concussion

[klj9]

Three days ago i experienced a concussion with loss of consciousness i was probably struck in forehead by a large metal door, but i do not recall what occured.  I was brought to the ER and a CT scan found nothing related to the injury.  Due to the incident occuring at work i am being seen daily by a different Dr.  I have been given confilicting information, and am very confussed about what i should be experiencing!  I am still experienced head, neck and jaw pain as well as confusion, difficulty reading(eye focus) and concentrating and a great deal of vertigo.  Today's Dr. (not very friendly guy) said this is should not be continuing and that i am imagining these symptoms... do you have any resources i can utilize to try to better understand what is occuring?  What should i expect?  Thanks you!

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT]

Sorry to hear about Your symptoms. It sounds like they could represent post-concussion syndrome, a common complication of head injury.  In some people, it takes a few days to weeks to get over whereas for others, the symptoms unfortunately can last several months and even years. It is characterized by headache, vertigo, restlessness, low sound tolerance and can also be accompanied by neuropsyche abnormalities such as poor concentation or lower performance with memory and reading/verbal skills. If your symptoms become worse or you and your physician become concerned about the slow improvement, consider an MRI of the brain just to make sure everything is ok. Only time can tell how well and fast your recovery will be. Here are some American Academy of Neurology supported sites where you may be able to get more info.

www.headinjury.com (head injury hotline)
www.tbi.org (the perspectives network)
www.biausa.org (brain injury association, inc)

Good luck