Incomplete DCI Recovery

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TomAce994

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Long story short, I was treated late for a mild case of what is now suspected as cerebral DCI and still have residual effects a few months later. Persistent symptoms include headaches, dizziness, reduced multi-tasking/mental sharpness, and tinnitus.

Doctors are hopeful of a full recovery based based on my age (30's) and due to the brain's plasticity. My current treatment is exercise and physical therapy.

I know "only the tincture of time will tell", but I was curious if there were any "success" stories out there of people actually improving from my situation. I know there have been multiple posts on this board with similar questions; however, it seems no one has followed up with an update of their recovery.

Thank you for your time.
 
Hi, Firstly I hope you make a full recovery.

You say long story short but I would be interested in knowing the full facts of your case, how you were injured and also why your recovery has not been fully treated. I would expect that medical professionals should be offering you some actual treatment over and above just being hopeful based on your age and time. Seems an unsatisfactory outcome at this point especially as you are still suffering actual DCI symptoms

Have you contacted DAN at any point, what is their advice?.
 
Thank you. I hope you don't mind, but I'd prefer to avoid retreading the details of my incident right now. The initial treatment involved a delay in diagnosis for a multitude of reasons.

I've talked with many knowledgeable doctors, and the conclusion I've been given is that due to late HBO treatment, any damage that was done is permanent (albeit not visible on neuroimaging). The only hope now is for my brain to form new neural pathways via exercising and therapy as well as just living every day life.

What I'm looking for at this point is hope. I sure would appreciate any examples of someone recovering or improving from residual cerebral effects that are still present months later.
 
I was assaulted on the job in 2006. (Sheriff's Dept. 1am, I chased the bad guy, I caught him, he almost beat me to death) I had numerous broken bones from getting stomped and kicked but the worst was my fractured skull. I had a Subarachniod Hemorrhage. They prepped me to open my skull three times but the bleeding kept receding so they didn't pop the top. After I got out of the hospital, I spent six months in rehab learning how to not fall over. Due to brain damage, I had no sense of balance and had to learn how to use my eyes to keep my balance. Door frames, building edges, etc. but NOT telephone poles! They're all crooked!!

Eventually, it became second nature and I don't even have to think about it anymore. I went from falling down twice a day to twice a week and now maybe as often as twice a month. There are some things that I don't do at all. I can ride the escalator up but panic if I have to ride it down. (Nothing in front of me to focus on) So if I have to ride it down, I stand backwards. Elevators used to cause me to huddle on the floor whimpering. Then I got so I could just stand in the corner and hang on tight. Now, I'm almost normal riding them!

The scariest part about a brain injury that results in unconsciousness, is that the brain has to reset itself and that can take days, even weeks. When I woke up, I was stuck in "fight mode". I'm laying on a bed in the ICU with broken ribs, fingers, a leg and a fractured skull and I was going to fight all of the doctors and nurses because they wouldn't let me go outside to smoke! My wife distracted me while the doctor sneaked up on me and drugged me back to sleep. Yeah, I went back months later and apologized to them all.

The worst part is the headache. I say headache...not plural because it's been just one continuous headache since the assault. It starts out very mild in the morning and then gets worse as the day goes on. It's pretty bad by early evening. Every single day.

Because of the assault, my life has changed. The Sheriff's Dept. medically retired me so no job worries and I have a great wife and a grown up kid so I have an excellent support system. I had well over 1000 dives prior to getting my head broken but had to quit after the assault....for a while! But I came back!!! Yeah, it took some years and I had to make some adjustments. I took a refresher course in a pool so I could know if I was going to "loose my balance" underwater. I use to dive to 100+ feet but limit myself now to about 40 feet or less and I get it all done before about 2pm due to the headache. I don't dive as often or push myself as hard but I dive!

No, damaged brain parts will not heal but the brain is a pretty amazing thing. It will "rewire" itself to bypass the damage. Plus, most people only use about ten percent of it anyway so there is plenty to spare. Laugh about it! There's really nothing better that you can do. Maybe get some counseling if you think you have PTSD. Have faith..like I said: The brain is a pretty amazing thing. Then when you're ready to go underwater, start out slowly. Hope this helps!
 
Thank you for your reply and sharing your story! I'm so sorry for what you went through. It seems like you've remained positive and made a strong recovery. I'm amazed that you still dive, good for you. I appreciate you giving me hope that there is hope.

People tell me they've seen objective improvement in me the past few months. But I'll be honest, my subjective symptoms feel the same as they did months ago. Or at least that is what I think. I'm fortunate that my symptoms are not severe, and I'm functioning around 85%. I would love to return to feeling like myself though.

I've read that DCI can be more difficult for the brain to recover from than a TBI. I was curious if one of the doc's on the board could explain if this were true and if so why?
 
Hello TomAce994,

Several patients we have treated for severe neurological DCS and were left with residual symptoms have improved over time. One who left us barely able to walk has almost completely recovered over a period of several years. Recovery in situations like this is highly individual as I'm sure you know, but don't lose hope. Keep up with the PT and whatever else your neurologist recommends.

Best regards,
DDM
 
Waterwulf,

Respect. Thank you for your service.

Best regards,
DDM
 

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