Hey, guys, this is actually my first time posting here. I was in a car accident in October of 2013 and feel the same things that so many other people have posted, especially the "it changed my life" sentiment. I feel like there's this dividing line in the sand that was my personality before and my personality now; there's a complete disconnect there. I was rear-ended on the highway by some lady in a huge SUV at 45-50mph. At the scene I was able to get out of the car and call my stepfather who works a mile away for help and get out of the car to sit on the side of the road. I was really shaking and disoriented. I started to cry and was gasping for air so the car in front of me called emergency services for me. By the time they had me in an ambulance, I was still hyperventilating and crying and couldn't tell the EMTs where my pain was. Finally an hour or two later I was left alone in a room in the dark with a blanket and that calmed me down. The doctor said I was in shock and had whiplash, but should be fine. No CT scan, no tests, no warnings about what symptoms might crop up.
I went to physical therapy, but didn't improve much. After going back to work, my pain increased and I started to have mood swings. At about 5 weeks out I went out for drinks one night with friends. The next day I woke up feeling out of it. At first thought it was a hangover, but I couldn't feel things in my hands right and couldn't think straight. My whole body from head to toe went numb--I started freaking out and couldn't feel anything emotionally or physically for a full week. After looking around the internet, I discovered that dissociation can cause this and the explanation of everything helped. It didn't go away, however, and I found myself suddenly unable to drive my car at all. Going out in public became a chore and going anywhere with bright lighting was terrifying. I'd have panic attacks at work for what felt like hours whenever there was the slightest conflict with a co-worker.
Physical therapists/ortho doc had no idea what to do and were totally dismissive about my anxiety symptoms being related to the accident. "If you're having panic attacks, you should probably see a therapist about that because I don't know what could cause that", etc. They diagnosed me with "somatic pain" and released me from treatment without resolving anything. I saw a neurologist then who found I had post-concussive syndrome from a severe concussion that wasn't caught and a bulging disc between my C5-C6 vertebrae. He insisted that should all take care of itself, but referred me to a psychiatrist. At our very first meeting he diagnosed me with PTSD, major depression, and panic disorder, and gave me 3 different psych drugs. None of them helped. Despite asking for tools and strategies to stop panic attacks and manage my anxiety level, he only ever used simple talk therapy, which lead to nothing but wallowing.
Eventually, I quit all the meds and therapy of my own accord after deciding it wasn't helpful. I did then improve a great deal. I still struggled with depression and stress and was recommended a chiropractor by a friend. This was a huuuuuge step and one I recommend anyone suffering from both anxiety and pain from an accident try! Turns out my Atlas/C1 vertebrae (among several others) was out of place and pushing on the part of my brain that creates the fight vs. flight response. Adjustments gave me lots of relief, but I recently had a terrible relapse into dissociation and anxiety. I'm now looking for a cognitive behavioral therapist to help in conjunction with the chiropractic treatments...hitting both the mental and physical symptoms, as it were.
Has anyone else experienced similar symptoms of bodily/mental numbness under stress? Were you able to resolve that? Even if no one has answers or tools for these issues, for me just knowing that other people out there have experienced similar problems makes it all feel a little more manageable. Thanks in advance.
