Carrie,

Good to know you are in Oregon. Her age might make this difficult but she could try some CBD oil with a small percent of THC in it. It has been helpful to some and is worth a try. I wish I had access to it here in Idaho. The oil is horrible tasting so most put it in food. It is hard to absorb in food. Toughing it out with a drop or two under the tongue to be absorbed sublingually would be the best method. It tastes bad but so do many medicines.

The specialists who say 1 to 3 years to recover completely are just making 'shot in the dark' comments. Nobody knows. 85% recover within the first 6 weeks. The rest are all over the map.

I think the biggest challenge for you and her is simple but tough. As with her dyslexia, she needs to learn or relearn how to learn. One of the private companies like Lindamood-Bell may be able to help. My nephew had fallen through the cracks with dyslexia and other learning issues and they were amazing. National Association for Child Development also has great programs. http://www.nacd.org/who-we-help/brain-injured/

I had to learn that my old ways of 'quick absorption' of class material was over. I needed lots of repetition to retain information. I also needed to learn to "STOP TO THINK." I had to learn how to clear my mind of distractions so the thought process could take place.

You mentioned 'recover completely.' Research suggests that for those of us with prolonged struggles, a large part of our recovery back to a normal way of life is due to learning work-arounds. Many of us never recover completely but with these work-around and accommodations, we go on to live full and successful lives. My point is for you to know that even if she has long term issues, she can still go on to have a great life.

I had to learn to deal with outbursts. Many of us do. The brain just gets overloaded and we pop. I had to learn to recognize when this was starting to build and just walk away. My wife is good at observing this and touches my elbow to give me a clue. I had to learn that no matter how much I thought I had a right to respond, I did not in reality have that right.

I also needed to learn that these outburst struggles were not normal and not a part of who I am. They are an aberration. So, it helps to learn how to get past them, make apologies and move on. I carry a card in my wallet that describes my outburst issues that I have to authority figures who tend to get loud. It is a big help at TSA where workers like to yell orders at everyone. I don't respond well to somebody yelling orders at me when I am trying to focus on something else and don't expect it. The startle and verbal challenge can set me off. But, I have learned how to deal with it so it is rarely a problem. A valuable work-around.

Regarding her neck. Most chiros are far too aggressive with neck adjustments. The twist the head and pop the neck can cause more trauma that results in inflammation. Upper neck inflammation can cause all sorts of problems. My gentle chiro would do very subtle adjustments and then have me ice my neck for 15 minutes. The most important part was my discipline during rest and sleep. My neck rarely has any pain or discomfort but if I sleep wrong, I have nightmares and a miserable and grumpy day.

I learned a new work-around recently. When you know you are going to be in a crowd of people talking, put a foam ear plug in the left ear. By increasing the differential between the right and left ear, her brain should be better able to process the voices. The right ear already does most of voice processing so this remove the challenge from the left ear. I also stay away from the middle of a room. Near a wall or corner of the room means the sounds come from less directions. It makes a big difference. Mack's makes a good foam ear plug that is flesh tone. Walgreens and many other places have them.

If you can find a brain injury support group to attend, that would be great. Mine serves the injured and their family. OregonBIA has a list of them. http://www.biaoregon.org/supportgrp.htm

It would be worthwhile to explain more to her so she does not think she is going crazy. A support group may help you with this.

You both will be fine. Take you time and work through each issue individually. There is no one treatment for all of the PCS struggles.

My best to you both.