Hi,
Your symptoms do appear to be consistent with what is generically called a POSTCONCUSSIVE SYNDROME (PCS). As the name implies it is a constellation of symptoms which can occur together or at separate times after a person has suffered a
CONCUSSION to the brain. Most symptoms are selflimited which means they typically resolve on their own without any specific treatment in a matter of a few weeks to few months but there can be protracted cases of PCS lasting much longer....just depends on the individual.
I can understand your reticence in getting a CT of the head (and agree that it is a lot of
radiation) but following an
injury to the brain of that force (though it may not SEEM that much of a bang....just look at your symptoms and how you felt before running into that wall at "ramming speed!" HA!) it is always advisable to get an
MRI of the brain.
In that case no CT would be needed but you are free to do as much or as little as you'd like. If you're having memory issues then, it may also be advisable to get a NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL battery of tests done so that a nominal baseline of capacities can be concluded. This will serve as a basis to know how things are progressing in the future especially you are still not feeling 100% over the next few months.
Since I'm a
neurologist I'm always worried about damage flying under the radar after concussions....BECAUSE IT IS VERY COMMON...."feeling fine" and "appearing fine" are easy things to do if you were perfectly healthy to begin with....but the idea of getting tested and examined by people WHO ARE SPECIALISTS in those areas (
TBI medicine) is so that a solid baseline can be developed for your current brain function JUST AFTER the accident and then, to follow that serially (at least every 3-6 months) for 1 year (which is typically what I do) since some dysfunction can be very subtle and not appear for a bit of time due to the nature of how nerves die and nerve connections decay in the brain.
Docs who are not deeply rooted in the discipline do not always see it that way and of course, everyone likes to feel fine and be told that they're fine but wouldn't it be nicer if someone could genuinely say that after going through a standard workup? Then, you'd really have a good REASON to say you felt fine, right?
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Dariush Saghafi, Neurologist