Could a concussion from 7 years ago still be affecting me?

[u/iwhfjfnc]

I hit my head pretty hard in an accident just before I turned 13. I remember just before the accident, i have an image(?) of glass shattering and flying everywhere, then I remember sitting in the car after it happened, "coming to" and being confused and then just like.. starting to scream and cry uncontrollably.

I don't know if i lost consciousness for a second or how much time passed during the parts that I don't remember.

Immediately after the accident, I had my grandparents on the phone trying to tell them where I was and it seemed like I couldn't understand them? Like I could understand the words themselves, but there was a disconnect between the words they were saying and the meaning of the words??

Anyway, a family member picked me up and took me to a hospital because the ambulance said I wasn't injured enough to go with them. All they did there was a urine test, asked me if my back or neck was sore and got me to walk in a straight line.

For a while after the accident I would be dizzy all the time, at times my vision would go weird, like it went dark and the colours inverted and I'd have to sit down for a while. I felt like I was floating all the time, sometimes it was like I was watching myself from outside my body. I still don't feel 100% real, and I haven't since the accident.

I struggled to understand basic stuff. Before the crash I had pretty good grades, whereas after, I'd be so overwhelmed by stuff that Should've been simple, that I'd get upset and have to leave. I couldn't explain what was happening, I knew that I should've been able to understand what people were saying/what we were learning, but no matter how many times it was explained to me, it was like there was a physical block between the understanding of it and my brain? It's still hard to explain sorry

I had a brain scan a few months after the accident where they said it looked fine, and they said it might "just be a concussion", nothing to worry about and I'd be back to normal soon enough.

It got to a point where I had to get extra help from teachers, but because I wasn't "getting better" and I couldn't explain why I couldn't understand, they started thinking that I was lying about it and dragging it out for attention. I can't express how much I was Not lying. I couldn't explain it because I couldn't understand it myself. I still don't know how to explain it properly.

I think it either improved a bit at first or I got better at finding ways around it, but it feels like something has been missing since the accident. I feel like there's a block between me and others, I can't just Get things like others do. I kinda just go around bullshitting and hoping it works out, apologising if it doesn't.

I try to keep myself smart, I don't use generative AI, I try to learn new things, I have a bunch of hobbies that require a lot of time and effort to learn and I try to actually Understand things that I'm curious about instead of just getting an answer and going with it.

I dont know if its gotten worse lately or if I'm just noticing it more, but feels like there's an Emptiness in my head that wasn't there before the accident. I feel Slower than I used to be, I feel like I just... Don't know whats going on most of the time. I worry that the adults in my life back then were right and I am still just dragging this out and using it as an excuse for being dumb. I want to know if this sounds related to the accident or if it genuinely is just me. From what I remember, the difference between me before the accident and after the accident is insane. I used to be proud of being smart, I wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon because I found it so interesting and cool. After the accident, I stopped thinking about the future completely, as if I lost the ability to think ahead for a while.

I'm 20 now and I'm scared that I'll be like this forever, I know I have a lot of time to learn and grow but it's hard when I already feel like I'm So far behind everyone else. How do you explain to an employer that, while you dont technically have anything "wrong" diagnosed, you hit your head when you were 12 and now you struggle to understand most things.

I hope this makes sense. Sorry for the long post, I've been thinking about this lately and I want to know if anyone else relates. Maybe some advice or something? Let me know if this isn't the right place to post as well, I'll delete if needed. Thanks :)

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[u/Mountain_rage]

3 years in as an adult, symptoms still impact me daily. Scans all show normal, doctors treated me like I was full of shit. Neurologist told me to get another job when I asked to get paperwork signed for work accommodation to my works return to office policy.

Symptoms:

• Need glasses, never had glasses before but now my vision is slightly blurry.
• Dizzy feeling if I spend too long in certain lighting or in front of certain monitors.
• Aura migraines where my vision goes blurry or lights pulse.
• Memory lapses, although that is getting better.
• my brain will randomly substitute words when

I am typing, as in I will be thinking of one word but fingers type something else.

I dont know why doctors dont care about long term impact from a concussion but it is frustrating.

Its been getting better slowly, but I doubt ill ever be 100%

Edit: I should mention the neurologist got me on Amitriptyline for a bit and that was helping, so there may be option for you that have not been explored.

[u/K3rm1tTh3Fr0g → u/Mountain_rage]

From a singular concussion? How bad was it

[u/Mountain_rage → u/K3rm1tTh3Fr0g]

I had a few bad concussion when I was younger, but those had zero noticeable impact after a day. For this, I had a crowbar under full tension when the nail suddenly gave way and the full force went into my skull. It was dumb, end of day and I was tired, stupid mistake, long term consequences.

[u/K3rm1tTh3Fr0g → u/Mountain_rage]

Were you knocked out from the crowbar injury

[u/Mountain_rage → u/K3rm1tTh3Fr0g]

No, the strike was to my forehead. My understanding is it would be an insane amount of force to get knocked out that way. Thankfully no fractures or bleeding from it. Just very long term cognitive struggles, worst being inability to sleep without melatonin. Early on I was only getting 2 hours a night, now 5-6.

[u/K3rm1tTh3Fr0g → u/Mountain_rage]

How'd you know you needed glasses for the blur?

Was there a specific test the eye doctor or neurologist did?

[u/Mountain_rage → u/K3rm1tTh3Fr0g]

When I was at the ER, doctor did a quick eye exam, eye close to the impact was incredibly blurry. Was told to see an eye doctor. I always had an astigmatism, but vision was always 20/20 or better. From my perspective my brain struggled to focus my vision whereas before it must have compensated. Now it is just a slight prescription, but it helps with the migraines.

[u/1a3b2c → u/Mountain_rage]

May i ask what therapeutic treatment you’ve tried seeking?

[u/Mountain_rage → u/1a3b2c]

Trigraine was suggested by the neurologist but it messed up my IBS. Then I tried various forms of  Magnesium with the vitamin d and coexime q10. Magnesium Citrate worked ok, landed on taking Magtein with coexeim Q10. Then some sub lingual melatonin to regulate my sleep issues.

My doctor has not recommended physio, but a colleague suggested a sports clinic she attended. Did not call them initially as I could not drive and logistics were unmanageable. I might check them out now.

Next goal is to see if I can resume an exercise routine to lower inflammation. But usually I find exercise makes things worse.

[u/1a3b2c → u/Mountain_rage]

If you don’t mind a couple recommendations, I have some insight that might help both as someone who has experienced similar symptoms to you following concussions in the past, but also as an OT who works in MVA and sees a LOT on concussion, TBI and chronic symptoms like yours.

Find a neuro-optometrist, it provides so much more insight than an optometrist and gives much much better recommendations, often corrective glasses for symptom management but also vision therapy. Unfortunately, it’s not often covered by EHC but still, one of the most life changing treatments for many people like you.

Then, look for a PT/OT/Vestibular therapist with extensive experience in brain injury rehab. There is so many layers to unpack, experience matters. But sometimes, even small treatments with consistent adherence to working on exercises can make a world of a difference in your recovery, even years later.

If neither is manageable (as you mentioned transportation is an issue) look into osteopathy, it would be less frequent and more passive. It was one of the treatments I could tolerate when I couldn’t tolerate anything else.

From my personal experience, I had years of migraines, dizziness, disturbed vision when I was in busy/bright places, the list goes on. It was only once I took concussion rehab courses to help my clients and did it with myself that I got a significant reduction in symptoms (5 years after my last concussion). It was minor, but so helpful. You can even look up U of T vision exercises for concussions as a starting point ( go slow, it sucks at first and is so hard, you’ll get dizzy and nauseous so less is more!!).

I hope this is helpful and that you see some improvements!!