Fatigue After Brain Injury: Getting Tired of Being So Tired

I am 28 years old now, going on 29 come this November. I had my stroke on the operating table during a surgery to remove a brain tumor when I was 26. The blood flow to my hippocampus was temporarily cut off, which is how/why my stroke occurred. The fatigue is only somewhat manageable with coffee and sleep, but I really hope there is an answer to curing my fatigue that I haven't yet stumbled upon. I still can't work as I'm constantly exhausted, and I find that my life is rather limited due to my fatigue. People suggest going to the gym like I used to before my stroke/surgeries, but I just don't have the energy to do it! I barely have the energy to get out of bed most days! I used to go to the gym 7 days a week and could max out the machines doing certain exercises, but now I can barely curl a 15 lbs dumb bell and just want to sleep! Please tell me the fatigue goes away! I just want a "normal" life again! (Never was all that normal to begin with!) I feel bad, because my Mom sees me every day as I cannot move out because I can't work; don't get me wrong, I love my Mom, I just wish I could be normal again for her! It makes me sad because I feel like she and many others look at me, and remember who I was before the stroke, so full of energy, ambition, drive; and now I am this... I really hope I'm not stuck this way!

Thank you all so much!!!!! I actually acquired an ABI which is just like a TBI and I am so tired all the time just like all of you are. Did any of you attend CNS??? (Center for Neuro Skills) ! did since May 11...although I'm outpatient now. I couldn't talk for like a month or 2 after my accident. And thank god they helped me. Sorry a lil off the subject....but I go to the doctor next Wed and thank you all so damn much for commenting about this....maybe I will finally get some help, thank God

My 31 year old daughter (at the time) suffered a TBI  12 years ago, was in a coma for a month, semi-conscious for another two months, and finally, after three months became communicative.  Fortunately, she has since recovered much of her cognitive and physical abilities, but her fatigue in the beginning was constant.  We tried everything and anything to keep her awake so she could participate in her rehabilitation exercises.  Gradually, over time, her fatigue became less.  She still needs to take a morning and afternoon nap most of the time, however, and goes to bed earlier than most people in the evening.  But we have discovered her fatigue is not  physical beyond what anyone else might experience.  It is mental.  If she spends much time in a noisy or confusing atmosphere, she tires easily and needs to find a quiet place to rest for a short while to recover.  Her brain simply can no longer block out the extraneous noise of, say, a noisy restaurant or other such loud confusing place.  She enjoys playing in a community band, for instance, but trying to block out all the other instruments so she can concentrate on her own playing is tiring.  She puts up with it, though, because she loves playing with the group.  And that's pretty much the answer to the question about fatigue after suffering a TBI.  As many other people have commented before me, the tiredness does not go away.  It's better some days and worse on others.  In order to make the most of all your days, you learn WHAT makes you tired specifically, then find ways to cope with it.

My husband suffered a TBI after a pool filter exploded, he was in a coma for 2 weeks, treated very poorly due to hospital SOP for treating "head injuries".

Every brain injury is different as are the deficits which come from the brain injury, My husband has seen many a DR. & my advice to all TBI's & caregivers is please go see a Functional Neurologist, they treat brain injuries in ways that will make you go OMG who knew & will leave you thinking about outside the box therapies...

My husbands TBI is going on 5 years & I know we still have challenges ahead. Remember EVERY Brain Injury is different, this includes ALL deficits. 

I suffered a TBI last September 2015 in a car accident that was not my fault. I was stationary and was hit hit by a car that was driven by a guy who was Drunk and on drugs, who had been out of jail for 1 month. He left me there. I was knocked out straight away, I was cut out of my car and had surgery that night to relieve pressure from my brain. I am still dealing with getting around the ins and outs of Cognitive Fatigue.... Reading the comments of this page has made me realise i am not alone and I understood what I am going through by reading all your comments... sometimes I feel like I am being to hard on myself and I over-do it a lot, and i dont rest enough... and then ultimately crash and burn. So thankyou for all this very useful information. 

I suffered a TBI 4 years ago. Exhaustion was definitely a problem for me, as well as short term memory issues, difficulty concentrating, and I had a terrible time with noise (any loud noises, and background noise).  The last 5 months, I have been taking a brain supplement from Princeton University, and my energy is back up, and my memory and concentration issues are significantly better.  I am so glad I finally am improving!

Adrienne P

Fatigue after TBI for me is related to my adrenals getting fatigued. Finding a doc who believes in adrenal fatigue was my challenge. You can google James L. Wilson, he has a great book on it that's been helpful to me. I take Adreno-mend by Douglas Labs. Periodically with too much stress I have to spend more relaxing time in nature to heal. Wishing you the best!'

My name is Jose & struggle from the same thing, I've gotten a bunch of checks done & found that I have low testorone & low thyroid. I'm taking thyroid medication it has helped but my doctor won't prescribe me steroids.

I had a TBI in 1999 and as stated in several of these comments ... the fatigue only gets worse (Sorry) But ... on a lighter note ... I have taken 2 medications for fatigue called Provigil and Nuvigil and they BOTH helped alot.  I do not take them everyday because I do not want my mind and/or body to become dependent on them. Hang in there ... I know ... that's easier said than done but a good outlook is better than a bad one. You can only do so much.  The fact that you're on here proves that you WANT to get better ... and some things do.  YOU are your best advocate ... READ READ READ and then ... READ SOME MORE. Keep trying different "things" to help improve your day to day life. Every now and then you will stumble upon something really good! For example ... some of my other deficits are SHORT term memory ... staying on task ... focusing ... not getting 5 projects going at one time and not finishing any of them ... and then sitting down and crying because I feel so ... stupid ... or so retarded.  Like going into the bathroom and thinking ... "What did I come in here for?" ... And then when I get ready to pee my pants ... I remember ... "Oh yeah, THAT'S why I came in here."  {{HeHe}}  Humor too ... is oh so VERY important.  Give yourself permission to laugh at yourself ... it sure is better than crying.  I DO THIS TO STAY ON THE CURRENT TASK/FOCUSED. Around the house I always wear a large safety pin on the front of my t-shirt.  If I am working on something that I really want to STAY focused on ...even something very SIMPLE ... I take a little piece of paper about the size of a 2" x 2" post it note and WRITE ON IT  ... for example ... LOOK UPSTAIRS FOR THE HAMMER ... so that if you get upstairs and wonder "Why did I come up here?" --->OR<--- something else upstairs gets your attention and you forget all about the hammer ... you can just look at your note and it will BRING YOU BACK to what you want to be doing.  This has helped me SOOOOOOO very from becoming upset from CONSTANTLY getting off focus and going ALL the way back downstairs to my project and realizing ... "Damn it ... now I know why I went upstairs."  Sound familiar??  Hang in there ... you are NOT ALONE.  I know at times it feels like it but ... YOU'RE NOT!!!

Hi I am 1 of the survivors of TBI and was in a coma for 2wks. It's a long road to recovery, I seen all the therapists I needed to see. Physio, occupational, speech, nuerocycologist, ENT, nurosurgeon and finally I'm training at the gym with a biokinetist. 8yrs have past, I'm still trying very much to get strong physically, and with keeping fit n getting stronger, this helps not to be as tired anymore. I feel that after a TBI experience, u will always be experiencing being tired, it's all about how u control and are able to adjust to ur new life. But the correct diet is also a big +. Hope I was of some help.

I had a massive stroke in 2007. I seem to get fatigued easily and no one has done anything to help me.. Sleepy and ignored..

I agree with the comment made on Jun 20th, 2012. Having suffered a TBI as a child (22 years ago), I have over the years developed 'coping mechanisms' to deal with the fatigue. However I have noticed in the past couple of years that the fatigue is as bad as ever, if not worse. While I know that for each case the extremity of fatigue is different and I have learnt not to talk about it but instead find ways to cope/ hide it. All the best to your son with his recovery

Energy Medicine is something that is now being explored more and more in the brain injury field as well as other areas of health care. The medical establishment only knows what they have been taught which is basically pharmaceuticals. It is quite encouraging to see people explore other avenues of treatment now. Another point to remember is that the body needs rest for recovery, just a body in a coma, and getting upset over fatigue furthers the fatigue as the worry causes more stress that impacts the body, requiring more rest. Just something to consider.

I had a traumatic brain injury in Jan 2009. I experienced severe fatigue since my accident. I went for neuro feedback and neurological chiropractic adjustments ( still attending) two months ago and have been surprised by the results. My fybromyalgia or permanently aching muscles improved immediately, fatigue has considerably eased and my brain fatigue and capability now seems to be improving also. I had no real expectation, was not promised any miraculous cure but something has definitely occured.

Try looking into Maca to address Endocrine imbalance problems.