Hey Guys I am a long time lurker of these forums but first time poster. Sorry for the long post that follows but just want to share my story and where I'm at now.
I have had post concussion syndrome for over 6 months now after a couple of incidents back in June 20th 2015. I was doing boxing sparring with my mates and drinking and got punched in the had a number of times. The next day I felt a bit dazed and had bruises on my forehead but thought I'd be fine to play football. While playing football (soccer) I got barged into by another player and felt a rattle in the back of my head as in my brain bouncing against my skull. I had an immediate headache but played through to the end of the game.

Now I have a history of alcoholism and for the month following this I drank every night as usual to numb the pain from my constant headache.
After week I saw my Gp and she said classic concussion I will be fine after a few weeks of rest/ no work etc. After a month of not getting any better and having significant headaches, problems concentrating and noise sensitivity and continuing to drink I got referred to a concussion clinic and an alcohol detox/ addiction centre to quit drinking. On July 30 I was admitted into detox and withdrew from alcohol and since then barring a coupe of instances of relapse I have refrained from drinking. I believed that after stopping drinking my headaches would subside and I would be better. I was wrong.

I have seen a phsiatrist from the hospital who prescrivbed me 25mg topamax and 50 mg amitriptyline and i'm also on baclofen for alcohol cravings although have been decreasing this. I saw a PT for a few months who worked on my neck and I tried accupuncture. None of these have helped much. It is now at the stage where my dr from the hsopital believes my ongoing symptoms are a result of lingering alcohol withdrawal even though it's been 5 months since I drank and history of depression/ anxiety. Because of this reasoning she told my insurance company that it wasn't clear that my symptoms were a result of my original injury and that they were likely becasue of other things. Due to this my insurance company have now wiped their hands of me and told me I had to go back to work while my dr said there was no medical inclination that returning to work would make me worse and in fact it woud release endorphins which would make me feel better.

I forget to mention tht through all of this I stuck with my studies and completed two papers at college (university) and actually got pretty good grades. However after finishing study for the semester I had a week break and then returned to work part time at a supermarket. Prior to returning to work I actually started noticing improvements with less "pressure headache" and tiredness and overall felt I was recovering.

Since returning to work about 2 months ago, I have been rapidly declining and my symptoms have become much worse again. The pressure headache is back and migraines along with increased noise sensitivity and tinnitus. Its odd though, because while I'm at work 2 days a week, I actually feel good while i'm there and feel stimulated, but then the days after working I feel like utter crap and have no energy and can barely get out of bed.

I am trying to finish my degree at the same time over summer ( I live in New Zealand) which involves learning a new language which is added stress. Throughout all this time I have asked for head scans which the dr and the concussion clinic said there was no point doing as head scans would show nothing and I asked for neuropsychological testing which was avaliable through my insurance company but dr/ concussion clinic said would be ineffective given I was on medication and was still withdrawing from alcohol.

Basicallly I feel like my problems have been blamed on my past alcohol use and the Dr even said my medication regime could have been affecting my recovery. I feel like working has made me much worse and I am considering quitting as I am moving back home. I have one final appointment with the DR from the hospital next week that's funded through my insurance and I will tell her about work making me worse and see if she can get me covered by my insurance company again.

I'm just confused and not sure what to do, if my symptoms have been worse the last couple months since working surely this is a sign I should consider stopping work? I also used to have this "jolting head sensation whenever I walk and that was getting better and since my symptoms have worsened I can't even walk down the street without pain whereas before I was on a treadmill and walking around the city etc. Sorry for the long post and I know there isnt really a clear question in here I just wanted to share my story.

Basically should I stop working?
How do I reduce the jolting head sensation when walking?
I'm considering upping my dose of Topamax (topiramate) anyone found this helpful to reduce constant tension headache?
It's over 6 months now, and I was noticing improvements and days symptom free but since returning to work I have worsened, will I get back to that level upon leaving work? Or should I just tough it out?
And once you have a setback is it possible to get back to the level you were at before and continue to heal?

Thank you for reading my extra long post any thoughts or suggestions are welcome.