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At this moment of writing, it’s been almost 6 years ago since I sustained my concussion and whiplash in May 2017. I bumped into another scooter and sustained a whiplash. It was quite a journey, and in this post, I just want to share with you all the signs and symptoms of concussion I felt during that year.
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Table of contents
my first year - The signs and symptoms of concussion I had
My first year was the hardest. After I sustained my concussion, I was so confused, I didn’t hit my head, so I didn’t know I had a concussion. My doctor only mentioned the word whiplash, so I fully focused on that during my first year. No one ever told me I could get a concussion from a whiplash. Isn’t that weird?!
I had all these concussion symptoms in my first year:
Headache
Oressure” in head and behind my eyes
Nausea
Balance problems / dizziness
Blurry vision
Fatigue
Bothered by light or noise
Confusion, concentration and memory problems.
Feeling overwhelmed all the time (crying out of nowhere)
Anxiety - shortness of breath - fight flight
That’s a lot, right? And the weird thing, I mentioned all those symptoms to my doctor, and he still never mentioned the word concussion. When I start Googling right now, I don’t see all those symptoms when I Google the word whiplash, and it’s very easy to find on Google you can sustain a concussion from a whiplash.
I wished I’d received the right help right away after mentioning all those signs and symptoms of concussion to my doctor in my first year.
How did I feel in my second year?
The second year wasn’t any better than my first year. I didn’t feel any improvement and just didn’t know where to find help anymore. So, all the symptoms I just mentioned were there in my second year as well.
My third year - My symptoms changed after my second year because…
After the second year, I finally found a place that could help me: Cognitive FX in Utah. (No, I am not an affiliate, just spreading more awareness as they helped me so much).
At this concussion clinic, I learned everything about interval training and cognitive exercises, which changed my life and the lives of so many others.
However, simply engaging in 'some' cardio exercises or doing ‘some’ puzzles won't bring about a massive change.
More is simply needed if you truly want to overcome your symptoms.
That's why I invested $10k in a comprehensive treatment that brought significant results.
As a result, I launched this 3-month program to guide you through intervals and cognitive exercises in the most beneficial way to reduce your concussion symptoms.
This way, you won't need to spend $10k as I did.
Click here to learn more about the 3-month program and how it has helped over 500 other concussion survivors.
In my third year, I also had vision therapy, which helped.
Right after I returned from Cognitive FX, I started vision therapy in The Netherlands at Hans de Bruijn in Haarlem.
I went there for almost a year. I started with light therapy, followed by eye exercises and then prism glasses. All of this helped me a lot with focusing, my noise sensitivity, eye pain/pressure (which made it easier to watch screens).
For everyone who’s just started, I almost gave up in my first 3 months of vision therapy as I almost didn’t feel improvements. It can take time, so don’t give up too fast.
My fourth year - signs and symptoms of concussion
As I continued all cognitive exercises and interval training in my third year and finished eye therapy, I started to notice more and more improvements.
So, what concussion symptoms did I still have/ or improved?
I still deal with overwhelm but not that easily as in the beginning
I can focus on something that’s far away (was so hard in the beginning!)
Reading and screens are easier to handle
I am not all down on the couch anymore as I have more energy (after doing the intervals consistently)
My cognitive ability drastically improved (after doing the cognitive exercises consistently)
I still feel more emotional than before the accident, but it’s a bit more manageable
Anxiety… A tough one, right! Still learning how to cope best.
Still can’t drive long distances.
My fifth year…
That’s where I am right now at the moment of writing this post. Well, I am almost in my sixth year and last year, a lot of things changed that has drastically impacted my life.
I had a PDTR treatment last January (2023). Click here to read my previous blog and learn what PDTR is, how I experienced this treatment and how it helped to get rid of some symptoms.
I moved to Bali last February (2023). Well, I think “moved” is a big worth. We just went here and see how long we like it. But to be honest, I think we will be back in The Netherlands this year (at least for a couple of months, or maybe longer).
What signs and symptoms of a concussion do I still have right now after almost 6 years?
As some symptoms improved after the PDTR treatment: no clenching jaws anymore, feeling more relaxed while I am in crowds, no tension in my muscles anymore, screens are easier to handle… I am also dealing with more anxiety than ever before.
I even had my first panic attack (followed by many of them) in January. This was completely new for me. Yes, I’ve dealt with anxiety before, but not anxiety attacks. I feel it’s getting better and better, and it was maybe a reaction to the PDTR treatment, and my body just thought: “Wow, what’s happening here?”
But as I just mentioned, it’s getting better and better. It feels like my body is finding back a balance between being alert (fight flight) and rest. As I am lingering between those two sides. At some moments, I’ve never felt this peaceful in my life and during other moments, I never felt this anxiety before.
But I am leaning toward the relaxation side. I am moving forward, and that what’s counts.
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