Friday, January 7, 2011

Waiting...

I'm steadily moving along with my treadmill therapy, but I'm finding that I'm reaching barriers that I can't push through. I hit a HR of 135 and after that, my symptoms cause me to reduce my speed or incline and keep my heart rate lower than 135. For a while, I had been able to push through the symptoms and push my HR to 140-145 symptom free.

I was sick for a week with a cold and it's possible that I got back out of shape and it's just taking time to get back up there. I shouldn't complain really, because I am supposed to only be able to get my heart rate in the 120's without symptoms.

I see Dr. Leddy on Monday, and it feels like 6 weeks without seeing him has brought down my morale. Maybe it was just being sick with a cold. I don't think there's much to gain by seeing him, because my condition won't improve just with seeing him. I think he has a good way of reassuring us and helping us understand what's going on and why. I always feel better when I leave his office.

I want to try to get on the treadmill today, but I have a headache threatening to become a migraine any minute and the nausea is not staying at bay today. I'm also having trouble with fatigue today. The headache hasn't been as constant lately, but the other symptoms (nausea especially) have been more prevalent.

I don't know really what any of this means, and it might not mean much, but anything different seems encouraging to me. I'm sleeping more and better too, but also having more vivid dreams that I can remember more easily.

I'll post an update after I see Dr. Leddy on Monday.

4 comments:

  1. Hi I am Ivaylo Makariev(from Bulgaria, that's why my name maybe sounds strange to you :)), I am with post concussion syndrome from 05.05.2010, when some idiot has hit me on the head.
    I have come across some articles about PCS treatments, but unfortunately not available for now in Bulgaria. May be it would be a help for you.

    electromagnetic current:
    http://www.mentoday.info/promising-therapy-could-make-post-concussion-not-such-a-headache-for-guys-like-carlo-colaiacovo/

    china herbs:
    http://bluepoppy.com/cfwebstore/

    exercise(that's that you are doing)
    http://www.nationalpost.com/life/story.html?id=2628799

    http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/53995.php

    the last, but maybe the most promising - a Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy - there are a lot of articles about it, and also the army are going to do a large research study about it's efficacy on soldiers with tbi/mtbi.

    http://www.medconnect.com.sg/tabid/92/s13/Neurology/ct1/c36087/U-S-Military-Looking-Into-Controversial-Oxygen-Therapy-for-TBI/Default.aspx

    Hope it would help.

    Best Regards
    Ivaylo Makariev

    email:ivaylo.makariev(at)gmail.com

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  2. Thanks Ivaylo for the information. Have you tried anything for your PCS? Have you found anything successful? I would love to hear about it.

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  3. hi Kate,
    well from a month I am on a new therapy including Stugeron(vasodilating medicament), Milgamma(vitamins B1,B6,B12) and Triovit(also vitamins and selenium), so I may say that the headaches are almost gone, and I feel really better. I am looking forward to have a hyperbaric oxygen therapy, really believe it would help, at least what I am finding on the net.
    The bad thing is that whenever I feel better I am doing much more things than I should do, which worsen my symptopms.

    Regards
    Ivaylo

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  4. Ivaylo,

    I am so glad you are seeing progress with your treatments and therapies. Keep up the good work! I have heard a lot about the hyperbaric treatments. My doctor doesn't recommend them, but some say they work. I simply can't afford the treatments.

    I know what you mean about doing too much. When I feel better, I also tend to try and do more and end up sicker after I'm done. I try to remember that my brain needs to rest.

    Thanks! Kate

    ReplyDelete