The therapies I tried in my first 2 years (part 1)- treatment for long term effects of concussion

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As we all know, there is no quick fix (one specific treatment for long term effects of a concussion) when it comes to healing from a concussion. If there was one, it wouldn’t be a hell of a search to find the right therapies to heal from a concussion.

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Treatment for long term effects of concussion

To keep it clean and short, I decided to write two posts about what therapies I tried in my concussion journey. In this post, I will share what treatments I tried during my first two years. In the next post, I will share what treatments I tried after my first two years.

I was the most lost during my first two years. I didn’t know what was going on with me, so I didn’t have a targeted search. I knew I had whiplash, but I didn’t know I also had a concussion. So I started trying things mostly focussed on my whiplash first.

My concussion therapies up to two years after my accident

1. A few days after the accident - My doctor

After my accident, I went to my doctor, who told me to rest and take a step back from work. I would be better within a maximum of 6 weeks. I remember that I thought, 6 WEEKS?! That’s way too long! Now I wish it only took 6 weeks.

2. A few weeks after the accident - My doctor again He told me to be patient and take more rest. I went home and followed his advice

3. Six weeks after the accident - My doctor again The six weeks were over, but I didn’t feel any better. He told me it could take a bit longer, up to a maximum of 6 months. WHAT?!

4. Three months after the accident - My doctor again I couldn’t handle the pain in my neck/back anymore (which was only a small part of my issues). He sent me to a physiotherapist. I was happy that there was someone who would help me with my symptoms.

5. I had six sessions with my physiotherapist (1 session a week) For six weeks, I was fully focussed on all the exercises I needed to do during the sessions and at home. It didn’t help at all, and I felt worse after those 6 weeks; it was too much. I followed my feeling and stopped the treatment.

6. Five months after my accident - I went to a craniosacral therapist (5 sessions) I felt like my whole body was out of balance. So I googled what could help. I went to a craniosacral therapist. We decided to do one session once a week. I started, and I felt really calm after the treatment, but later that day, I was feeling worse again. I thought I should give it some time; it was just the first session, right? But this happened after all the sessions, and it felt like it was helping just for a few hours to feel calmer, but not in the long term to heal from my concussion symptoms. So I quit after 5 weeks. I felt like I needed something else.

7. Six months after my accident - My doctor again I didn’t know where to go, so I went to my doctor again. It was 6 months after my accident, and last time, he told me it could take up to six months. Why wasn’t I feeling any better? He told me to wait until the one-year mark. This was the moment I felt he wasn’t able to help me. I went home and decided not to go back to my doctor again. 8. Seven months after my treatment - I went to a Chiropractor (8 sessions) I read a book about someone who had whiplash and was totally healed from it after a few sessions with a chiropractor. It sounded a bit too good to be true, but I needed to try this. I was a bit scared of this treatment because they crack your bones. But all I wanted was to get better no matter what. I felt a bit of a change after the first treatment, but maybe it was just a coincidence. I had two sessions a week and yes, my muscles became less tight, but it didn’t help me with all the cognitive stuff that was going on in my head. I felt like it was treating only 5% of all my issues, and I started to feel overwhelmed by the need to go there twice a week. So I stopped after 8 sessions and decided I needed something else.

9. One year after my treatment - Neurofeedback therapy (20 sessions) My biggest problem was feeling overwhelmed all the time. Until now, I only had help when it came to my back/neck pain, but I needed something else, so I decided to try Neurofeedback therapy. This therapy cost me a lot (around €3000). I had one session a week, so I was fully focused on this for 20 weeks. In the first 8 sessions, I didn’t notice any difference. My therapist said that it is normal to feel something when you are around 10 sessions but that it would be different for everyone. After 10 sessions, I didn’t feel the difference, and I was a bit disappointed but still motivated to give it more time. When we almost reached the 20 sessions, I just felt that this was not working for me, and my therapist agreed. Again, I felt so frustrated and disappointed, one I can add to the list of concussion therapies I tried and didn't work out.

10. One year, eight months after my accident - My doctor again I ended up again at my doctor to give it a last shot because I felt so lost and didn’t know what treatment would help me. I started to cry at my doctor’s office. This was apparently a sign for him to send me to a psychologist with a note: anxiety disorder. I never saw my doctor again.

This is how my first two years looked like.

Read my next blog about the concussion treatments I tried after the first two years.

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