Memory Loss/Aggression

[maniac5461]

Back in December, I was assaulted which resulted in several bad injuries, including a concussion.  I don't remember most of the night that it happened, but I do remember hitting my head on something, and when I touched the back of my head, my hand came back covered in blood.  I went home, and went to sleep, but when I woke up at 11 am the next day, my head was still bleeding as well as leaking clear fluid.  I picked up my friend, and she took me to the med clinic to get stitched up.  A few of the events that night slowly came back to me, but I still don't remember most of it.  Before this incident, I had a fantastic memory.  Since then, my short-term memory is horrible.  Some examples are the inability to remember the events of the previous day, forgetting appointments, forgetting what I was about to say, and the worst one was when speaking to my mother, I forgot what our conversation was about when I was in the middle of a sentence.  I have also noticed and decrease in patience.  I used to be calm and happy, and now I get very easily irritated, and angry at small things.  I know part of the irritability is due to the frustrations of forgetting everything, and the constant pain I experience in my neck and back, but it is worse than it should be.  I don't know what to do about my problems.  Will my memory of that night ever come back?

[Brokenbrainwithabadge3000]

I am a female in law enforcement and was assaulted last Sept/2011.  the male who assaulted me had a cast on his arm and was using it like a bat on my head.  I experienced and continue to experience all of the symptoms you are talking about.  I am being cared for by a university hospital/Neurologist, neuro psych, pain management, vestibular and rehab.  It is so frustrating that one event in your life can create such a hell.  I have headaches that feel like my head is actually going t explode, my ears burn and feel like they are going to bleed out, my vision gets blurry, I stumble, drop stuff, forget things like appointments, conversations, to make phone calls.  Thank God I wasn't leaking any CSF!  I am still trying to recover, but it doesn't look awesome that I will ever be an armed officer again.  I get mad, cry all the time, get depressed.  It feels like everyone else's life goes on and I am stuck in hell.  I use to laugh about everything, solve everyone's problems and not I can't even pull myself up out of this mess.  I agree with the others that you need to be aggressive with your health care.  Also, don't be surprised if one day you think you are getting better and the next day you are back to square one.  The brain has a timeline and mind of its own.  Take care and I with you all the luck in a speedy heal.

[SamPCS]

It was really strange they didn't send you to hospital to get a CT scan since you had amnesia and bleeding.  But as others mentioned it can be CSF leak, Post Concussion Syndrome etc.,  A CT scan/MRI sure needs to be done.

[maniac5461]

Thanks for the feedback......my doctor referred me to a neurologist so I'm going to make the appt. next week

[Gio77Italy]

well MRI to the head wouldn't do harm..

[Neurodreamz]

Did they do a CT scan or MRI to see if you had a skull fracture when you went to the clinic?

Gio77Italy,  it's possible to have a skull fracture without having a hole in your head. An old girlfriend had her head slammed into a wall, cleaned herself up, and later found out she had a fracture, that's why I mentioned it because it happened to a friend of mine many years ago. The doc said she was leaking CSF, that's why she continued to have headaches. Without some type of imaging like CT or MRI, this can be missed by a clinic versus a hospital with all the imaging equipment at hand.  Most clinics don't have CT/MRI in North America. Plus doctors do make mistakes!  

In either case, if I were in her shoes, I would go back to the doctor to discuss my symptoms and talk to about further testing.  

Good luck! Laura  

[Gio77Italy]

if it was CSF it means they sent her back home from the clinic with a hole in her skull...  fracture of the occipital bone. I doubt that it would have gone unnoticed by the doctors...

no probably it was blood serum.

There's a condition called "Post-concussion syndrome"

"The condition can cause a variety of symptoms: physical, such as headache; cognitive, such as difficulty concentrating; and emotional and behavioral, such as irritability. " (Wiki)

another option to explain your symptoms is chronic meningitis, not sure about that though. there's always a possibility that the head trauma was coincidental with something else.

[Neurodreamz]

It sounds like quite the assault as the clear fluid you were refer to is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). It's what cushions your brain and is in our spine. I've been told by my doctor that the brain is one of the slowest organs to recover. It can take up to a year and a half, I was told. The forgetfulness and other cognitive problems are all part of bruising to the brain. Without the fluid, there's nothing to protect your brain from banging against your skull. Have you followed up with a doctor as sometimes people with traumatic brain injuries still leak CSF, it comes through the nose and throat.  A small CSF leak would cause pain in your neck and back, but it could also be someone knocked your spine out of line. I find a chiropractor helps with spine health.

There are natural supplements one can take to help the brain recover. The most important on is fish oil.  If you surf 'natural supplements after concussion',  lots of suggestions.

Good luck and hang in there, it's your brain recovering, not your personality!  

http://www.adhd.com.au/Post_concussion_Syndrome.htm

Laura

p.s. hope you sued the guy or at least karma caught up with him!