21mom,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

At almost 4 weeks post injury, she is still early in her recovery before she would be considered a prolonged recovery.

The ER doc was better than some but missed it with the CT Scan at 24 hours. Bleeds can continue slowly and cause symptoms. The optimum time for a CT is about 72 hours post injury.

I wonder if the chiro/acupuncture is helping if you are not seeing results. Effective treatments usually show some level of improvement with the first few treatments. A hour drive in the car can possibly be counter to some of the benefit.

Personally, I would stop the essential oils for a bit. The concussed brain is usually hypersensitive and what is easily tolerated by most can be overwhelming for the concussed brain, especially the aromatics.

Has she had a vestibular work-up ? That would be worthwhile. Does her school refer to a concussion clinic ? They are usually better than an ER or GP.

Until she gets relief from the nausea, she should limit her physical activity to just enough to not be sedentary. She needs simple activities to occupy her mind and keep her hands busy. Hand crafts, solitaire with cards, crocheting, knitting, Swedish weaving, and other hand oriented tasks will keep her brain engaged so it keep blood flow going until her nausea and dizziness improves and she can start more activity.

If she struggles with school work, she should back off. It will be much easier to catch up than to do work that frustrates her and is not real learning. Her brain's health is much more important than keeping up with a lesson plan.

At her age, her body and brain are under a lot of stress as she matures. It can be miserable to add the pressure of trying to keep up with school life, too, especially with a compromised brain. Stress works against her recovery so it needs to be minimized. If friends come over to visit, it is better if it is one at a time. The concussed brain can overload with competing voices. This can also be a struggle at school. It can be easier for her to walk the halls when the other students are in class to lessen the stimulation.

Nausea and dizziness can be caused by a vestibular injury, too much brain activity, and some nerve fiber strain. The brain has a limited amount of processing power that is further reduced by a concussion so reducing that strain is helpful.

I hope this helps.

My best to you both.