Hello, it's been a while. I just got a concussion and am terrified...

[AmandaB30]

Hi everybody. I last posted a while ago and was busy doing a bit better and never logged back in until today. Basically on Saturday, I was with my husband in Tadoussac, QC for the long weekend to do whale watching for our aniverssary. Anyway, I slipped on the rocks and fell hard on my back/shoulders and elbows I guess because I had big bruises on them. So we went to the hospital there and it was tough because I only know a bit of french, but the doctor said I could probably still go whale watching on Monday. I didn't really have any symptoms except a very sore neck. It was the worst decision. It was very wavy and we were in a zodiac boat and must have slammed down at least 100 times, each time jarring my whole body and my head started to feel weird and I got really nauseated. Anyway, after a 7 hour drive, we were back home and went to bed. Tuesday morning everything changed. I felt SO agitated/irritable, restless and crying a lot. I felt nauseated again and a bit of a headache. I went to see my family DR and she said I have a concussion and whiplash. She said that it will take a few weeks to heal. Well, each day I am SO exhausted, sleeping SO much, feel very depressed and crying, yelling and irritable with my husband and feeling like I will never be myself.  I keep hearing HORROR stories about how people still felt horrible emotionally for years later and that their personality changed. Before this happened, my worst fear was getting a concussion, considering I already struggle so much with CPTSD. This has just completely devastated me. I know it's only been 6 days since the fall and 4 days since the awful boat ride, but I almost felt immediately that something had changed and I would never recover. I JUST started really making improvements with my CPTSD symptoms before this and now I feel certain it's hopeless.  I'm just wondering if anyone has had a concussion while having CPTSD and healed okay?? PLEASE let me know, especially if you struggled with emotional issues directly related to the concussion right after, but then got better? I am just so scared and sad right now I already had trouble trusting I would be okay before this and now I feel devastated. If it helps to know, when I fell I didn't hit my head or lose consciousness or sight, but my chin hit my chest (teeth knocked together),  I felt pain in my head and like my brain smashed around and all I kept asking my husband was "did I hit my head?" and he said no but that I was a bit dazed for a few seconds. I know you still can get concussion from this, but I guess my biggest fear was after that boat ride, from all the smashing down (really hard, people were screaming) through the waves two days after, that I may have caused irriversable damage after that...I just don't know. I just keep finding terrifying things on the internet and thought it might be better to ask here if someone has had a similar experience and it wasn't a horrifying outcome. And really any of your opinions would be helpful and welcomed very much! Thank you so much in advance!

PS: oh and I just wanted to add that ever since the fall, I have been having relentless nightmares (like before but worse) every single time I sleep. I don't know if it's from the concussion or the emotional stress related to the concussion...or both. Really I just wonder if it will get better!!!

[sanmagic7]

i had a concussion from an auto accident about 20 yrs. ago.  i was already experiencing c-ptsd, but didn't know it.  i had trouble focusing and concentrating, remembering things, especially at work for 2 months.  i did black out for a few seconds in the accident, but it was never diagnosed as a concussion, so it was/i never treated it as such.  it was only looking back on the incident, and learning more about concussions that i understood what happened.

i recovered fully from the concussion, and am just now (the past year or so) working on the c-ptsd issues.  i was more concerned that my brain was damaged from the c-ptsd for the long term.  i've been told by a therapist that most likely it isn't broken, just needs some re-wiring help.

you were already in a wounded state before you went on that horribly bumpy boat ride, so i'm not surprised that when your brain got bounced around while it was already fragile, there have been some scary results.   your doc said a few weeks, and there's no telling how easily your body heals.  i hope you can be patient with yourself, your body, and your brain.  i've learned that our physical systems want to get to a state of wellness, and work toward that end.  sleep is how we heal.  please be gentle with yourself, and give yourself loving care.  hopefully, this will heal sooner than later, and you'll be back on your feet with nothing but a distant memory.  best to you with this, amanda830.

[AmandaB30]

Thank you very much for responding! I am so sorry to hear that you suffered a concussion also. I am glad you recovered fully and your advice was very helpful and comforting, thank you again! 

[Dee]

For me nightmares and stress are tied together.  I always get them, but only a few a month.  When I get stressed it is every night and sometimes several a night.

[AmandaB30]

Oh no, I feel for you  It's awful!! The whole issue stressed me out a LOT, so just given that, it would make sense for the nightmares, as they come on when I'm stressed too!