Hi Kay and welcome to NT!

It always makes me sad to hear of a young person having to battle PCS.

My fellow members of the brain boo boo club have provided you with all sorts of useful information. I applaud you for trying to learn about your condition. As brain injury patients often have to advocate for treatment, it’s important that you have a good understanding of your injury and your options. Some excellent sources for further reading include: the Brain Injury Association of America www.biausa.org; www.tbiguide.com and our own TBI forum here on NT http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum92.html If reading gives you headaches, there are a number of excellent TBI videos on You Tube. (Who knew it wasn’t just idiots surfing on cars?)

In addition to what the others have said, I would encourage you to make sure that you are getting all the extra help and consideration you need at school. At present you are battling a disability and you are entitled to the help. To that end, you might consider having a neuro-psychological examination.

The neuro-psych is series of tests (oral, written, motor skill, spatial, etc…) that will reveal how your brain is actually functioning. A neuro-psych can be invaluable for establishing your claim to academic assistance. Equally importantly, it can help target any cognitive therapy you might choose to pursue.

You are young and there is every hope that you will make a good recovery. As everyone has told you, it is important to rest. It might also be helpful to keep track of things that aggravate your symptoms so you can avoid them. For example, when exercising I have to keep my heart rate below a certain level or my headache goes ballistic. It is not uncommon for PCS patients to find bright lights, noise, and heat troublesome.

Cheers