Dear Mint et al,

PCS McGee is right -- it CAN get better. My then 14-year-old daughter had a concussion playing basketball 17 months ago and several weeks later was hit in the head with a full backpack. Without going into all of the details, life was hell and there were many times that we gave up hope. But we found that the right combination of acupuncture and Effexor helped. Yes, McGee, the latter is an antidepressant, but the way it works for TBI is that it and other antidepressants promote NEUROGENESIS, to re-establish nerve pathways in the brain.

Anyway, I just came back from visiting my daughter in overnight camp (she's been away nearly 4 weeks) and she said that she feels normal again. She's had only two short (5 to 10 minute) headaches and no more light/sound sensitivity, difficulty reading (focus/concentration), dizziness, fatigue. This, despite being slightly sleep deprived. (This is a girl who needed 12-14 hours of sleep at the height of her PCS.) The true test will come when school starts, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Keep us abreast of how you're doing and keep your chin up.