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The answer is yes, but the more important questions are how to recover from concussion and how much can I heal. The answer to these questions are going to be different for each person with PCS.
Rest and Recover
If you are like most people who had a concussion, especially if you were not knocked out, you probably didn’t think it was a big deal at first. Our natural reaction is to minimize injury, maybe even deny it completely. You may have blamed symptoms on something else like; dehydration, a hangover, not enough sleep, stress, whiplash, what have you.
After a couple weeks though, you started thinking you better have someone check it out. The treatment protocol for concussion for many years has been rest with a gradual return to work or play. Coaches learn this, teachers learn this, doctors teach this. Chances are you were told to rest. Maybe you are still resting.
While it is true that our bodies, including our brains have an incredible capacity to heal, there would be no need for any health care profession if it could do it themselves every time. Sometimes we need a little help, sometimes a lot. What you need to do to recover from post concussion syndrome may be completely different from what someone else needs. One of the greatest tragedies of the rest and return model is it can delay recovery from concussion leaving you with a more complicated, established post concussion syndrome.
The Post concussion syndrome Roller Coaster
If we think of recovering from a concussion as a journey, how would you describe your trip? Rest and Return would be like someone telling you to stay on the train you arrived on. For some people, that train reaches the desired destination; you recover from post concussion syndrome. For others, the train goes up and down, around sharp turns and you just see the same things over and over. This the PCS roller coaster and it’s not the fun kind. Depending on what studies you read, 44 – 60% of people who have concussions have symptoms 6 months later. That means the rest and recover train only gets someone where they need to go 40 -54% of the time. I don’t like those odds. The longer you are on the roller coaster the more the brain affects other systems of the body and visa versa in a negative feedback loop. This kind of downward spiral is what makes it harder and harder to recover from post concussion syndrome the longer you have it.
Island Hopping
Without direction from a health care professional, we feel we have no choice but to strike out on our own. But we are in uncharted territory, so we seek out fellow travelers. It’s important to have support, but it might not be wise to follow the advice of people who have little more experience than we do. Sure, they may have had limited success with one form of treatment or another for themself, but can they see the big picture?
In our journey metaphor, this could be called island hopping. Traveling from one treatment island to the next based on the hope of finding the treasure rumored to be buried there. This can take a lot of money and a lot of time.
Charting a course to recover from Post concussion Syndrome
When you really want to go somewhere, it helps to have a map. There used to be these people called cartographers and navigators, now we have apps. Put in your location and destination and you get the quickest route plus a few alternatives that may be more scenic or avoid bridges, etc. You also get to choose your mode of transport. You wouldn’t want to ride a bike on railroad tracks.
The same is true for the concussion recovery journey. There may be one destination, but there are a lot of ways to get there. You need access to a map and a navigator to see the big picture and find the route that will work for you. That means really understanding your individual starting point and how you ended up there. It may feel like you have been traveling a long time. You may feel like you have gone in circles or even gone farther from your destination. That may be true, but with the right route for you, the journey has rewards.
To get past the mountain of brain inflammation, you may need to cross the river of poor brain circulation or rebuild the retaining wall of the gut or blood brain barrier. Nutritionally you may need to change the type of fuel you are using for better efficiency. You may need to weather the storm of hyper-reactive nerves, (neuroexcitotoxicity) or take a detour to clear autoimmune issues. On the other side of that mountain you may have bridges of nerve connections to repair. The possibilities are as endless as this metaphor. My point is, you can be closer to recovery than you are now with a plan made for you.
Staying the course
Of course, no one is saying it will be easy. Most long journeys are not easy, even when the place you are going is much better than where you started. It will take perseverance and that requires HOPE. Having a route planned out alone can bring a lot of hope. Seeing yourself move forward on that course will give you continued hope. You may have setbacks, but each small victory opens the possibility of more small victories, progress toward recovery.
