Hi Soccer,

I understand where you're coming from because I was a serious athlete before my accident - but you have all the symptoms (temper, fatigue, absence seizures, headache, confussion, etc...)of a serious brain injury. The symptoms haven't only persisted; you've aquired new ones. At the very least, I fear you've got Post Concussion Syndrome (PCS).

Have you had an MRI? For starters, you need to see a neurologist and a physical medical specialist. You also need to undergo neuro-psychological testing.

The neuro-psych will tell you how your brain is actually functioning. It is useful for targetting cognitive therapy and sometimes necessary to get you all the help you're entitled to at school (extra time for assignments, tutors, note takers, etc...) Please don't hesitate to contact the disabilities officer at your college and get help. The last thing you need right now is to be staying up half the night working on papers or to be stressing over exams. It is not your fault that your grades are suffering. Many brain injured students flunk out, when a little extra help during their recovery would have allowed them to succeed. GET HELP!!!!!!!!

The GET HELP advice is just as true for the injury itself. To be blunt, the fact that you keep trying to play basketball in your condition suggests that you are not in a position to think rationally. (Don't feel bad: my husband had to hide my baseball equipment and car keys after my accident.) If you're a varsity athlete, I understand that you are under tremendous pressure to play. In that case, the team trainer may not be acting in YOUR best interests. You need assistance from independent clinicians and people who love you. Tell your parents exactly what's going on - show them your post here - and let them help you.

The tingling in your extremities is worrying. Whiplash often comes with concussion. Those tingles could be the sign of spinal damage (swelling putting pressure on nerves and/or bruising, and/or structural damage). If that's the case, risking reinjury during physical activity could be puting you in more jeopardy than you could ever imagine.

You're young - please take care of yourself. If you need to talk, feel free to send me a PM.

All the best.