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View Full Version : Strange symptoms after head injury -- what's your diagnosis?


Green Xenon
08-13-2007, 02:32 PM
Hi:

My birthdate is 10-22-83. On the end of December of '89 -- around a week before Christmas -- I experienced a blow to my head that cause me to feel like I was in a different universe. I was playing basketball in my school, I ran after the ball trying to
catch it, but instead hit my head on a metal pole [used to hold a tetherball].

My symptoms because much worse after January of '90. The symptoms ended in the end of May of '91. Ironically, the headache was not severe and only lasted about a day after the injury.

The symptoms were mostly psychological but very frightening. Strangely, they were scary and enjoyable at the same time.

Here were my symptoms:

1. Paroxysmal dissociative states
2. Flashbacks of my house in Stamford, Connecticut [which my parents and I moved out in July of '86]
3. Abnormal dreams consisting of Stamford, the sun suddenly losing its light [causing the sky to go dark], as well as sounds emitted by electronic devices [such the interference on the AM radio and heterodyne tones]
4. Obsession with outer space, as well as the strange sounds emitted by electronic equipment. I used to often play my Nintendo when it was connected to channel 3. However, I was change the TV channel to 4. I could see the video of the game but it was fuzzy and covered in grains. The music of the game was absent, and instead was filled with
frightening-yet-enjoyable tones [sounding like a buzzer, lawn mower, or electric shaver] along with a faint audio of what was being discussed on the channel 4 news. I would get so scared, yet I would enjoy it.
5. Whenever I would change or look at the settings on the TV, I would often see the inside my Stamford home. Particularly the "CATV" sign caused me to see into the hallway and one of the bedrooms in my Stamford home.
6. At night, the sounds of the dogs barking would really scare me -- for no reason. I'd have to plug my ears and close all the windows [to soften the barks] in order to be in peace.
7. On the school bus, I would feel disconnected and terrified when the CB radio emitted sounds consisting of radio-frequency interferences.
8. I got a scored of 5 -- out of what, I don't remember -- on my spelling test. When I look at the '5', pictures of my Stamford home began to flicker in my eyes.
9. Paroxysmal Out-of-body experiences
10. Paroxysmal Visual and auditory hallucinations
11. Paroxysmal periods where my sense of time would be shortened dramatically – 5 hours felt like 5 minutes.
12. Panic attacks
13. Trance-like states

From Jan of '90 to May of '91, my world was filled with these terrifying-yet-enjoyable symptoms.

On 9-9-90, I had probably one of the most strange and scary symptoms. I was fully awake and standing up yet I got the feeling that I was going to start dreaming. It was the feeling I usually get if I wake up in the middle of the night and then experience sleep paralysis. There is a strange feeling I will usually get [a warning] before sleep paralysis sets in and I start to dream -- usually in the form of nightmares. I can't remember what happened on 9-9-90 after the 'warning'. I do know that there was no paralysis.

I didn't tell my family about this head injury until recently. I didn't think it was that important. The day of the injury, I had a mild-headache and experienced mild versions of the about 13 symptoms. However, the pain was gone, the next day. Hence, being the naïve kid I was, thought that it wasn't of concern. The 13 symptoms also temporarily subsided after the next day; however, it re-surfaced tremendously as New Years approached. At Jan of '90 an onwards it became emotionally-unbearable for me. Finally ending in May of '91.

Anyone have any similar experiences?

Also, what parts of my brain would be affected to cause such long-lasting symptoms? I am guessing it has something to do with the temporal lobe.


Thanks,

Green Xenon

Kevin Jackson
08-14-2007, 11:07 AM
I have come to find that. Our mind will replay the best times in our life. Senseryand emotinally. I think its the rewiring going on. First you must understand, damage to ones head is damage to the central nervous system. Which is the main frame to our physical body.
At one time I thought teyy where dreams but I later came to find out I was functioning unconjustly. I also had and still have visual and audible hullutionnations. Useally when I become to stressed out.

Green Xenon
08-16-2007, 07:57 PM
Ever felt out-of-body sensations?

hobbydrummer
01-21-2008, 04:13 PM
You should see a neurologist. It sounds like your symptoms could be seizures. Here's a few links:

http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/000697sym.htm

http://www.lamictal.com/epilepsy/patients/about_seizure_disorders/types_of_seizures.html

Discododi
01-22-2008, 06:43 PM
Green,
I agree, you should see a neurologist about this. It does sound like some sort of "seizure" activity. Try posting this on the epilepsy forum here and see if you get some helpful responses.

Best wishes, Dodi

ScarlettOne
01-22-2008, 07:18 PM
I'm agreeing with the neurologist advice. See one. They can do an MRI and see if there is damage from internal bleeding after the closed head trauma.
I've had closed head injury and been struck by lightening.
No-one in the medical profession gave a care about the symptoms I had after the traumas. After being hit by lightening in an open field, my mother was told to put Neosporin Cream on the burns where the lightening hit me. That was it.
Thankfully, I've discovered that acupunture, homeopathy and herbals have helped me tremendously. A Psychologist took a reading of my brain (on my own dime) and told me I exhibit brain waves indicative of closed brain injury and that I have a difficult time getting my brain out of idle, and once it does get going, it is hard to slow it down. So he gave me a CD of sounds that I listen to at night to get to sleep, and another to listen to in the morning to focus attention. He is the only Psychologist on the West Coast of North America that does this type of research and treatment. There was a waiting list of 14 months to get in to see him. He taught and did research at universities in Canada the the USA. I also did several treatments of looking at a computer monitor and listening to sounds with headphones on. Good luck to you in your endeavours to get well.