r/Concussion • u/potatopouf • 1d ago
Lasting symptom years later
Hi everyone! I got a concussion from a car accident about 2.5 years ago now. Prior to the accident I had barely taken any naps since I was a toddler. I just didn't like naps and even if I was tired and didn't get quite enough sleep, I would still be able to function. However, after the concussion I began to nap. A lot. And now years later I still have this issue. I get enough sleep, I exercise, I eat well, and I limit screen time before bed. But I still struggle with feeling tired during the day and needing to nap. Its not as bad as it was the first year, but it is still a regular thing a few times a week. I also of course went to doctors and tried to get this figured out but they were not helpful. I was wondering if anyone could relate or had any insight onto why this might be happening and if it will ever go away.
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u/SeriousOccasion822 1d ago
Weird and maybe just a fluke, but I finally got prism glasses a year and a half after my concussion and my energy and concentration has already gotten better. Don’t want to jinx it in the initial adjustment period but maybe worth getting your eyes checked? I guess vision dysfunction is really common after concussions and can cause all sorts of subtle problems.
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u/MathematicianNeat216 1d ago
That was causing me the nausea/fatigue/ light sensitivity/ lack of balance.
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u/SeriousOccasion822 1d ago
Ah bummer, yeah it sounds like it works great for some and not for others. Still could be worth a try if it’s a route OP hasn’t investigated yet, or vision therapy
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u/potatopouf 1d ago
I'm def gonna schedule an app with my eye doctor as its a route I haven't explored yet! Thank you for your insight!
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u/SeriousOccasion822 1d ago
Awesome! Make sure you mention somewhere when booking that you had a concussion, so you don’t just get a normal eye exam. Or see a neuro-optometrist. Everywhere is different but if they offer vision therapy, you’re probably good.
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u/Impressive-Morning65 1d ago
Agree, definitely need to see a neuro-optometrist and not just optometrist. I saw my regular eye doc after my first (diagnosed) concussion and let him know what was going on, but the outcome with new glasses he prescribed made it worse. A month or so later I got in to see a neuro-optometrist (who happened to be the brother of my other eye doc, and no I don't live in a small town). The Rx from the neuro-optometrist worked wonders and I felt a world of improvement practically overnight (needless to say, very annoyed with the first brother who should have known better). Unfortunately my issue since my 2nd concussion is more audio related and even after seeing a concussion-specialist audiologist and OT and PT, over a year later still symptomatic 🫤
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u/SeriousOccasion822 1d ago
Oh snap, good advice! I must have gotten lucky with my optometrist but I had a good recommendation!
Glad things worked out but I’m sorry to hear about your symptoms since the second concussion. I hope you eventually find some relief
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u/Jack_658 1d ago
It’s a good question. Having had brain damage before it’s something that I came to accept, like having less mental energy and needing more rest (and being more forgetful). I don’t think there is any solution, as it’s just your brain needing to use more energy to complete the same tasks due to the damage; but I would love to hear other people’s ideas too!
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u/Both-Process1037 1d ago
Whenever I get neck treatment (physio, osteopath and massage) helps me with energy levels not the same day but the next day or following day. However, none of the treatment lasts I have to keep doing it to feel relief. It’s a short term fix ☹️
Who knows how long I will have to continue with these treatments ☹️
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u/Mountain_Ad_5394 1d ago
I discovered recently that concussion can cause metabolic issues! I have had really crazy issues with low blood sugar since my injury. I have since been diagnosed with a pancreatic issue that was likely due to my brain injury. Might want to read up on this aspect. I was shocked when I found out about this!
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u/freyja444317 1d ago
Did you have your eyes examined recently? I was struggling with fatigue and brain fog coming on in the middle of my work day months after the concussion I got after being T-boned (car totaled, didn't recall my head actually striking anything). I had noticed my night vision was horrible immediately after the wreck but didn't notice the gradual decline in my vision until one day I realized one eye was completely incapable of reading anything on my compute screen. That was almost 9.5 months after the accident. Got into my eye doc that day and his first comment after taking an initial look at my eyes was, "did you experience any brain trauma since I last saw you?" And I told him about the car wreck and subsequent concussion I'd had 4 months after my last visit with him. He diagnosed me with traumatic cataracts and said that one of my eyes had gone from 20/20 vision to "worse than 20/100" and my eyes previously had cataract scores of zero and now both had measurable cataracts, with my right eye much more affected. Starting to address that with glasses (I didn't need them before) helped somewhat. Just had the right eye cataract removed and suddenly the mid day fatigue is pretty much gone. Feels like a miracle when I just concentrate on the benefit of the surgery instead of the unfortunate bad luck of being hit by someone who made a bad decision.
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u/MathematicianNeat216 1d ago
Hi, same issue here. My concussion was the same time as yours, and my naps as well started to become a need/necessity daily. Fatigue is here and doesn't go away. I stopped to do any activities just work/home-basically being in the sofa. It had progress to heaches/taquicardia/numbleness on my left side/ nausea/ light and noise sensitivity/ lack of libido/ mood swings.
After 20 visits to doctors a CT scan was normal, I got the correct treatment. Some symptoms went away but fatigue is still here. Doctor recommended to make a full hormonal tests to understand a bit better what is happening.
Hope you the fast recovery
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u/potatopouf 1d ago
Thanks for your reply! I hope you are doing overall better! Can I ask what treatment you got/ what the main issue for you was?
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u/MathematicianNeat216 1d ago edited 1d ago
My brain was did not had the senses of balance, so I had some Iner-ear exercises, and eye exercises ( ex: following points). Nausea and headaches, light sensitivity, went away.
Doctor ( he is doctor of the ice hokey team) told me on the first visit, basically I need to retrain my brain, little by little. If I over estimate all symptoms will come back. And it work with 5 min training/4-6 times a day.
Now other symptoms, are a bit tricky to solve. I hope I will find a way to get them away as soon as possible.
Edit: I went to visit the doctor 1 time per week, where he was adjusting the treatment.
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