Your brain is not broken; it just did not receive enough power after a power outage.

There are also many other therapies. Clinics like ConcussionFX and UPMC are dealing with these issues. If you have no structural damage, your symptoms can fully recover.

Structural damage: First, I have to be honest. Whatever symptoms you have, you must be prepared to live with them for the rest of your life. This is a completely different problem from a simple concussion. There is a wound inside your brain. You cannot be cured. Your goal is to accept the remaining symptoms and live out the rest of your life.

1. Even with structural damage, it is still a form of concussion. You can try the recovery methods that the lucky ones with functional damage use to solve the problems you can. Of course, do not expect obvious effects, but if some symptoms improve, what remains is the wound.
2. Neuroplasticity. When a wound appears in your brain, your brain will spontaneously reconnect to maximize functional recovery. Therefore, maintaining what you used to do is always effective. Do not give up your habits just because you feel you have lost abilities. Neuroplasticity has a window period. If you cannot recover within three months, your brain will consider this as "you" (just like the 80-year-old grandfather downstairs), and you will find it very difficult to achieve breakthrough recovery. Then you must accept the "new normal." Considering how microscopic the damage is, your brain has full capacity to compensate and achieve functional recovery.
3. Habit is also a power. Many patients with structural damage, after a year or two, even if their abilities have not recovered and DTI still shows the wound, still feel that they are fine. It is like getting a tooth filling. At first you are not used to the filled area, but soon you no longer notice it. The human brain's ability to habituate is very strong. When you carry the symptoms for a while, you will stop noticing them. In some situations, you may suddenly have the thought, "This is how I should have felt before the brain injury," and fall into mourning, but it will not last long. Mentally, you have already healed. You have the strength to live the rest of your life.

一般来说，如果三个月后脑震荡症状仍然存在，通常被视为永久性的。乐观的医生可能会说他们可以改善，但几乎没有医生会说他们能完全治愈并恢复到基线。因为PCS本身意味着它不是短暂的功能障碍，而是结构性损伤的存在。正因为科学家发现PCS的病理是MRI无法观察的结构性损伤，脑震荡被称为轻度创伤性脑损伤（mTBI）——“轻度”意味着显微镜下损伤。

你可能会在YouTube上看到很多脑震荡康复频道声称任何脑震荡都可以完全愈合。说实话：那些频道往往是在推销昂贵的课程。他们不一定是在撒谎，因为脑震荡的定义是“头部受击后”。这种打击可能会损伤颈部或前庭系统，这仍然是脑震荡。那些声称脑震荡可以治疗的人，通常是在治疗前庭系统或颈部，或者教授正念以缓解焦虑。他们从未真正处理过真正的脑震荡本身——也就是轻微的创伤性脑损伤。

一旦我们理解了结构损伤的机制，为什么会导致永久性的注意力不集中和疲劳？

大脑有一个称为默认模式网络（DMN）的网络。它负责在我们不主动集中注意力时思考。进入这个模式时，你可能只是走神，没有刻意思考，但你仍然吸收了所有输入的信息。在这种状态下，你的大脑像磁铁一样，自动被信息吸引——例如，当你读报纸、看电视、看电影或看动画时。几乎所有人类认知活动都依赖于这种模式。如果你完全空闲，没有任何有意干扰，你甚至可以进入一种叫做“心流”的状态——大脑以极低的能量消耗运行，却能发挥最佳效率。

我们通常所说的“关注”其实也用到了DMN。然而，这种模式对大脑硬件的要求极高。任何像疲劳、失眠、发烧或感冒这样的情况都会影响DMN的表现。

脑震荡最令人恐惧的是，由于大脑形状，DMN的关键结构——胼胝体和扣带——最容易受到脑震荡的影响。剪切力集中在那里。如果剪切力没有超过阈值，你只会因能量不足而表现下降——感觉就像感冒，而不是失去什么东西。但如果你真的失去了这个能力，说明伤害已经超过了阈值。参与DMN的轴突已经死亡。MRI上可能看不到。由于DMN对大脑完整性有极高的要求，即使是MRI上看不见的损伤也可能损害大脑。

这种损伤是终身的。你并不是通常意义上的“注意力不集中”。相反，你曾经依赖的DMN已经消失了。你无法在恍惚时高效吸收信息;你只是走神。你会误以为自己分心了，于是强迫自己集中注意力，用前额叶皮层执行认知任务。但这种状态无法持续太久（这不是你的错——没人能）。所以你觉得自己无法集中注意力，试图延长这种前额叶的认知努力。这实际上迫使大脑处于低效的高能量模式，而非恢复性低能量模式。因此，你无法进行长时间的认知任务后像小睡后那样感到精神焕发;相反，你会感到极度疲劳和嗜睡，因为大脑能量耗尽，需要睡眠来充电。

我们的大部分认知都发生在DMN之下——比如体验大自然。当你感到无聊时，你会走神，在那种恍惚状态下你感受到周围的环境。如果DMN受损，除非你有意识地仔细观察和观察，否则你无法产生任何有效的信息，即使你身处你喜欢的环境中。此外，执行网络（手动聚焦注意力）的体验与DMN不同。这就是为什么脑震荡后，你的感知、感觉、感觉和体验会发生变化。

这就像开长途汽车。汽车既有自动驾驶模式，也有手动驾驶模式。通常你大部分时间都在自动驾驶，只有在特殊任务时才切换到手动模式。但如果自动驾驶失效，你要么全程手动驾驶，感到极度疲劳，要么车辆完全停止移动。你会感觉这已经不再是同一种驾驶体验——你的一部分（自动驾驶）消失了。

我知道很多人最关心的是治疗。很遗憾地说，脑细胞无法再生。任何结构性损伤，从轻微到严重，都是永久性的。如果你有机会完全康复，就不会变成持续性的脑震荡后综合症。这意味着你已经有永久性的结构缺陷，而这种缺陷导致DMN永久消失。

你可以用认知策略。比如笔记本、语音录音等，替代这种自动驾驶。然后用这些笔记或录音找到工作所需的信息。

或者，你可以通过锻炼、服药和有效休息来最大化手动驾驶的时间。这种方法称为大脑补偿——利用其他脑区来接替失去的功能。随着时间推移，通过补偿，你的手动驾驶能力可以增强，从20分钟后疲劳到持续两小时。

结合这两种方法可以帮助你重返社会并找到工作。医生只关注你重返社会的能力。如果你已经在工作，那么你就被视为完全正常的人，你的家人和朋友也可能这么认为。因此，这种伤害是看不见的。它体现在你的个人能力和生活质量上。但你必须明确：你确实有脑损伤。不要因为别人看不出你和普通人有什么不同，就觉得自己不够努力

I am wondering if anyone has dealt with significant vocal changes after being in a high speed motor vehicle accident?

I was diagnosed with a mild-moderate TBI/concussion. It has been 10 weeks since the accident. And I still sound like kermit the frog. My voice is hoarse, if I talk too long it gets harder to talk at all. And my throat just hurts. To my ears my voice also just sounds very strange (and those that know me have said my voice has changed).

I have seen my doctor about this. And so far, I have no pin pointed reason for why this is happening.

When does one push for further treatment/workup? Or am I still within the acute phase of everything and just need to be patient and give it more time?

I hate how I still dont feel like myself and have been feeling a bit crazy during my recovery. I know im not the only one that feels this way though. I barely remember anything. Its very frutrating. I wanna get back to a regular life but it feels like ill have to live a different, easier life for awhile. What helps you guys accept the process and speed it up?

I suffered a concussion 2.5 years ago. During the first year, I did vision OT (primarily for nystagmus) and vestibular PT 2x per week for 5 months. Toward the middle/end of PT, my heart rate started spiking when I did a lot of jumping, quick turning, and ups and downs. I’d quickly feel winded after doing certain exercises involving these moves (generally, I am pretty athletic). Over the months, my symptoms have changed (e.g., from eye strain/pressure headaches to brain fog that’s affected my work).

Recently, the dysautonomia is most prominent. A couple times I’ve tried to do what would otherwise be a moderately intense workout, and my HR goes to the 170s-180. Then it stays elevated for several days (80-100 when my resting is low 60s). My max HR is ~183 when calculated based on my age.

If you’ve dealt with this, what types of specialists and/or services helped you get back to normal? And perhaps there are multiple things I can be doing beyond physical efforts like functional neurologist, acupuncture, etc.? (I know generally how this is addressed via exercise, monitoring HR and gradually increasing intensity of activity. Even for that I’d like professional guidance/oversight.) I have an appointment with a neurologist who specializes in PCS, but it’s not til late July (made months ago). THANKS for any input!

Whenever I drive for more than like 20-30 minutes I get extremely fatigued, so much that sometimes it is hard to keep my eyes open and I have to pull over. I'm guessing it has something to do with eye strain/eye tracking but i'm just curious if anyone else has experienced this? it's super frustrating especially because it prolongs trips.

Hi, all. Mostly just checking in because a few minutes ago a friend slammed on their brakes with me in the car and i’m afraid of another concussion (seatbelted, but still, scary)

Anytime something like this happens, i get freaked out to the max. Adrenaline spikes, and a sudden doom feeling and everything that accompanies that.

I don’t know what is enough force to concuss me at this point, but i’m terrified that this is one of those things. Does anyone else experience this? All I know is right now i am terrified 🥲😭

Hi I had a head injury Jan 2nd and was diagnosed post concussion syndrome and post traumatic headache intractable / migraine phenotype, but I’m struggling to know when I have a headache?

I don’t feel pain but will feel a pressure in the side of my head where the impact happened, I spent the last 4 days basically bed ridden because I was so uncomfortable and in pain ( injury struck my head, stretched out my neck and hit my collarbone/shoulder ) the neurologist gave me rizatripton, which seems to help a lot but I keep forgetting it, I forgot I even had it and when I did remember, I’d walk away to get water or tell myself to grab something for my dog or something meaningless and I’d completely forget the medicine again.

I use to be in software engineering and couldn’t handle it after the injury, so to keep my scholarship I switched to business which I’m familiar with, but now that I’m taking my second class I find myself struggling a bit to retain information.

I also can’t work, sure I’m getting paid a bit to replace my lost wage but it’s not enough, I can’t keep up with bills and I’m afraid to get a job, but I’m trying anyways at least for something remote.

I guess my question is..will this ever go away? And what can I do to identify when I’m having a migraine/headache/ feeling like my face/head is swollen? Bcz I expect headache pain, but it seems that’s not what’s happening and then I get confused, forget I even have medicine and end up just suffering for days-weeks before taking it.

I have had 2 previous concussions, 1 year ago and then 4 years ago from contact sports.

I was in a grocery store today and walked right into the glass door while trying to exit. I hit my head on the glass door. I was walking at normal pace and wasn’t running or anything but it was noticeable enough that a women asked if I was okay. I didn’t blackout or get dizzy or nauseous. I don’t think I have a headache right now but I’m constantly monitoring changes in how I feel.

Would walking into glass like this cause a concussion? Am I overreacting?

Also I cannot see a doctor because I am in a different country on vacation for 3 weeks.

So I've been dealing with the lingering affects of this injury for 8 years now.

I'm currently suffering from

-Lack of focus/concentration

- emotional flatness

- low libido

- no internal monologue

-poor working/short term memory

-Lack of motivation

I'm struggling finding doctors that will even take me seriously. I'm currently on Wellbutrin but haven't seen any benefit yet. So far I've done the vestibular therapy which helped with the initial dizziness and headaches. I'm just at my wits end here. Currently located on the East Coast so if anyone has any clinics/ physicians they recommend it would be highly appreciated.

I noticed this is something my wife has done, is it normal for someone to wear sweatpants everyday, years after the accident? Can hitting your head affects the way people wear clothes or no?

No jeans but sweatpants and sometimes shorts.

Post concussion,

I developed pulsatile tinnitus which creates clocking sound and the rhythm getting sync to my heart rate

I feel shivering and tremors all the time and at night i wake sometimes with fast heart rate and with shivering because of feeling cold

It’s been going like this since post concussion

Is anyone going through this?

I fell face-first off of a back patio (~3 ft off of the ground) in June 2025. I don't remember anything after thinking "Oh shit, I'm falling" until I opened my eyes and was laying on my side in a mud puddle. I tried to get up but my arms couldn't move.

I was alone and started yelling for help but couldn't make my voice work very well. I kept trying to move my hands and they slowly got feeling back. It must have only been 30-60 seconds but I was so afraid and in shock that it felt like much longer.

When I was able to stand and assess the situation more, my head was sore and I had this weird, painful electrical shooting sensation that kept going from around my left ear, down my jaw and neck, into my left shoulder. I did not have any open wound or obvious lumps.

I was able to get a ride to the ER, where they decided to perform a jaw X-ray. I was more worried about a concussion and brain bleed but figured they'd perform other tests so I went along with it.

X-ray came back fine. And they let me go. Diagnosis: contusions.

The next day I had a worsening headache and later started vomiting. My sister (a registered nurse) said I should go back to the ER and ask for a CT scan.

I went back. They told me that while my injury was concerning, even one head CT scan could cause cancer, so they had to follow the "Canadian Guidelines" which apparently are that a CT scan is warranted for a TBI when:

1. The fall is greater than 6 feet or 2. a fatality occurs on the scene. Which doesn't really make sense because I'm 5'6 and fell from a platform 3 feet up... so my head technically fell 8.5 feet. And I was ALONE, so of course there weren't fatalities. I would've been the fatality.

Anyway, I was concussed and didn't know how to argue with that. They did some random "touch this finger with that finger" type tests and let me go again but this time with a concussion diagnosis.

It took me 2 weeks to even start doing normal things again, and I can barely remember things from the 3-4 weeks after the fall.

Fast forward to now. I've been noticing weird issues that seemed insignificant at first but have been increasing in frequency and severity over the last few months.

First, balance. I have felt unstable when upright. I can walk without falling most of the time but I feel nervous doing lots of physical activities (e.g. climbing trees, hiking non-flat surfaces, really anything requiring more precise foot placement). I used to have really good balance in those situations so it's noticeably harder.

Also, fine motor skills in general. My hands are less reliable. I don't have precision like I used to. It's random things, like missing the keyhole when trying to lock or unlock a door I use frequently.

Vision is another one. I'm 22 and have seen an eye doctor annually for the last 15 years. My eyes really haven't changed much in the last 4 years until this past year. I'm nearsighted, but I feel like my farsighted vision has decreased significantly. And now my nearsightedness is starting to be affected too. I see my eye doctor in a few weeks, so we'll see how that goes.

And lastly, memory. I have a history of depression and anxiety and while that does cause brain fog and memory issues, I've NEVER had it this bad. I can remember factual things fine, but I don't remember my own experiences in the past year very well. I forget conversations from yesterday. I forget what I'm doing while doing it half the time. I make plans with a friend for the next day and completely forget I ever did so until they're wondering where I am.

TLDR: I had a scary fall 11 months ago that resulted in a concussion but the ER didn't do any tests other than basic motor skills and an X-ray of my jaw. Now I have strange, sudden, worsening issues with things like balance, memory, and vision when I didn't have issues like this before.

Could these issues be related to my concussion? Or is something else happening? Am I just aging? I'm only 22 and I feel like I'm somehow physically and mentally deteriorating.

I have had 5 concussions within 3 years and I’m only in my 20s (F) and majority of the pcs would go away within like 2 months, I last hit my head in December and the recovery has felt very weird.

At first it felt normal like head pounding / nausea to light / ringing etc. After like a month and a half most of those went away however neurologically I started to become more clumsy and forgetful of things. I’ve become more isolated as well from friends because I will take a slower time to reply or I will mess up my words on accident & they’ll laugh but I know it’s not like personal or in a rude way. Everyday I have felt bad nausea and just bad motion sickness. I took a neurological test and my results were not good at all. It really aggravates me that for the most part I can appear normal & present myself to friends & peers however I feel like I’m going through something so invisible that I really don’t even know how to describe. When I saw a neurologist they said that I have a fair recovery however everyday it feels like my brain is slowly declining, I’m struggling to remember basic things. It’s hard to go shopping without feeling really nauseous from so much motion around me. It has been hard for me to work, practice studies, hw etc. I never even know how to describe what I’m dealing with every single day into actual words. Has anyone else felt like their brain has been on a decline?