You have had a very rough road. I admire that you keep on going despite your setbacks. I have discovered that I am not as strong as I would like to be; reading so many stories here has literally changed my life. Thank you for offering your assistance. You're more experienced than any of the five Drs I've talked to.

My son didn't show any sign of concussion at the time of injury (no loss of conciousness, amnesia, dizziness, drowsiness, no "stars"; he hopped right up and said 'ow, my head') and was not diagnosed with a concussion at the ER. He merely had a deep laceration to the scalp requiring 14 stitches three layers deep. He was diagnosed with PCS at the ER when he began suffering excruciating headaches three days after the initial injury. His pediatrician indicated that it would be impossible to have a laceration such as his without a concussion.

As far as cognitive issues, so far he doesn't have anything noticeable to anyone but my husband and I. I've just noticed that he is tired earlier in the evening and is a little more sensitive or emotional about some things. His attention seems a little lacking as well, but that could be restlessness from missing so much school and not being able to do any of his favorite activities. He's learned that unlimited video gaming isn't such a great thing after all LOL.

He's good about wearing helmets when necessary. One of the Drs stated that helmets don't necessarily protect the brain from concussion since it is the movement of the brain within the skull that causes concussion. But in my opinion, anything that softens the blow is worth wearing. I have also been told that mouth guards protect against concussion but not how. Do you know how mouth guards protect in this way?

You stated that you have had 13 concussions since age 8. It would seem that they have a cumulative effect. Because he's had one, is he predisposed to suffering more? Is he more likely to suffer another concussion because he's had one, even if this one is given time to heal completely?

Thank you again for your help.