>>1000 mgs of C and 400 iu of E is good. The B-50 does not have enough B-12.

I will get the C and E today. I had B-12 that the concussion spec had originally put him on (but inexplicably asked us to stop taking). The dosage is 3000mcg, per sublingual. Is that too much? More? Less?

I adjusted his magnesium last night and we did a nightmare-free hypnosis. He HATED the hypnosis, but I saw him listening and relaxing as the suggestions on removing/changing nightmares progressed. He woke up normal-ish for the first time in I'm-not-sure how long. We will take that.


>>It is very important for him and even you to know that his good times are not license to try to return to normal activity levels.

He has definitely begun to recognize his limitations this week. I like what you wrote about "extending the good time" when his brain is calm and quiet. It makes sense and I will pass it along.

I have often wondered if (and he has suggested as much) that when his brain is "quiet" he gets nervous. He is so terrified the psychosis will come back, when his brain is quiet it gives him time to think about it and the more he thinks, the larger the perceived threat gets. When he stays "busy," which is being outside gardening, skateboarding with a friend (never very far, always with a helmet in a park-type area across from our house), or playing minecraft with his sisters (one of the only video games he can tolerate and it was encouraged by his psychiatrist), he finds it soothing. The worst times are when there are multiple people to listen to at once, when he forces social time through a headache, or when he's already just feeling agitated. I'm sure there's more.

>> A single event of over-doing it can undo weeks of improvement.

We definitely saw that in the beginning. It was heartbreaking. Now we're almost 12 weeks out, that has improved. We all still see the need to be super careful and are fast to pull him from things that make him loopy.

(His eyes almost look like they're spinning, he might say inappropriate things, he looks like he's lost...there's a definite pattern. When it's a good time and he's paying attention again, we discuss with him why we left the store, etc. Flourescent lights can definitely be a trigger.)

>> I don't want to scare you but my comment about the year time frame means it could easily take longer than a year. Nobody knows. But, statistics show a bell curve with a long gentle slope at time goes on.

Not scared. It feels that way. But progress is progress, regardless of how slow.

>>Quiet rest means slowing down life, not sleep or napping. Proper sleep at proper times should be a goal. He should try to maintain the same wake-up time as he did during the school year.

Which is actually one of the main reasons I've allowed the continued consideration of camp. He teaches one of his favorite things, so he will be in the flow of something he loves that's naturally a very slow pace (wood carving). He will be in the same hut all day, his supervisor knows him well, and he is planning a vegetable garden this year near the hut. One of the things he's given us as a "pro" is the consistent schedule. Nothing ever changes. My husband will also be there one of the weeks with the rest of the troop.

His supervisor will also likely be the person he talks to about his day, which is one of the best scenarios. Son has never, ever (even in the depths of psychosis) had disorganized thinking or speech -- the opposite actually happened. He was wittier, better deductive thinking, and almost hyper-defined thinking/speech. He was working *so hard* to make his points and his voice heard. His physicians that knew him before the accident would remark on it, and as he has begun recovery, those symptoms have actually decreased - he's back to his normal wit/speech/thinking.

This has been so incredibly helpful -- to type this out, to get thoughtful responses -- and it's made this seem manageable for the first time. I've noticed I've relaxed more around him, having better perspective and enjoying him for who he is on any given day. That's priceless.

I had no idea head injuries could be like this. Even in sports concussion classes, which we had to take as athlete parents, this was never discussed. But there have been positives to this that we had to look for, but found. Since the accident, his friends have gotten (and are actively wearing!) helmets. They use their cell phones less around him, because he doesn't use his often anymore.

Thanks to you all.