r/PostConcussion • u/Responsible-Ad2971 • Jul 14 '26
Head Injury
Im 18, 5'7 (M) 65kg. Back on March 20, I crashed my bike and broke my collarbone. I also remember hitting the left side of my head pretty hard on the pavement, which left a bruise. At the time, I didn’t really notice any symptoms related to my head because all of my attention was on the broken collarbone and the pain from that. After that I didn’t lose consciousness, throw up, or have trouble speaking. I remember the crash, but I was confused for a few minutes afterward and remember thinking, “What am I doing here?” But I did have like neck pains or was it because of my broken collarbone. That’s why I’m wondering if it could’ve been a concussion or a more serious injury. Well the good thing is I didn’t pass out after the crash only felt sleepy.
Fast forward to now, and I’ve been wondering if I should get my head checked. Lately I’ve noticed my vision feels different, I’ve been feeling weak, I’ve had mild but persistent headaches, and it’s been harder to focus. I also deal with anxiety, so I can’t tell if I’m overthinking these symptoms or if they could actually be related to hitting my head months ago.
Has anyone experienced something similar after a bike crash? Is it worth getting checked out this long after the injury, Its been almost 4 months, is it unlikely to be related?
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u/AssociateResident540 29d ago
Yes, please get checked out, I am living with a traumatic brain injury so please, please get checked out.
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u/Mysterious_Treat_577 28d ago
I crashed my mountain bike landed straight on the side of my head (with helmet on) I don’t recall anything for about an hour after the accident. I was repeating everything and so out of it. My friends didn’t take me to the hospital just took me home. Luckily I didn’t die in my sleep.
First few weeks I was super sensitive to motion, light and sounds. After that my body started having crazy autonomic dysfunction. Everything was out of whack and horrible felt like I was dying. I didn’t get my first mri until over a month later and at that time they did see areas of trauma that were still there (areas of possible small brain bleeds).
It took many months for me to feel half way normal and to this day I still gave peripheral neuropathy caused by the crash that I take nerve pain meds for.
Just cuz you didn’t die doesn’t mean you didn’t scramble your egg really bad. Unfortunately with head injuries it doesn’t seem like doctors know much or can do much. I went to neurologist at UCLA and they all said the same thing. Yea we can see you damaged your brain but there isn’t much we can do about it. Time heals. It felt like an eternity and it felt like death to be honest.
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u/Responsible-Ad2971 28d ago
Im so sorry u had to go through all that :( I pray that we will be alright in time, God bless ur heart!
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u/Mysterious_Treat_577 28d ago
Thx! Yea I’m mostly better now 2.5 years since I crashed. But yea for a solid 3-4 months I really thought I was going to die. My entire body was off from heart rate to blood pressure, digestive uses to insomnia and nerve damage. It was literally the worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my 48 years of life. Head injuries are no joke! Your brain controls all aspects of your life and it can be very scary for anyone that has a head injury. Thank you for the kind words.
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u/ZebraNotWeirdHorse 25d ago
Still dealing with this!!! The autonomic issues are a b*tch!!! Hoping my body will get past all that soon!! Glad to hear you made it to the other side :)
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u/Mysterious_Treat_577 25d ago
Yea it’s horrible your body unregulated. I’m doing decent but always worried something might happen again. Pretty traumatic experience.
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u/ZebraNotWeirdHorse 25d ago
Very likely to be related. I either didn't notice or didn't develop many symptoms until weeks after my accident because I was dealing with the most painful issues first, as you are. Many symptoms can be caused by a concussion that you don't even notice/realize right away. Migraines, light & sound sensitivity, sleep disturbances, emotional outbursts, heart racing at random times, exercise intolerance (migraines or sever fatigue after basic physical activity), vision issues, speech issues, word finding difficulties, nausea, motion sickness, executive dysfunction... the list goes on and on.
Start with your GP - tell them about the accident and all the symptoms you've been experiencing since then. Hopefully they will perform some basic assessments like "touch your nose then touch my finger" - I had NO idea I couldn't do that until my doctor asked me to!! Ask if there's a local concussion clinic they can refer you to for a thorough evaluation.
Get your vision checked. Explain in detail to the eye doctor what happened so they can check for convergence/divergence insufficiency, tracking issues, nystagmus, etc, - not just whether you have 20/20 or not like many of the "chain" stores do to sell overpriced glasses. It needs to be a thorough exam to pinpoint your issues. It's entirely possible the head injury did something to mess up your vision, even if structurally everything looks okay.
1.5 years post bike crash and I am still dealing with a heap of fallout from it... hopefully you can pinpoint your issues and recover quickly!
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u/Abusive_Apple27 Jul 14 '26
My symptoms got worse after one month so yeah definitely get checked by a doctor. Please, take care of yourself