Making Headway

You are the unfortunate recipient of an injury that caused whiplash, concussion, and persistent concussion symptoms (PCS).  You do all the physical, vestibular, and vision therapy but the symptoms persist.  You experience a constant headache with zapping pain that goes from the back to the front of your head.  You’ve tried migraine treatments, you’ve seen specialist after specialist, but nothing helps. Sound like you?  Join us in this episode as we learn more about occipital neuralgia (ON) from the founder of the Occipital Neuralgia Foundation, Kayla Smock! Learn more, and find hope and support at www.ONFsupport.org; on facebook at Occipital Neuralgia Foundation; and on Instagram at Occipital.neuralgia.  

Covered in this episode: 

• Occipital Neuralgia Foundation: The mission is to raise awareness in the medical community and public about ON and to foster research on ON.  The foundation focuses on providing an online community to support and educate.  They are working on establishing connections in the medical community to pursue research.  Social media accounts and the website focus on sharing resources, survivor stories, education, and most importantly providing light and positivity to those with ON.

• 3 in 100,000 people have Occipital Neuralgia diagnosed, likely there are many more but it is not readily diagnosed or broadly known about in the medical community

• Symptoms: People with ON have constant headaches that do not improve with treatment characterized by a zapping pain from the back of the head to front of the head. They may also have pain down the arms, blurry vision, and eye fatigue

• Treatment: headache medications, injections: botox, nerve blocks, or trigger point; nerve decompression surgery, radio frequency ablation, nerve excision, neuro-stimulator implant

• Advice to those going through ON: connect with others who have what you do (see links below), keep advocating for yourself and find a provider who will listen.  Doctors are humans, not every doctor knows everything; it's ok to find one that knows about what you’re going through.  Have a support person to help you advocate.  

• The Foundation is IN SEARCH OF medical providers and researchers interested in finding a cure.  Please contact the Occipital Neuralgia Foundation at ONFsupport.org

Links to resources:

www.ONFsuppport.org

Facebook: Occipital Neuralgia Foundation

Instagram: @occipital.neuralgia

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• Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts
• Click here to subscribe via Spotify
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• You can also subscribe via Stitcher

Visit the Making Headway Podcast website to learn more about Eryn and Mariah and our journey to podcasting.

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Mice. They aren’t just the scurrying creatures who’ve made a home in your attic.  Their contributions to the brain injury community are substantial.  In this episode, we learn how scientists research brain injuries and develop new therapies to prevent some of the devastating effects.  Listen to our talk with Paige Martin, Ph. D. in biomedical science who gives us an introduction into the research and genetics of brain injuries.  What goes on behind the scenes with brain injury research gives us hope for future treatments and lesser long term effects.    

Topics covered in this episode:

• The relationship between head injury and neurodegenerative diseases
• Mouse models in the research of traumatic brain injury, diffuse axonal injuries, cerebral hemorrhages, strokes
• What do we learn from mouse model research?
• How the brain responds to injury
• What biochemically needs to be turned on or off to promote healing
• Therapeutics that could be helpful for brain injury and healing
• Genetics and their role in the healing brain: personalized precision medicine
• Genetics and predicting the effects of brain injuries
• Targeted therapies based on personalized genetics
• Current research on brain injury 
• Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
• Medicine to reverse short term memory deficits in concussions and repetitive head traumas

Eryn and Mariah interview fellow survivor, Chris Dittrich, who suffered from a traumatic brain injury as a result of a car crash during his senior year of high school.  Early on, his family used a white board posted in his rehab room to post basic reminders (where you are, what happened, goal for day, etc) when memory is poor.  The most important message on that whiteboard: KEEP MOVING FORWARD! Chris credits his brain injury with teaching him to be open with everyone around him and comfortable approaching others for help. Chris teaches us that setting manageable goals and achieving them builds confidence. He uses videos on social media to be able to look back and see achievement.  Chris believes strongly in being an inspiration to others through actions- showing others that they too can make incredible progress and be a positive influence on others and the world.

In today’s episode we go deep into the world of all things concussion. Concussions are one of the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries but because imaging can’t “prove” that there is damage, it can turn into one of the most lonely. Good news is, YOU’RE NOT CRAZY! What you’re feeling is real. And it can be treated! It’s not normal to wake up feeling dizzy, foggy, in pain, and off balance every day.  Join us today as we talk with Matt Campbell, clinical director at the Midwest Concussion Clinic. Matt provides hope and in-depth knowledge on concussions, PCS, and its treatment. There is an end in sight!

In today’s episode, we cover:

• Concussions: the treatment has changed over the last 18 months--hint, it’s done a 180!
• Sit and rest in dark rooms for 2 weeks leads to a longer recovery and is a disservice to your recovery
• Symptoms of a concussion: headache, dizziness, fogginess, balance issues
• Concussions need evaluation by a concussion specialist
• Components of a concussion evaluation
• SACT 5, golden standard for immediate diagnosis
• VOMS assessment, tells them the most
• Modified Clinical Balance Test
• Treatment for concussions 
• Psychological effects of concussions
• How return to activity decisions are made
• The insurance aspects of getting care through an athletic trainer: the concussion specialist
• Worker’s Comp and concussion treatment
• Early treatment is crucial
• PCS: Post Concussion Syndrome or Persistent Concussion Symptoms?
• 20% of concussions have prolonged symptoms
• Who’s most at risk: females 18-34 y/o likely due to hormone shifts with females’ cycles
• Research on concussions
• Treatment of PCS 
• Relies on the underlying cause 
• 5 main causes of PCS: decreased blood flow to the brain, soft tissue injury to the cervical spine, vestibular-ocular relationship (visual therapy), inflammation, psychological aspects
• You’re not crazy!! What you’re feeling is real.
• Helmets: skull fracture protection not concussion protection
• Modifications to make to live with concussion and PCS
• Brain injuries are the ultimate lesson in learning how to listen to your brain
• The healthcare system in general may gas-light concussions.  There is hope!! There is treatment! Caring practitioners who will help you are out there!!
• Integrated approaches and other treatments for PCS: PRTMS, neuropsych testing, neurology, vestibular therapy

To find Matt Campbell or to ask any questions, reach out on:

• Instagram
• Facebook 
• Twitter
• [email protected]

Quotable quotes: 

"Concussion treatment has changed...The goal of concussion treatment is to get back to activity as quickly and safely as possible."

"The definition of post concussive syndrome is changing to persistent concussion symptoms. PCS is not something separate from a concussion and its prolonged symptoms.  The definition for PCS is symptoms that are lasting longer than 2 weeks in adults and 30 days in adolescents.  80% of the time the brain heals itself.  20% of cases have prolonged symptoms."  

"You’re not crazy!! What you’re feeling is real. And it can be treated!"

"Work with your brain, not against it.  Your brain will always win." 

"Don’t suffer in silence.  It’s not normal to wake up feeling bad after a concussion.  There is help!"

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If you dug this episode head on over to Apple Podcasts and kindly leave us a rating, a review and subscribe!

Ways to subscribe to the Making Headway Podcast:

• Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts
• Click here to subscribe via Spotify
• Click here to subscribe via RSS
• You can also subscribe via Stitcher

Visit the Making Headway Podcast website to learn more about Eryn and Mariah and our journey to podcasting.

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

Brain fog. Trouble concentrating. Difficulty planning and organizing.  Trouble with problem solving. Memory issues. Word finding challenges.  These are just a few of the symptoms after a brain injury.   We have therapy to help us get back to walking and doing our daily activities but who rehabs our thinking and how our brains work after an injury??  In today’s episode we delve deep into the world of Speech Language Pathology (SLP) with therapist Emily Overbaugh of Thrive Speech Pathology.  She teaches us the instrumental role speech pathologists have in treating the “invisible” parts of our injuries. Join us as we talk about all things thinking-related and how we can recover this crucial part of our brains!!  

1. In this episode we cover:

• When in your course of injury you start speech therapy
• What speech therapy addresses
• How you know you need speech therapy.  Below are a few symptoms SLP helps with:
• Fogginess and cognitive fatigue
• Memory issues
• Difficulty with attention
• Word finding issues and trouble conversing
• Executive function difficulty (ability to plan, organize, and set goals)
• Cognition, communication, or swallowing issues
• Problem solving difficulties
• Tasks taking longer than usual
• Getting a cognitive baseline
• The relationship between attention and memory
• The role of speech pathologists
• Strategies: Goal, plan, do, review
• Reduce environmental distractions 
• Plan your time 
• Take breaks and rest
• Evaluate your performance and how it could have gone better
• Return to work strategies
• Technology that will help you (hint: use your smartphone)
• Advice for caregivers of brain injured people: it’s a family injury!
• Recognizing brain fatigue and what to do about it
• Understanding your own boundaries: learning how you think and acting on this
• Coming to terms with your “new normal”
• Final thoughts: 
• self advocacy
• find providers you really connect with
• dealing with the “shoulds,” “I should be able to do this,” “people say I’m fine, so shouldn’t I be?”--trust your instincts
• rest/activity balance--strike a healthy balance

1. Links resources from this episode: 

• AnyList: https://www.anylist.com/
• Todoist: https://todoist.com
• Google calendar: https://www.google.com/calendar
• American Speech and Hearing Website for a list of providers and their specialities in your area: https://www.asha.org/

To follow Emily Overbaugh:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivespeechpath/

Website: https://www.thrivespeechpathology.com/

1. Quotes from the show:

• Every patient is so different, therapy is individualized based on symptoms.
• The role of a speech pathologist is to delve into the underlying difficulty that you have on a daily basis.  
• That patient knows themself the best.  They know if they don’t quite feel like themselves.  If you feel this way and haven’t met with a speech therapist yet, you should consider it.  
• Speech therapy is an umbrella term...Speech therapy is thinking therapy...They teach thinking skills.
• Think about things you want to do with more forethought than you did before. Learn from your experiences and adjust as needed.   
• Be gentle with yourself.  This [injury] is not your fault.  It happened to you. You are your own best advocate.
• You can get to the same goal that you had before.  It just may be a different path to get there.  Meet yourself where you are at.  
• It’s ok to leave a provider and seek someone you click with better.

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!

If you dug this episode head on over to Apple Podcasts and kindly leave us a rating, a review and subscribe!

Ways to subscribe to the Making Headway Podcast:

• Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts
• Click here to subscribe via Spotify
• Click here to subscribe via RSS
• You can also subscribe via Stitcher

Visit the Making Headway Podcast website to learn more about Eryn and Mariah and our journey to podcasting.

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage. It’s a mouthful and it sounds terrifying. Join host Eryn Martin as she talks about the subarachnoid hemorrhage that she experienced in  May of 2020 in the midst of the US Covid quarantine. Out of nowhere, Eryn was struck by an uncontrollable headache and vomiting after completing an at-home workout. After being rushed to the hospital, she was told by neurologists that she had suffered from a perimesencephalic subarachnoid hemorrhage, meaning that she had experienced a spontaneous venous rupture in her brain. Eryn was rushed from her local hospital in New Hampshire to the neurological intensive care unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where she spent seven days recovering. Eryn talks about her time in the hospital, her return home, what her recovery journey has been like, and the hurdles and surprises along the way.

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!

If you dug this episode head on over to Apple Podcasts and kindly leave us a rating, a review and subscribe!

Ways to subscribe to the Making Headway Podcast:

• Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts
• Click here to subscribe via Spotify
• Click here to subscribe via RSS
• You can also subscribe via Stitcher

Visit the Making Headway Podcast website to learn more about Eryn and Mariah and our journey to podcasting.

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

Our. First. Episode!! Join us for the premiere of the Making Headway Podcast as we learn more about our hosts and what brought them to share with you. We begin our series with Mariah’s harrowing traumatic brain injury recovery journey after being hit by a car while walking to work.  This trauma caused a subdural hematoma with a skull fracture. She was placed in a medically induced coma and needed mechanical ventilation for a short time. Her doctors told her it’s a miracle that she is alive. So why did this happen?? Why did it not always feel so joyful? Join us on Mariah’s road to recovery where we take time to talk about mental health struggles post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) and lessons learned with the destination of her improved state of mind and a better way of living.

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!

If you dug this episode head on over to Apple Podcasts and kindly leave us a rating, a review and subscribe!

Ways to subscribe to the Making Headway Podcast:

• Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts
• Click here to subscribe via Spotify
• Click here to subscribe via RSS
• You can also subscribe via Stitcher

Visit the Making Headway Podcast website to learn more about Eryn and Mariah and our journey to podcasting.

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

Join hosts Eryn Martin (subarachnoid hemorrhage survivor) and Mariah Morgan (subdural hematoma survivor) as we chat a little bit about why we decided that we wanted to begin our podcast.

Making Headway came to be because, as good friends, we were lucky to have each other to lean on during our brain injury recovery journeys but we quickly recognized how easy it is to feel like you are isolated or alone. In addition to this, it can be hard to find solid advice on how to heal your body and your mind. Our hope is that by sharing survivor stories and practitioner interviews, we'll normalize the recovery process so that other survivors know that they are not alone on their roads to recovery.

Full episodes will be launching in November 2020.

Check us out at our website: www.makingheadwaypodast.com

Instagram: @MakingHeadwayPodcast

Facebook: @MakingHeadwayPodcast