Jennifer,

Welcome to NeuroTalk, Sorry to hear of your son's deception leaving you in the dark and unable to protect him.

The stress testing to help him manage head aches is new to me but sounds like it may be worthwhile. He could also learn some of these same skills himself with the help of a Physical Therapist and/or massage therapist. Learning to relax his body is important but he must also learn how to relax his mind.

Be careful if medical bills are a concern. Doctors can easily run up the bills doing things that only confirm what you already know. There are very few therapies that work reliably. Individual symptoms may be treated but not the whole Post Concussion Syndrome.

He must change his environment to limit stressors such as loud noise, bright lights, visual stimuli such a TV and video games, and even reading.

You should help him change his diet. He should consume no caffeine or alcohol. He will likely be sensitive to alcohol for the rest of his life. Five concussions in such a short period is devastating to his brain. Add to these concussions the many sub-concussive impacts from contact during practice and his brain has been subjected to far too many impacts.

I do not trust the iMPACT tests at all. They do not predict anything about the brain's ability to tolerate another impact. They only offer a false sense of security about return to play decisions. Dr Mickey Collins, et.all. have specifically stated that they do not have any value as predictors of future injuries.

You can help him learn to moderate his irritability. He will become overwhelmed with stimuli and reach a point of emotional and physical outbursts. Learning to recognize the look in his eyes before this happens will be important. he may also tense up in his neck and face or other ways. He needs to be led away from the environment and situation that is causing the rise in response. His personality changes may be permanent. Mine were/are.

Try to get him to open up about depression issues. Depression is a very common symptom of concussion. He needs to know he can turn to you and/or a doctor for help, especially when his mind is doing extreme thinking.

Some are prescribed amitriptyline (Elavil) in small doses (10 to 25 mgs) to help with the head aches. It can also help with depression.

He probably needs some serious analysis of his upper neck area. Concussions often cause injuries to the soft tissue around the upper cervical vertebra. These injuries can contribute to his head aches. A Physiatrist (Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine ) can often help with these spinal injuries.

He should be started on a nutritional supplement regimen. A B-100 complex with some additional B6 (100 mgs) and B12 (300 mcgs) plus Omega 3's, minerals and all of the anti-oxidants will help his brain cleanse of the toxins from his injury. This should become a life time regimen. Improvements will not become evident for a few months. A blood test can determine if he is absorbing B12 properly. His B12 blood level should be about 900-1000 pg/mL. Some people are resistant to B12 absorption. They may need a B12 shot weekly or B12 sub-lingual drops.

It will be good to get a home blood pressure kit. You can check his Blood Pressure when his feels like he is going to explode. Concussion can cause Blood Pressures to elevate with minimal stimulation. A script of propanolol as a back-up to help get his BP down can be good. It can help with anxiety, too. Learning relaxation techniques and how to find a quiet recovery location are important. Many use a dark room with a comfortable bed or chair with soothing (boring) music.

Try to prepare yourself and your family that his recovery may be long and incomplete. Download the TBI Survival Guide at www.tbiguide.com to get some good ideas of his symptoms and such. The YouTube video series by John Byler called "You Look Great" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Xso...ature=youtu.be is also very good.

I know this is a lot of issues to consider. My mother went through watching the changes in me when I was 10 and again at 16. My wife and 3 kids did it when I was about 44. With proper understanding, you can all get through this and he can go on to live a full life, just without any contact sports or risky activities. He will likely need to learn a bunch of work-arounds for the cognitive and memory deficits that will be part of his life.

Word-finding, a dyslexic sort of confusion, poor memory, and academic struggles may all need to be overcome. With time and patience, he can succeed. He may need to consider a future where he does more hands-on types of work rather than intellectually intense work. The hands have a good way of slowing down the need for intellectual response.

I tend to be a 'prepare for the worst but hope/work for the best' due to my own experience and that of others I know who have persistent concussion struggles.

My best to you as you struggle to help your son. I know what you are going through after I have heard my mother and wife describe my situation.