I probably sound like a broken record, but the key for me has been two things

1st: He has to find a reason to push through the pain and all the rest of it. For me it has become a daily challenge...I am going to get out of bed to keep my family and friends from worrying and because if I don't get out today then there will not be a reason to get out tomorrow.

2nd: Realize that this is going to be a long road. Doctors don't understand concussions and even if they prescribe a medicine that works taking it for months at a time can have other side effects or can become addictive. For me the key to really setting down a plan for my life with the pain and other stuff was realizing that it might be 5 years before I heal completely. I can't just sit in bed and moan for 5 years.

I was 19 when I got my first concussion falling off of a horse. I was knocked out for a couple seconds and had permanent amnesia of the surrounding 10 hours. I got a second serious concussion two weeks later and then hit my head several times ( not sure if these were concussions or not) and then got two bad concussions on the same day almost a year after the first. Now I am 22 and it has been a year and a half since the last concussion. I still have daily headaches that have lessened to a 5 out of 10, light and sound sensitivity, irritability, constant fatigue, and trouble concentrating. It got my first concussion in the second semester of my freshman year of college. I have been able with the help of my friends to continue through the rigorous 20 credit hours per semester program. My high school unweighted GPA was 3.8, my concussion brought it down to a 2.0 and now it is up to a 3.3.

It has been hard, but having reasons to get me up every morning and realizing that I either have to give up on life or push through the pain. I plan to finish my Bachelors in Liberal Arts this next May and enter into nursing school the following August. I have become a much stronger person and with the right motivation so can any PCSer.

I am sorry I have not given you much hope, but with facing the facts comes the ability to decide on how to proceed.
Good Luck!
Margarite