Worriedmama,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. I am so sorry to hear about what your son is going through.

First, Yes, we have seen this before. A few years ago, another mother's son had a similar experience after head banging at a concert.

There are some things needed for clarification.

Is he trying to live his life with his friends. socializing, movies etc ?

Does he still have the severe memory loss or was it just temporary ?

Is he eating his normal diet ? What is it ?

Has his father observed him sleeping ? How is his breathing during sleep ?

What doses of vitamins and supplements is he taking ?

Some observations.

A concussion specialist is usually just seminar trained by the people who make the ImPACT system with maybe a bit more training if the doc develops a further interest. Most do not have the skills or experience to think outside the box.

It is not uncommon for symptoms to increase during the first 6 weeks or so after the concussion. Concussion is a process with a cascade of neurological events, not a single moment injury like a broken leg.

What can appear to be memory loss can often be just mental confusion. The brain can struggle to find and organize memories. It can be a result of poor sleep or other triggers. I have minor periods of mental confusion after nights of poor sleep.

The hallucinations may not be hallucinations but rather a hard to define condition where the mind gets stuck repeating or looping on a thought, words, song lyrics, etc. This can be a form of OCD. This can be treated with SSRI meds. Paxil (paroxetine) 60 mgs worked for me. I could get stuck looping for days. I stopped the Paxil a few years ago and now start my day with L-Theanine and 5-HTP. Paxil works at increasing serotonin levels. 5-HTP does it naturally. L-Tryptophan is a precursor to 5-HTP.

Different meds work differently for each of us. Sometimes, it takes some experimenting to find the right ones. I needed Xyprexa for about 3 months after a severe trauma.

Some suggestions for his care and diagnosis.

He may have injured his upper neck causing inflammation that disrupts vertebral blood flow to the brain. This is a subtle injury that rarely manifests any pain. Maybe just some stiffness.

It takes a gentle approach to resolve upper cervical injuries that includes disciplined sleep and rest posture. Some chiros who use gentle techniques can help. "Some" Physical Therapists can too if they avoid pursuing range of motion as a goal. Gentle traction and mobilization can do wonders to help C-1 and C-2 settle down. Icing is also an imperative. The goal is to reduce upper cervical inflammation.

He may benefit from an anti-inflammatory med such as 2-200 mgs of ibuprofen 3 times a day. My doctor says the 3 times a day is needed to keep the therapeutic levels up so inflammation does not become a roller coaster between doses. Some tolerate 1000 mgs of enteric aspirin twice a day better than ibuprofen.

If he has tender spots behind his ears at the bony spot, this suggests a subtle neck injury. These muscle spasms can contribute to head aches.

Read the Vitamins sticky. It has lots of good information. Check out the crushable ice packs recipe at the bottom. Adding B vitamins, especially 100 to 2500 mcgs of B-12 is beneficial. The anti-oxidants (C and E) are also important to a struggling brain.

Before trying the ketogenic diet, you could try an anti-inflammatory diet. The ketogenic diet requires some serious fasting to get the liver to start to release ketones. That fasting may be hard on him.

Keep him away from caffeine, MSG, artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, energy drinks, and high sugar/sugar added foods, etc.

A meat and fresh vegetables diet will likely be best. A fatty dripping hamburger provides some good amino acids and fatty acids a brain needs. Reducing carbs will increase his body's use of fats where the good brain energy is.

It may be worthwhile for him to be assessed by a NeuroPsychologist and maybe Physiatrist (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) affiliated with a Neuro Rehab hospital clinic where previously comatose patients are treated.

I have more but I have already overloaded you.

Please be assured that even though he may have a long road ahead, nothing suggests he will not recover from this. He may be different with some personality issues but there are ways to overcome them. I've lived with the personality changes from a concussion for 50 years. I never got the help that is available today.

My best to you and your son.