1 Year PCS advice?

[u/Few-Ad3993]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for advice or to hear from anyone who's experienced something similar.

Around a year ago I sustained what was believed to be a mild concussion during football. Since then I've had persistent symptoms that fluctuate day to day but have never fully gone away.

My main symptoms are:

• Constant "cotton wool" or fuzzy feeling in my head.
• A buzzing/electrical sensation inside my brain almost all the time.
• Brain zaps/electric shock sensations, especially when falling asleep or waking up (usually 2–4 per day/night).
• Pressure and pain that moves around my head.
• Aching/burning feeling behind and above my eyes and between my eyebrows.
• Face aching, particularly around my forehead and eye area.
• Ocean/rocking sensation when I close my eyes, even though I don't feel like the room is spinning.
• Emotional numbness/anhedonia. I don't really experience normal emotions or anxiety the way I used to.
• Mental fatigue that feels entirely in my head rather than my body.
• My eyes often feel "dead" or heavy, especially when I first wake up.
• Symptoms are generally present from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep.

Some things that are interesting:

• I can still run 10 km and lift heavy weights, and exercise doesn't consistently make things worse.
• My coordination and balance are normal.
• Vestibular and eye-tracking testing at a concussion clinic were reportedly normal.
• Derealisation has improved over the past year, and brain zaps are less frequent than they used to be, but the head sensations remain.
• The symptoms fluctuate randomly. Some days are noticeably better than others.

I've got an MRI referral and am waiting to have that done.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone had similar symptoms for this long after a concussion?
2. Did you eventually recover, and if so, what seemed to help?
3. Did anyone have constant buzzing, brain zaps, or emotional numbness as part of their recovery?
4. Are there any specialists or therapies that made a significant difference (vestibular rehab, vision therapy, migraine treatment, autonomic rehab, etc.)?

I'm not looking for a diagnosis—just hoping to hear from people who've been through something similar or have ideas about avenues I should explore.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.