[MommaBear]

Since my son's TBI, he has had sinus drainage, sneezing, coughing. Not a virus. At first in the hospital it was mild and went away in a day or two, but happened every several days. Now it's worse, poor guy sniffles and sneezes almost constantly. It's driving him nuts. At first it seemed to be worse in the mornings, but now it's all day long. His only relief seems to be when he's asleep.

My investigation finds that antihistimines are not to be used for a TBI patient because "they may cause disturbances in memory and new learning." Sooo what is safe to give him?? His doctor is no help at all. We just know it's not CNS fluid draining or he'd have developed meningitis.

Could the injury have caused his sinuses to be so out of whack? Or could it have cause him to develop some kind of allergy... to what?? -- that was in the hospital and now at home, and why is it getting worse? Dust maybe? Has anybody come across this very unusual effect of TBI??

Also, off subject, we just finished a game of Scrabble. He became bored, frustrated, and close to the end he wanted to give up and go back to his room. But it seems to me it's a good brain exercise / speech therapy. Maybe if he can think of it that way instead of being about winning then he will just compete against himself and not me, and have a better time with it. I also think this could be a good and gentle teaching moment about how to "Never Give Up". So I think this might be a good way and a foot in the door for me to give him a little encouraging push to learn to push himself instead of just hanging out in his dark room all the time.
Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!

[Mark in Idaho]

Regarding Scrabble, When he wants to quit, he is likely mentally fatigued. It is better for him to complete many short tasks that get exhausted on a longer task. Pushing through is not successful with brain injury.

It is likely that he has a limit of only 15 minutes or so. Intense cognitive effort can be exhausting. And, don't try to mix talking and thinking. If he is trying to think of a word and you are talking, it makes his thinking very difficult and frustrating.

His sinus issues that may be allergies may be due to a strained immune system. My vitamin regimen has just about ended my allergies. Yesterday, I had my one day of hay fever for the spring season. We had 18 different tree pollens. I sneezed on and off a few times during the day and by today, my allergies are over.

I hope his sneezing is not causing trouble with his head. I have to be careful with the head movement when I sneeze.

Occasional use of an antihistamine should not be a big problem. I have used them a few weeks a year all my life until about 15 years ago. Any problems should only be temporary. Some of the newer meds may have a stronger neurological effect. I used chlorpheniramine maleate . I did not use decongestants like pseudoephedrine or antihistamines like diphenhydramine.

So, take it easier on him. Let him do simpler tasks with a break between. Let him set the pace. Too much video gaming may not be beneficial either. He may just use it to zone out.

My best to you.

[EsthersDoll]

I use an antihistamine every day. I did this before the injury I sustained too. About a year ago, my PCP who wasn't my Dr. when I started to receive treatment for the severe allergies I suffer from, suggested that I try not to take one every day and on the first day I got VERY congested and within a few days I almost got a sinus infection because I was so "stuffed up". It was awful. I couldn't be my own advocate still at that point, but my boyfriend saw what happened and told the Dr. and I'm taking it every day again! Much to my overall relief.

I suggest getting your son some EASY crossword puzzles. I like this one: http://www.amazon.com/The-Everything...ef=pd_sim_b_22

But there are literally hundreds of adult and easy crossword puzzles to choose from. My speech therapist told me doing them would help my word finding problems and it has, although they still need some work!

Anyway, if he has a smart phone, he can download words with friends. That's a great scrabble-type app that allows him to place a word on the board in his own time; he doesn't have to play a game to completion like he would sitting down playing on the board with someone else. If he doesn't have a smart phone, maybe you can just place the board somewhere in a room where he can come and go to it and place words there as he can handle playing and then you can too. You can put an index card down and when one of you is done placing a word, you can use it to indicate who's turn it is and then there is not the pressure to complete the game in a timely manner.

Have you looked into getting him some speech therapy? That might help him a great deal. And his therapist might give him some good "homework".