Slew of Odd Symptoms - Head Injury?
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hello,
I came here since I have had a slew of really bad appointments with some doctors - all odd symptoms but no one believes how debilitating they are, not even my family. I am/was a college student and professional athlete and my life has basically fallen apart.
It started in July when I started feeling:
Headaches that occur everyday
Neck pain that occurs when the headaches are bad
Dizziness and passing out on occasion
Tired (to the point where even caring for myself is difficult)
Numbness and tingling mainly on my right side, muscle weakness and overall balance issues
Sensitivity - to light, sound, sometimes blurry vision
Memory problems - difficulty concentrating, making decisions, finding words, sequencing information, remembering things I was supposed to do
Disclaimer - As a figure skater I have had (underlined) many, many concussions before. Exactly 12 at this point.
Right before this all started I was at a figure skating training and did take many hard hits but no direct hits to my head that I recall. Approx 3 months before though, I did have an accident where I hit the boards and had whiplash and a concussion after that only three of the sections above were occurring:
Headaches, dizziness and passing out on occasion and some memory issues
My family has never taken me to a hospital or even mentioned my concussions before on the account that my father was rooting for me to be a pilot, but I went my own way and started working on a nursing degree instead. Also, my father was very much into giving as little medical history as possible and being sick is a sign of weakness, you are a "lesser" human for being sick or disabled.
I am meeting with another neurologist soon and would like to disclose my full history of head injuries but I would like to know if you all think it has any relation with a head injury or if it might be something else.
It has ruined my life though - I went from a straight 4.0 in college to an F in my recent psychology class, everyday is a struggle, computer time is short if at all, I usually stay in a darkened room, I have trouble cooking, and cleaning, and taking care of myself is extremely hard. Even brushing my teeth and showering is a struggle.
I would greatly appreciate any advice.
Kind regards,
Alena
0 likes, 6 replies
elaine_10691 alena44386
Posted
Alena,
I'll just say a few things which I believe to be right. You should follow the job or career path of your choice...and nobody else's. If a nursing career is, indeed, what you feel drawn to at this point in your life, then that is what you should do. The same goes for your hobbies. If the skating training is really what you want from your heart then you should find time to pursue it.
Also, feeling sick, tired, in pain or dizzy are real things you are feeling for whatever reason. Sorting out any emotional problems can go a long way to improving things or even healing things. I'm not saying any of your symptoms are not real but I know, only too well, that we must look at ourselves as a whole as emotions play an extremely important part in our well being. Good luck!
derek76 alena44386
Posted
You should mention the knocks to your head. It is now accepted that there is a condition called Post Head Injury Syndrome that can occur weeks after the initial concussion.
Post-concussion symptoms include:
Headaches
Dizziness
Fatigue
Irritability
Anxiety
Insomnia
Loss of concentration and memory
Ringing in the ears
Blurry vision
Noise and light sensitivity
Rarely, decreases in taste and smell
Post-concussion headaches can vary and may feel like tension-type headaches or migraines. Most often, they are tension-type headaches. These may be associated with a neck injury that happened at the same time as the head injury
alena44386 derek76
Posted
Derek,
I appreciate your response and I will definitely mention it now.
Kind regards,
Alena
derek76 alena44386
Posted
How old are you as you seem to be reliant on your parents ?
elaine_10691 alena44386
Posted
Also, Alena,
What Derek said is very relevant and worth a suggestion to a consultant. I hope you begin to feel better soon and that you can find the right guidance or intervention.
alena44386 elaine_10691
Posted
Elaine,
Thank you so much for your advice. It really means a lot to me.
Alena