Headaches After Head Injuries — Post-Traumatic Headaches

Anyone that has not had a TBI just cannot grasp the pain and problems a person goes through.  People minimize because they can't see the injury.  I don't wish this on anyone.  10 months now and still with post concussion headaches and short term memory problems.  My life has changed dramatically!  I'm so sad.  I was assaulted and landed on my head and lost consciousness and developed a large hematoma immediately.  I have been in pain ever since.  I deal with balance problems when I close my eyes.  Some doctors do not take this seriously.   

Lee, I just finished up neuropsych testing, it took 2 days and 4 hours each day. Testing exercises include puzzles, math equations, memory testing, vocabulary, questions regarding common sense, speed testing, grip strength etc. It was very tiring for me, but nothing to worry about. Sabrina

Passed out due to narcolepsy brought on by severe sleep deprivation almost 2 weeks ago. I'm relieved to know these headaches are fairly normal.....but not a lot of people have mentioned having extreme pain at the injury site. It's almost 2 weeks later and if I merely touch the site it hurts so bad. It's a very irritating pain. Like someone is continuously bashing my head with a nail covered 2x4 ..... they said there was no fracture but a lot of bruising on the brain.....could that be the cause I wonder....I'm just concerned that it's still so painful. Laying down ... brushing my hair.... forget it. Doesn't happen right now. I can't even wash all of my hair as the water on my head sends me into tears. Anyways has anyone else experienced this ??? If so anything other than cold compresses that will give any form of relief.....I'm on methadone so I can't take narcotics so pain meds are pretty much out of the question.

Can a tension headache bring back pcs sympoms? 10 months after injury... 6 months after pcs symptoms disappeared?

I was tboned the 4th of Jan and have had a headache of varying degrees since then. I am waiting to see a neurologist. Tylenol 3 and a muscle relaxant ease the pain but I cannot drive or work and am high when I take these pills. I wish there was a better fix than waiting for it to go away.

I had 2 severe concussions 6 months apart from each other in 2015. I still suffer PCS but a clean diet, long walks (restores cerebral blood flow), and high grade fish oil have brought me close to recovery .

I would go to the ER & get an X-Ray that is not normal & you could have bleeding on the brain. (A small bleed which is worse)

I feel from the moving bus, whole horizontal as if in a sleeping position. Hip pain got well soon, but the back portion of my head was severely hurt in it. Pains. That subsided after some days. But now, even after 20 days, I can't tuck any clutcher or tight pins in hair at that portion. It pains. Is it normal? Should I get an x-ray done of it or just a normal physician checkup is OK?

Its been 4 years now since my accident. I was 24 at the time I'm now almost 29. I was working on a drilling rig and got hit by a 3 ft pipe wrench that was on the drill string and my driller slipped and turned it on and spun that wrench right into my head. It put me in a 5 day coma, I broke just about every bone on the right side of my face and had a small fracture on the back of my head.three weeks before that I was in a snowmobile accident that knocked me out 15 minutes or so so they weren't far apart. Almost the day I left the hospital I started getting these terrible headache in the back of my head and behind my eyes, sometimes they are so bad I can't even get out of my room except to vomit cause I'm so nauseous. I've seen between 15-20 doctors for it, work comp apparently won't allow me to deal with just a few doctors instead. I have so many aide effects depression, anxiety, really bad memory problems some long term but mostly short term and everyone tells me I'm a different person than I was the day it happened. I've tried all medications out there for migraines, seizure meds and I can't even think of all the others. It seems to me most people think I'm just making it up and I felt like I was the only one having problems like this. Its nice to see there other people having the same problems, not nice but hopefully you all know what I mean. Hopefully someday there will be a way to get rid of these problems. If anyone has any suggestions of something that worked for you or any in general please let me know. Thanks for reading and good luck.

well.. I got 36 stitches in my head at age 1.... I'm  now 30. I was dealing with migraines on a monthly basis, good fun. Had trouble concentrating, never lived a day without anxiety so it actually took me a long time to realize I had it. Had to teach myself everything to get by in school because I lacked the attention span and focus to hear the teachers out without my brain going off into its own tangent. If life was a video game, then I've been playing on hard whilst everyone else got to play on normal. Every day was tough but I forced myself through it and eventually wound working as network engineer after graduating school/college.  At this point I honestly didn't think anything was wrong with me, I had never not felt this way and I assumed its how everyone was. I never really gave my head injury much thought when I was younger and how it might of made me a different self to what I was meant to be, theres just no point dwelling on something I couldn't change and did not want my parents to feel guilty again over what happened, they been through enough as it is. I was still getting by in life and doing well in school/work so why bother digging....until I hit my mid twenties....The evil beast known as depression grabbed his pal Anxiety and proceeded to give me a 24/7 mental ass whooping I will never forget. It was like my brain was locked in solitary and depression had paid off the warden so it could deliver me my daily shanking. It was horrible and I wouldn't even wish it on anyone, not even Hitler.

2 years ago the depression and anxiety got the better of me. A lifetime of fighting/tolerating it made me have a complete breakdown. I became super flaky at work and would use any excuse to stay home. My stress went through the roof, which in turn made the anxiety and depression even worse. I couldn't sleep, sometimes for up to five days at at time. I was sick of being tired but not being able to sleep, then sleeping forever and waking up even more tired than before. Its amazing how anxiety can make you shit more whilst eating less...Mentally I was circling the drain, It had all just gotten on top of me and I felt like I was drowning .So I quit my job and did some soul searching. I studied every piece of literature I could find regarding all the different personality disorders and how they interact with different personality types when treated with various medications. Came to the conclusion that my symptoms pretty much mimic someone who suffers ADHD with underlying anxiety and depression.

I sort out a specialist in the field (not a gp) laid out my case and he agreed to treat me. Now on Dexamphetamines and life has never been better. I can pay attention and listen without my brain doing its own thing. Im interacting with others with ease where as before it use to be a soul draining chore that would spike my anxiety making me quick to anger and short fused with people (never violent, just think grumpy dwarf) My anxiety is almost completely gone whilst medicated. To put it into perspective if you imagine my anxiety was like swimming against a tidal its now just a very gentle ripple. After 28 years of swimming against mental tsunamis a small ripple is child play, its just background noise I no longer notice. Im pulling out of my lifelong depression and stress levels have never been lower. The drugs them selves don't really have any noticeable side effects other than a little bit of a headache if you don't adequately hydrate and eat whilst on them, unlike most anti depressants that just turn me into an emotionless constipated zombie with no libido.

As a result of all this my migraines have stopped being monthly visitors to maybe once in a blue moon. Being able to sleep properly again without a stomach full of worry and self loathing has released a lot of tension  and I feel somewhat normal for the first time in my life. The last two years have been the best I have ever lived. Even though im rebuilding from the ashes my former self left behind, I now have the confidence tools to do it.

So anyone reading this who has suffered a TBI and are experiencing similar symptoms, go see a psych and make your case for some dexies. They have completely turned my life around, might do the same for you.

My son was in a car accident 14 yrs ago. His head and neck went through the front windshield and he was thrown back into the car. He has a scar about 4 inches on his forehead. A CT scan was done upon arrival to the hospital and they said their was a minuet fracture on the forehead and instead of transferring him to a trauma center hospital the doctor numbed his open laceration and stitched him up. They quit counting stitches when they got to three hundred. The Dr did not admit him into the hospital and instead kept him in the ER room for 9.5 hours. When we took our son home we have always said we took home a different young man than we knew. His personality changed to a complete opposite. The Dr's treated him with Tylenol from then on. 7 years later he was attacked by three men who hit him in the head in the same spot as the first injury against a steel pool and beat his face up leaving him with a broken cheek bone in the upper orbital area. A CT scan was not done. Same hospital as the last. Two yrs ago he was drinking and got out of hand at a football game and was asked to leave. He fought with the officers who took him down and slammed his head into the cement flooring. He had a concussion, a CT was done again but at a different hospital two days later (he was in jail). It showed a concussion with a small area of bleeding. He has suffered almost daily headaches since the first accident. He has not worked and has been denied SSI because of his drinking and marijuana use. Marijuana does not get rid of the headaches, it makes him not care because he is "high". Dr's have tried all kinds of medications on him. He has been waiting for his State insurance to approve Botox injections which has not yet happened. He was in alcohol and addiction rehab for 60 days voluntarily and got out less than 20 days ago. The headaches are still there after getting off of drugs and alcohol and caffeine. Any suggestions would be appreciated. He is ready to start using marijuana again. Has anyone tried a pain control doctor or a headache specialist?

I had a "mild" concussion 3 years ago. I still suffer from PCS. Found that I became depressed early on due to not being able to honour my responsibilities, and didn't eat much which seems to have not helped my brain heal as quickly. The constant naps have died off and I'm finally able to walk more than 15 minutes without getting a headache and being symptomatic for a week straight. I find that melatonin helps me get a better rest at night and increases my threshold and allows me to get headaches less often. The more stressed, the higher blood pressure, the more headaches. Everything in moderation. I'm only 25 years old and very fatigued due to my brain being so tired but it does get better! Mark your improvements on a calendar and watch the changes and improvements unfold.

I have the exact same thing but has been for 3 weeks, headaches every day after hit in the nose

About four years ago, I slipped in the bathroom and hit my head. Usually, when I hit my head I have a moment of paralysis. Yeah that happens. But this slip was different. For about a year, I have no headaches, whatsoever. They started appearing a year after, when I was very much stressed, angry and depressed. I noticed that the pain was ONLY on the formerly hit area. After that incident, I started to become more forgetful, I get sharp, pulsating headaches on the hit area, tingling sensations in my body, especially hands, and nausea. I haven't got my head checked, so I think I might have had a concussion that time. Also, the headaches appear and last for a long period time over the day, and then it spreads through the lower back of my head.

I've started seeing a chiropractor who is treating the vertebra at the top of my neck, underneath the base of my skull. X-rays showed multiple whiplash, first injury was 15 years ago, second about 10 years ago and the final straw 3 months ago. I'm hoping a program of gentle manipulation will stop the tinnitus and headaches eventually. Anyone else had success with this treatment?

A helpful hint if you are looking into a brain scan . An MRI will serve you better than a CT scan. It is deeper and you will get better results.

Hello my names Ralph, I'm a 21 year old male, around July 2015 I was at work and fell back words which led to me hitting the back of my head on the pavement. At the time I didn't report it, after a few hours it went away and after 2 days I started to receive headaches at work, i called my boss an told him about it, an we went to the clinic i was see by a Dr who told me i should be ok, but they didn't have a Mri or x-ray machines there so they might have missed something. After 1 month I felt cured. Then 2 days ago (2 mouths after the accident) the headaches and neck pain came back. I've started to notice a pattern now for my headaches. I get them every time I'm doing unhealthy or something bad to my body, like not getting enough water or enough sleep or drinking caffeine or any kind of soda or not getting enough exercise, or whenever i miss a meal. Anyways I'm a see my Dr and tell him about it. Thank you all that comment it feels great knowing I'm not alone, sorry for all of us that are here right now, one day the head aches will leave for good, I'll comment back when that day comes.Love you all.

My mother was in an rear-end automobile accident when my twin brother and I were both at the age of three or so, give or take a year or two. The both of us are about to turn seventeen years of age within two months and still she has severe migraines. How anyone can live with headaches like that for such a long time is mind-blowing to me. In some ways I despise my mom for how she acts at times, most likely due to such horrible headaches and being human of course. I respect her for her strength but we both know she has no strength left. My mother is tired and in incredible pain. She's gone to countless neurologists and other doctors of that sort to try to help her. They're all the same. They act as though they know exactly what the problem is, regardless of how adamant she is that the last doctor tried the same thing and nothing worked. Nothing ever works. I'm not sure what kind of medication she's on but it's definitely very strong. My mother has also broken her neck a few years ago and has had surgery for it as well, the severe headaches still existed before it happened but doctors still try to blame it for the pain. There was also a benign tumor in her brain as well. It wasn't huge or anything in my opinion, but anything in the body that isn't where it's supposed to be is pretty huge. She's had brain surgery as recent as a year and something ago, maybe two years at this point, because of the tumor. It was removed and she admitted that headache pain lessened, barely, but it did lessen at least. She wakes up everyday with headaches and they persist through the day. They never stop. Ever. No human being should have to go through this. After her brain surgery she's not quite the same woman that she once was. We expected there to be changes though. I don't think she realizes the problems themselves. She would never hurt my brother or myself purposely but the problem is that she doesn't seem to realize that she occasionally puts us in danger. She nods off at times and one of her eyes seems to want to stay out of focus sometimes too. Her medicine makes her a bit loopy and so she tries to take as little as possible. She takes less than even her doctor prescribes because she's afraid she'll act strangely. After the surgery, whenever she seems to be tired it's as though she's doped up on medication. She was once on medication so strong that she actually peed on my brother's floor, but in her defense, she thought it was the bathroom. Both my brother and I think her license should be revoked for her own safety and others. She would never hurt anyone or herself purposely but she's becoming a danger to others. We're afraid that if we talk to her doctor about this that he'll revoke her medication and she'll have no relief whatsoever. The problem is that medication doesn't cut it. It only ever dulls the pain to be remotely bearable. Bearable? How could any of this be bearable? My mother wants to go be taken off of her medication and no longer drive, after much convincing by the rest of the family. She only wants relief. It's not her fault that she does these things. There has to be some kind of cure. She's willing to try anything. She's given up to be honest, but I haven't. I refuse to let my mother live like this. Please help me. There has to be something to help. Endless medications are not the answer but that seems to be the only option as of right now. I'm afraid of what she might do if she has to continue living in pain like this. I've never thought of my mother attempting to kill herself, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't try it. A cure would be fantastic. It really would, but I stopped believing in fairytales a long time ago. I'm not really sure what I'm asking exactly. I just want my mother to be better. Are multiple medications the only thing that can help? I feel like that's the answer in the article but I don't want to believe it. There has to be something else that can help or at least work better than what she's using now. I know I'm ranting and I'm sorry. I don't know all of her medical history and am probably wasting everyone's time but I need answers. If not answers than at least something to go on. I'm no genius neurologist but that doesn't mean I can't try to do something. I'm not asking for medical advice because I know this isn't the place for it but I needed to rant to someone. Thank you to those that read this.

I have PC headaches since Lamictal was discontinued. What now?! My HA are like a yr ago when I had my fall & concussion. Have to wear sunglasses even inside! Any help with meds & pains that work? Lucy

My car accident rear ended Nov 2014 seat belted in was hit while at rest going 35mph she never braked. I lost memories, asked for my deceased father, had to relive his death like it had just happened. I have word finding, memory, ringing in ears, blue streaks seen in eyes, motion sickness can't handle cognitive therapy, tapping, EMDR, all make me sick, any rapid eye movement makes me sick. I get a strong pain left side of skull. Only goes away w sleep. Yesterday I felt off, I have vertigo now as well. I was at a store w my husband an overhead light wasn't working right it was flashing, my head went nuts, I had to put on my sunglasses and go sit outside, not the 1st time it's happened but I fail to notice things as much. I stupidly put my hand in boiling water not thinking to use a spoon to ck pasta. I can't do mental math. I forget things. But this pain in my head frightens me. I think this post makes sense. If I didn't have auto spell on my phone I wouldn't be able to write this. I was supposed to be going to law school. I don't know now. I can't retain info. I make lists then forget. I feel dumb and I dislike it. I've never been emotional now all I do is fall apart. I was diagnosed with TBI, PTSD, POST CONCUSSION SYNDROME, TITINITUS? I'm scared if I wasn't already taking a med for anxiety I'd be having seizures. Thank you for this article. I'm in touch with my Dr's I have a great team. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

hi all, i was in an ied attack in iraq in july 2013 and i got home in 2014. after coming home and my high level of  adrenaline finally receded after four months i had migraines and anxiety attacks and dizziness and balance problems. now after 11 years and several neurologists, ear nose and throat specialists, pain doctors and many different procedures and medications-i have TBI and the migraines are caused by the damage to my brain. nothing physical affects them at all. i have had shots in a series of three into my spine multiple times which did nothing. i have had the "magic shot" in the base of the brain stem and it did nothing. i ended up two days in the hospital after that on an I.V. drip. i am so glad i have a very high threshold of pain otherwise i would not be able to deal with this everyday. then there is the weather...i feel every weather front and change in warm weather and cold weather. too hot, too cold, start moving, bend down, mow the lawn, work on the car...simple things and i am in even more pain. my left eye was injured by having a blood vessel rupture and i have scar tissue there. it looks like i am in this for the long haul.

I had a fall summer of 2012, fell down my three steps to concrete in basement. My butt hit it and my lower back middle back hit the two steps and my head hit the top step being the landing. I iced my back a little that night and went to work the next day. I didn’t feel a thing. I was going through a divorce at the time and had a lot going on and financially i was paying for lawyers etc. Exactly a year later i took a week vacation as my legs were hurting and i thought i needed my knee shots again. I went back to work that Monday and i couldn’t hold anything or do much with my hands at all. my entire body was numb. So I first went to a orthopedic who told me i have fractures of my transverse processes in my lumbar back but there was nothing he could do as they were already healed. And that i should see a neurologist. So i went to see one, they sent me for mri of the head as i was complaining about headaches. So first to treat me I started going for Mg infusions. That didnt help. so then for a straight year almost i was getting nerve block shots and even tried botox. That didnt help me either. There was white matter found in my periventricular area of my brain, and being that i have fibromyalgia as well they first ruled out ms. My first primary doctor said i was fixated on the fall, when i knew i wasnt that was when i was on my short term disability with my job. So i changed my primary doctors and am so happy i did! He is amazing and specializes in chronic diseases. I have been dealing with constant headaches since they year I went to get checked out. The reason my primary doc now thinks i didnt feel anything for that year was cause i had so much going on and everything caught up to me. So now i get treated for my back. And for my head I get SPG procedures which do help some, with people with regular migraines every 3 months, i go every 3-4 weeks. continued////