Head Or Neck Trauma Onset- Anyone Have Experience?

[navyblue]

I know I have a lot of questions, but I have so much free time on the computer with my desk job and so I just do a lot of research.

Since my POTS symptoms began a week out from a skiing accident that involved both neck and head trauma, I'm trying to figure out what that could mean. Basically I couldn't stop going down a hill, clotheslined myself on a rope and hit my head on the ground. I saw lots of stars but don't think I lost consciousness for long, if at all. The rest of that day was I little unsteady with a light head pressure but was pretty okay for the rest of that week.

I never had significant neck or head pain, so I don't know if anything really qualifies as true whiplash or true concussion.

However, everything did start a week out from that. I keep worrying I have some sort of subtle structural damage that caused POTS or something...I dunno. I mean, people have these types of injuries everyday and most of them do not end up with POTS.

Would anyone say their POTS was linked to head or neck trauma? What has your experience been like?

[fitnesskelly]

I can't speak specifically to when my symptoms started because I don't recall for sure when they started, however I have had 2 neck traumas and I can say that my health slowly started to decline after the second trauma (happened in a competitive weightlifting event). I also had a few head injuries from sporting events that caused me to see stars and/or lose consciousness. I've been very athletic, participating in risky sports (mountain biking, car racing, Crossfit) and have had a number of crashes that I'm sure caused a sudden impact on my brain. I did have my brain imaged 5-6 years ago after the onset of very sudden and severe headaches that would wake me from sleeping, but the doc said nothing was seen that would be abnormal (and the sudden and severe headaches stopped after about 3 bad headaches).

I do have constant neck pain now. If I try to lift weights, I suffer with terrible pain for a week. I also suffer cognitive problems. I would assume they are related.

Regarding both our situations - the doc suggested that my problem likely came on with deconditioning after the last neck injury, since it left me unable to perform at the level my body had been accustomed to. I'm wondering if that is driving your problem, rather than the head and neck injury piece. Are/Were you a very active person?

[Heartandsoul]

Navy blue,

My symptoms began a short time into a serious infection which involved the base of my skull and required iv abx for 6 weeks. The infection subsided says the ID doc for I was treated "by the book" but the base of my skull is still painful and there is upper neck spasming along with sometimes a feeling of pressure in the region. I have been told I'm "fine" now but I'm not fine. I was told to go back to living my life by the ID doc and don't "worry" so much. I went back to this MD because I was trying to be proactive.

The pain/ pressure is variable and It seems that the dysautonomia symptoms correlate to that variability.

I also have the electrolyte imbalance etc I've described in other posts wc if were there prior to this infection never posed me the symptoms I now have.

At any rate I am proactive and have appts w/ 2 diff. MDs upcoming.

I wish I had some advice for you navy blue but I wanted to let you know that even though our stories are not exactly alike I too feel that I've had trauma and that I feel there's a poss. connection.

H&S

[sue1234]

I had an MRI a couple years into my POTS, and the neuro said I had narrowing of my spinal canal in the cervical area. I have no clue if that contributed.

I know someone here who had cervical issues, had surgery a year or so ago, but the POTS was not improved.

[Debbie Rose]

I ruptured 2 discs in my neck in the 80's with re-injury 2 more times and after the 2nd re-injury I was "diagnosed" with Fibromyalgia-which I never seemed completely to fit all the symptoms but that was the late 90's