Hi Kelly and welcome to NT!

Clearly you've suffered multiple concussions and that can put you in a precarious position now - and especially in the future.

Like so many of us, you appear frustrated with your medical care. It's amazing, considering that brain injury is the #1 killer and disabler of Canadians under 45, how little doctors know about concussion. As a former varsity athlete, I caution you to be skeptical about the advice you may get from team trainers and physicians. Remember, their job is to keep you on the ice.

As for imaging, conventional MRIs and CAT scans lack the sensitivity to show damage to all those tiny little axons. Consequently, folks with obvious cognitive deficits will usually have “clean” scans. There are specialized MRIs that might show the damage, but they are expensive and hard to access. The best way to know how your brain is really functioning is to undergo neuro-psych testing. Have you had this done?

As a brain injury patient, it is critical for you to understand your condition so you can lobby for treatment. Some excellent sources for further reading include: the Ontario Brain Injury Association www.obia.ca, www.tbiguide.com and our own TBI forum here on NT http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum92.html If that's too much reading, there are a number of excellent Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) videos on You Tube. (Who knew it wasn’t just idiots surfing on cars?) The ones on whiplash and concussion are worth checking out.

Cheers