Dear Soccer14,

I'm on this forum as a fellow pcs sufferer, but I too was a fanatic hoopster in high school planning on college play as a given. The beginning of my Senior year I was hit by a car and suffered multiple injuries (one of my concussions plus a whole lot more), spent all that fall in physical therapy, desparately trying to be able to get back on the court (and pretty ticked off as I watched the cheerleader-who-hit-me-while-she-was-chatting-with-her-friend-in-the-passenger-seat jumping around across the court ;-) while I watched games from the bench. I felt so robbed. I was able to play the second half of the season, with lots of pain. I still had opportunities to play in college but I turned them down and took an academic scholarship instead. Why? I knew my body wouldn't tolerate another 4 years of hard core hoops/abuse very well with my residual injuries, it just hurt too much to play. It was an extremely difficult decision to make, especially that first year of college when I would watch games and know I could have been down there. After a while, I decided to stop torturing myself and get on with my life. Anyways, my point in sharing this with you is that looking back now, 20 years later, I don't regret my decision to stop playing at all. It isn't what I would have chosen, given a choice, but we just have to deal with what we're given, that's life. Sure, it was super hard and painful to give up what I'd been dreaming of, and planning, for so many years because of that accident, but I have no regrets. Looking back now and dealing with messed up knees and ankles (just the result of hard play) plus accident residuals and current PCS, I kind of wish I would have focused on sports that were less punishing (a couple of my prior concussions happened on the court), even though I loved it so much. You only have one body, no refunds or exchanges. I know it's really hard at your age to think long term, and it seems like you'll never be as old as I am, but you've got to remember that your life post high school and college is much, much longer and for most of us even better! Don't be doing things that will negatively impact your quality of life, it ISN"T worth it! You are young and have a great chance of recovery if you let your body heal. It may seem like the end of the world right now to be missing a season but it's not, you'll play better down the road if you give yourself a chance to recover. Your teams will survive without you, seriously! Be mature and responsible enough to give yourself the chance to heal. With the type of symptoms you've described, there is no way you're playing at the top of your game, that is probably more obvious to everyone else than to you. If you keep going the way you are, there will be no chance of playing in college in either sport anyway, so give yourself a break, tell your parents, coach and doctor the truth, and let your brain heal. You've had excellent advice from folks with lots of painful experience. You would be wise to heed it. You've had so many responses because people don't want you to suffer long term. Maybe your life will take a different direction like mine did and you'll realize it's okay because there are lots of ways to enjoy your life and be successful and happy...I wish you all the best in your recovery.

Take Care,

Becca