mx,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

Sounds like you have lived quite an active and impact filled life.

You definitely do have Post Concussion Syndrome. You likely also are suffering from Multiple Impact Syndrome and a lifetime of sub-concussive impacts.

You need to take an extended period off from school. Your brain needs rest from any stressful efforts. You need to rest at home. No video games, limited music with no loud or rock type music at all. Limited TV and other video oriented viewing. No caffeine or alcohol or other substances that alter your state.

The rest your brain needs is three fold. It needs a rest from sound. It needs a rest from visual stimuli and it needs a rest from cognitive (thinking) efforts.

The MRI will likely come back normal. Concussions rarely cause any damage that will show up on a CT or MRI.

Go online and watch with your parents, the series on YouTube called "You Look Great" by John Byler. It is 6 segments that total about a hour at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Xso4qGdlI

Also, download the TBI Survival Guide at www.tbiguide.com. Print it out (84 pages) so you and your parents can read it and highlight the symptoms you recognize.

Statistically, if your symptoms are this severe at 5 months after your original concussion at the MX track, you likely have a slow recovery ahead of you. You will need all the support and understanding your family and school can provide.

I suggest you have a very difficult decision to make. It is the Sidney Crosby decision. Do you dare risk the rest of your life to continue playing hockey? With hard hits come hard decisions. The same decision is needed regarding MX. The risk you face is a life of constant head aches and academic frustration and failure.

Continued impacts, even sub-concussive impacts (impacts where you do not have any feeling of confusion or such) will lead to a high risk of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a shrinking and atrophying of the brain) with the resulting early onset of dementia similar to Alzheimer's Disease, often by the 40's.

I highly advise that you print out this post and the others that follow and have your parents read them. There are decades of experience in concussions and the lasting effects of them on this forum.

What kind of specialist have you seen? The neurologist appointment will likely not be any benefit to you. Often, Physiatrists (Doctors of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) have some of the best skills with concussion and the neck injury issues. Also, some chiropractors are good at working with the upper cervical region. Not the generic twist your head and pop chiro variety.

I know this is coming across very harsh. You have suffered two serious injuries in a short time period. The first concussion set you up for a very dangerous and damaging second concussion. You are fortunate the second concussion did not damage your brain worse. Google Kevin Pearce, snowboarder and read about his ordeal. There are others in a similar situation, like Sidney Crosby.

Please be careful.

My best to you.