Tags: migraines, MTBI, Non-epileptic seizures, post concussion, Vision Disturbances
Early last year I was knocked unconsciousness for not less than 20 minutes by falling equipment at work. I had a severe migraine afterwards and a very sore neck. Returned to work after the weekend and continued working full -time for 8 weeks until my principal insisted I take leave as the symptoms (severe chronic migraine headaches that wouldn't respond to my normal medication, diziness, blurred and double vision, short-term memory problems etc, etc) were only getting worse. CT was clear but 6 months later I was diagnosed by specialists at a Concussion Clinic with a MTBI and PCS resulting in reduced cognitive function etc.
Subsequent to this diagnosis I was knocked unconsciousness twice in one evening, each time for a period of not less than one hour. (An accident followed by a violent assault). A week later I collapsed and was sent to hospital for a check up - again I was very fortunate with a clear CT scan and only soft tissue injuries (although these were extensive). Over the following weeks I started to have problems with syncope episodes and my chiropractor reported that I had begun to have seizures and that these were becoming increasingly severe - the seizures seem to only occur when I am lying down and I seem to be more prone to them if I am physically tired and/or hot. As a result of the syncope episodes, I have continued to experience blows to the head (from falling down), some of which are concussive, and am continuing to experience severe chronic migraine headaches (sometimes it is difficult to discern when one is finishing and another one is starting) extreme sensitivity to light and noise, double vision and vision disturbances and disrupted sleep patterns. Epilepsy and diabetes (low blood sugar was reported by medical staff on more than one occasion after a syncope episode) have been discounted as possible causes (EEG was normal and ECG only exhibited sinus tachychardia). On more than one occasion the syncope episodes have been associated with postural hypotension and on one occasion my BP fluctuated from 149/110 to 85/60 and back to 137/94 within the space of 5 minutes as monitored by emergancy medical staff. It has also been reported that my pulse can become very faint during a seizure. From the reports I have received, the seizures vary in length from 1 minute to 10 minutes and are apparently of the grand mal variety. After a prolonged seizure I have also been told I can be quite disorientated for up to 30 minutes. A week ago I was sent to ED by my chiropractor following a prolonged seizure (that had been preceded by a blow to the head causing a black eye and severe bruising to the forehead); apparently I had failed to fully recover consciousness for more than a hour afterward and was seriously disorientated. I have no recollection of the event, the 30 minutes preceding it or the following 3 hours.
Prior to the concussion at work a year ago, I had suffered from migraines but was able to control them sufficiently well with the prescription medications (sumitripton, ibuprofen, paracetamol etc) that I hadn't had a day off work due to illness in over a year. I have experienced about 8 serious concussive events in my life prior to the accident at work but apart from the migraine headaches didn't experience any other longterm side effects. My IQ score in a test in 2005 was 148. I am really frustrated and concerned about the ongoing symptoms I am experiencing and desperately need to understand what is causing them and how to treat them effectively so I can get back to the job I love (I'm a secondary school maths teacher) as soon as possible.
Any advice or information you could provide would be very much appreciated thank you, Jean