Hunter,

First of all, there is certainly hope for you. Don't obsess about the negatives. Your brain chemistry is all messed up now and needs to reconfigure itself. It will get better with time and rest. But, you need to take care of yourself and treat this very seriously. It is a serious injury to your most important organ.

It's good that you are healthy and value your nutrition. This, and the fact that you are young, are all things that you have in your favor. Take a look at the vitamin page on this website. Your brain is young and will adapt. Still, I wouldn't push yourself too hard. The flight is up to you depending on how you feel. If you know the anxiety will be too much don't go. If the vacation will be worth it then maybe it is worth the risk.

What you are experiencing, happens to millions of Americans each year. It is silently becoming a huge problem in this country because (as you know) the medical community is unsure about a lot of the details regarding PCS. There is no agreed-upon treatment. You hear a lot about rest. In the end, the PCS sufferer has to come up with their own plan of action. That's where the internet and this forum come in.

I can relate to your anxiety and your position in life. I suffered a concussion in October of last fall right after transferring and moving to a school I had wanted to attend for years. I just been accepted into the program I had hoped to start for a while. I was in your current position feeling alone, frustrated, confused and terrified. It was a battle to finish the fall semester and somehow I did it, but I still don't know what the right thing to do was.

I tried going to classes this semester with a part time load and was unable to accomplish. Things were complicated by an incident one month ago where I hit my head and started up some symptoms. I was unable to do homework and eventually went to urgent care for how I was feeling. Eventually, I had to go through the health withdrawal process and w from my classes.

You can see my story here: http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread213768.html

All this is to say, I would highly recommend taking some time off from school after this semester, or make sure you feel no symptoms on a day to day basis. You need to focus on healing. You do have the summer to heal, but you will have to take it really easy. It took me a while to realize this but I am pretty sure every PCS patient gets to this realization before the real recovery can begin. It can be a long-term process for some of us. This can be difficult to come to terms with for young and active people like ourselves. I am just telling you from my experience that it is better to be cautious than to get yourself overwhelmed with commitments. I am sure your brain could use some time to rest and not be stressed out.

That would be my next advice. Whatever it takes, you have to deal with the anxiety. I am learning this too. I have been prescribed lorazepam 2mg/day for a year now. It is only until just recently I have really noticed what a negative effect my anxiety has on the PCS recovery. The lorazepam can help but as you noted there are downsides to taking it every day. It's like the anxiety fuels the PCS which in turn fuels symptoms of anxiety. It is a downward spiral if you can't get a grip on it.

Anyway, I am glad you found this forum. It has been the most helpful thing to keep me going through the toughest days. You are embarking on a rollercoaster, but it is not the end. This is only the next chapter. You will learn things about yourself that you did not know and personally it has made me a better, more understanding person. We are here for you as well.