Concussion And Concussion Related Symptoms.

Hi all. My name is nik, i'm 19 and live in new zealand.

Right now i'm crying because I am frightened. I can't remember the last time I cried. I'm quite a tough guy. I was getting ready to join the sas in january, but due to recent medical complications I can't go anymore. But just to give you an idea of my spirits and strength, mental and physical.

The reason i'm posting is not about the sas. It's not because i'm crying. It's the reason i'm crying.

I play a lot of paintball, for those who don't know what that is, paintball is quite a physical and tough sport, where two teams take each other on and try to defeat the other team. You are armed with paintball markers (guns) which shoot small paintballs at a high velocity. It isn't considered a very dangerous sport, but it is painful when you get shot.

7 months ago I was playing this game with a few friends and I was shot from quite close range just above the temple ( it wasn't in the temple though) and I got quite bad concussion from it. I wasn't knocked out and I didn't loose consciousness, but immediatly I felt dizzy and sick. I carried on playing and all was good.

One week later I started having problems. My symptoms were (and still are) as follows..

*dizzyness, *headaches, *blurry vision, confusion, *depression & anxiety, *sensitivity to light, trouble remembering things that happened recently, strange thoughts and functionality, always thinking about and death, occasionally tingly arms or legs, ringing in ears, always tired and theres more which I can't remember (ironically) (the *'s represent the symptoms which I hate the most, which are the worst)

now I have been to many doctors, and they have all told me the same thing. That I have post concussion syndrome. For a while I believed them, but it's now 7 months down the track since the initial accident and I still have these problems and they are not going away/getting better. It is the most agrovatting, annoying most upsetting thing I have ever experienced, and it just wont go away.

Concussion doesn't last 7 months to my knowlesge (but im going to have a head scan soon anyway) and i'm begining to think it is something else causing these problems.

Can anyone help me out here? I'm in desperate need. I'm sick and tired of feeling like this and I want to be back to normal me. I'm now getting very depressed and I can't stop thinking about it and it just wont go away. Please help.


Ps: also, I smoke, would that cause or aggrovate any of these problems?

Thanks,
nik.