Hello,
I am (was) a confused teacher who was assaulted at school on August 30th and ended up with a concussion.
I was unconscious for about 45 seconds from what I was told. I do not remember much of the day after I got the concussion, and I am only going off of what I have been told and wrote down in a journal.

My headaches didn't start right away, but I realized I had a headache by the time I got in to see a worker's comp. doctor. I was then told that this is normal for a concussion and it would go away. Most of the other symptoms either hadn't started or I hadn't realized (don't remember) I was experiencing them when I saw the dr initially.

I went home and tried to relax the first day with a release back to work the next day. On my way to work the next morning I was very naseaus and had blurry vision, ringing in my ears, no energy, and a horrible headache that has not gone away since.

I went back to the doctor who perscribed me Darvocet to help with the headache, and I was told not to go back to work for the rest of that day and another day. I had an appointment to go back the following week. At this appointment I told the dr that I was still experiencing all the same symptoms and I was assured that it was all normal for a concussion.

After another week of trying to work I went back, yet again, to the dr, and he finally sent in a request for me to go to a neurologist since my symptoms weren't getting any better and I was also confusing students names, very forgetful, and had difficulty sleeping.

Now remember this is all through workers comp so this process in itself is very stressful to navigate. The earliert I could get in to the neurologist was another week and a half so the primary care doctor decided to put me on half days at work to see if this would help. I finally got in to see the neurologist and he put in a request for a MRI and CT scan, which only took another few weeks to get approval and an appointment.

In my first meeting with the neurologist I was prescribed Nortriptyline and Treximet and Epidrin for break through pain. I have been taking the Nortriptyline ever since. I was taking the Treximet, and it seemed to help a little bit but my blood pressure started to go up so they took me off the Treximet.

All tests that have been run have come back normal, and I feel like nobody thinks I'm telling the truth about the pain. After being taken off the Treximet I was prescribed Relpax, which made me vomit, and Maxalt, which gave me no relief so I am back at square one. Through this whole process of different types of medicine making me sick I also started to realize that I was becoming very short with people and my moods were unpredictable.

Both drs have told me to try and get back to a routine, but if I do to much then I seem to be wiped out energy wise for a day or so after. They are getting to the point where the neurologist doesn't believe I'm ready to go back to work, but there is nothing else he can do so workers comp doesn't want to keep sending me to him to try different medications.

At the last appointment he did prescribe Topomax in addition to the Nortriptyline, but I only started that a few days ago, and it doesn't seem to be making a differnce so far. I also continue to find it difficult to concentrate and I feel groggy all the time. I just feel like a slower, less energetic, tired version of myself who is in constant pain with headaches. Sometimes it is difficult to tell what the symptoms are and what is side effects from the different medications.

This is another problem I have, I don't want to admit that I'm in pain so I try to justify everything, which I think makes the drs think I am feeling better even when I am not. Three weeks ago the neurologist referred me to a Psychiatrist to determine whether I was also experiencing symtoms similar to PTSD.

I have since gone to the Psychiatrist and he wants me to start taking something to help me sleep at night, but the workers comp adjuster has decided that I do not need to go back to the Psychiatrist or the Neurologist and I have healed as much as I am going to heal so it must be time to go back to work. I'm not sure how she has come to this conclusion, but there are many mornings that I can't even get out of bed, both for lack of energy and pain. I have tried to figure out how I will go back to teaching at the Elementary level in this amount of pain and experiencing all these symptoms.

I have been diagnosed with PCS, but I keep being told different information about what to expect. Doing some research on the internet has also been difficult because there is so much information, and it doesn't all align. I'm really glad to have found this forum, and I would appreciate any words of wisdom, advice, or anything else that anyone would like to share about their experiences!

Oh, I have reread this thread a few times and changed things up and tried to put it in order, but that is not one of my strong suites since the concussion. I repeat myself and tell things out of order, so I am very sorry if this is confusing at all.
Thanks!
By the way...I have been dealing with PCS now for 3 months and a few days now!