If you are struggling as I was then you probably don’t want to read my entire story all at once. Rather you, as I did, just need to know that there is a solution and what it may be. Here is what helped me, what I did and what I should have done:
Atlas Adjustment – This tiny bone at the base of the skull played a pivotal role in the blood flow to my brain. Once it was adjusted things started becoming manageable again. Your Chiro can do this for you
Posture – At work my posture is not great. Working on a computer puts great strain on the neck, back and eyes. I learned to move around every 45 minutes. Use heat packs on neck and back muscles. Get a bigger screen to reduce strain and sit properly as much as possible
Drugs – Panic attacks are part of a concussion. Don’t be afraid to use the right drugs to control anxiety. Don’t let any doctor tell you that you need anti-depressants like Prozac unless they spend some real time with you
Rest – This is what I needed and didn’t get. Even after being diagnosed with a consussion and unfortunately with Post-Concussion Syndrome you cannot quantify the value of rest. Sleep as much as you can, close your eyes often and go as slow as possible. The more time you can get off work to stay down the better. If you have the right medication you can speed up your healing by sleeping and powering down as much as possible
Background noise – The ringing in your ears will gradually lessen. It may never be gone for good but the initial high pitched, loud, intense ringing will slowly mellow out. Mine took 18 months to show the first signs of relief. To deal with this, play music, go to noisy places, use headphones to drown it out where possible. You may also need medication to help you fall asleep and stay asleep while it is to intrusive. Just be aware that some noises can stimulate the ringing and make it worse for a short time
Ozone treatment / Acupuncture – I suppose while blood flow to the brain is inhibited you struggle to heal. All organs and tissues heal better when there is great blood flow to that area. Blood bringing oxygen increases the speed of healing. Any treatment like these above that can bring more blood to your brain can assist you in healing faster. They say aerobic exercise can improve the speed of healing but whenever I exercised during my PCS my eyes would start to burn and I would feel the symptoms of dissociation coming on. I imagine its the same principal but it seems to manifest differently with treatment than it does with exercise. I was not able to do my usual type of exercise since I was on crutches but be aware that any exercise while suffering from a concussion or post concussion is very dangerous if it includes activity that could result in an additional head injury