This is exactly what we do. I tell her that this injury is similar to the broken ankle she sustained a few years ago in the respect that it hurts under certain circumstances. I think she has accepted the fact that she might always be more susceptible to headaches than she was before and that she is definately more suceptible to concussion.

We try to keep our focus on how much better things have gotten and we focus on healthy behaviors (nutrition, rest, stress reduction, exercise). All the things that make for a health human being otherwise are now paramount to preventing headaches.

I think it's exceptionally scary when one of the bad headaches (with all of it's accompanying symptoms) comes back. It must feel like a total relapse. The more scared she gets the worse her symptoms become. We just give her a quiet environment and try to reassure her "this is not an emergency, you are going to be fine, it's part of the healing process."

Later, when she's not in pain, we talk about situations that might have brought it on and how to avoid that. Most of the time there are at least three variables that might have contributed (time of monthly cycle, sinus infection, too little sleep, etc.) We also talk about how even if it never stops completely that this is still not the worst thing in the world.

I wish I could know for certain what she'll be dealing with in the future (cognitive issues? triggers for decompensation?). And even though I think we have exhausted all venues (neuro opthamologist, TMJ assessment, etc.) I wish I could know for certain that there isn't some secondary symptom that, once addressed, would help her. As Vinni has eloquently stated, we know much more about just about everything in the universe than we do about our BRAINS. Crazy.