Dear Suzelder,

I am so sorry to hear about your son's injury and understand what you are going through. You are absolutely right, it is so frustrating to watch your child suffer and to feel so frightened and desperate.

It is horrible to not be able to control the headaches. As a Mom, we feel that we should be able to make our child feel better and it is devastating when we can't. Do know that it will get better in time.

Is your son out of football for the rest of the season? I know that can be devastating to a kid but highly recommend it no matter what. His brain is fragile right now as it is healing. Another hit (even a minor bump) is a really big deal right now.

I would also consider keeping him out of gym class at school until you are 100% sure all symptoms are gone and that he is fully recovered. It is not worth the risk.

No two concussions are alike therefore, treatment can vary depending on the symptoms. Basically, you are reacting to symptoms as they present. At this point with your son, it is important that he rests and to avoid anything that may trigger a headache.

I am concerned that the Motrin is not working at all and he is not receiving any pain medication for the headaches? Headaches aggravate PCS and make the symptoms last longer. It is hard to heal your brain when it keeps getting aggravated by headaches. He needs sleep, rest and minimal activity right now.

I wonder if the Motrin dose is not high enough? At 11 years old, my daughter was taking 400 mg of Motrin which is an adult dose. Perhaps ask your doctor if your son can have a higher dose and perhaps even overlap it with Tylenol? Alleve is also worth trying.

At 8 weeks out, my daughter started to take prescription medications to help control the headaches. It was a bit of trial and error with a few different meds. If you would like more info on this, let me know

Very important to stop any activity (physical or cognitive) when a headache starts. Do not try to push through the headache as it can aggravate symptoms and make the headache worse. Cognitive exertion includes reading, computer, school work, etc and that can all be just as aggravating to his condition as physical activity or worse.

For example, if your son is taking a test at school and a headache starts....he should get up and go the nurse immediately. Don't try to push through just to finish it. Get out of that situation before the headache worsens.

School should at least lighten his workload and possibly give your son other accommodations while he recovers. The last thing that he needs is a stack of make-up work. Timed tests were a problem for my daughter among other things. If you need ideas/info about dealing with school, let me know

I reiterate, it is NOT common for symptoms to last as long as they have with my daughter. She had two concussions within minutes of each other which is why we believe the PCS has lasted so long with her. Again, I mention this so you know that your son is likely to recover very soon.

The advice and care that he receives right now can make ALL the difference. My best piece of advice, is to avoid another head injury at all cost. Avoid football for the rest of the season and any other contact sports until you are 100% positive.

Also trust your instincts. If something is wrong with your child, you know and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

You asked why no symptoms for two weeks and now the horrible headaches....that is an impossible question to answer since the brain is so complicated and we cannot see this injury.

There are too many possiblities to list ....here are just a few possibilities that come to mind... it is possible that he did not recognize the symptoms, it is possible that the cognitive and physical exertion after the head injury aggravated his condition.

It is also VERY common for kids to overlook symptoms and to try to be tough for various reasons. One big one, is that they want to continue their sport and worry that if they mention that they have a headache, they won't be allowed to participate.

Also I believe that falling off the stool was a symptom. My daughter lost her balance a few times right after her head injury.

You mentioned muscle soreness? Where is that? My daughter also injured her neck and shoulder in her accident. She was treated by an orthopedic doctor for that also received physical therapy which helped a lot.

Please feel free to PM me if you would like to call me with any questions or for support.

I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers,

Glad that you found this board...tons of great people with very helpful info. Take it all in and trust your instincts... don't hesitate to get additional medical opinions if something doesn't sound right to you. Even the doctors are learning about PCS and how to treat it.