I've never used a website like this before but I've gotten to the point where I'm trying to use all the resources available to me to get my life back on track. Quick background on me: I'm a 23 yr old female who's had 5 concussions in the last 6 years and this last one caused me to quit school and my job and move back in with my mom. I have student loans and other bills I need to pay off and can't go much longer not working but my body is not consistent enough for me to be a reliable employee. I don't have any health insurance either so I've been doing a lot of research on what I can do to get my body to heal.

Detailed Concussion History:

My first concussion, that we know of, was as a junior in high school (17) at the end of my basketball season in Feb 2006. I lost consciousness for the few seconds between hitting my head on the court floor and my coach being at my side. The physical trainer at the game gave me the go ahead to get back in the game because I felt fine and my eyes were not dilated, I also didn't tell him I had passed out cause I didn't realize it at the time. I didn't know til later when my sister who was on the JV team told me I had def passed out for a few seconds. We went to the doctor after a few days and he easily diagnosed me with a concussion due to my headaches, loss of consciousnesses, and dilated eyes. After about a month of being on 800 mg of ibueprofen my headaches were gone and I was healthy enough to start track season.

My second concussion was in October 2008 (19) due to hitting my head in the bathroom. Headaches weren't too bad and were manageable with ibuprofen but I had major sleeping issues and some depression symptoms and worked closely with my doctor to get that under control. Schoolwork suffered but was okay in time for the next semester.

My third concussion was in July 2009 (20) due to a collision on the basketball court with one of the guys on my little brother's varsity team during summer practices. Went to the doctor after realizing I was nauseous and my eyes were dilated, along with the obvious headache. Headaches cleared up by the time I went back to school in September after rest and ibuprofen.

My fourth concussion was in June 2010 (21) due to a playground ball hitting the back of my head. Worked with a concussion specialist with major headache, sleeping, and fatigue issues. First time my normal daily functions were affected and felt slowed down mentally. Went back to work the end of August (since my brain wasn't ready to go back to school yet) and symptoms took about 8 months to really subside.

My fifth concussion was in the beginning of December 2011 (22) due to an airbag deploy in a car accident. I have no idea how long I was out and didn't realize I had lost consciousness until about two weeks later when I was able to really remember details of the incident, I was also in major shock and didn't realize it due to the adrenaline that helped me make it through the rest of that day. I didn't go to the hospital cause I didn't feel any symptoms for a few days. A week later, after taking my finals, I quit my jobs and moved across country back to my moms cause I wasn't able to get up and go to work. It's been over 2 months now and I still have more bad days than good days and feel like I've plateaued in my recovery. I sleep for 9-12 hours on average just so I can feel semi-normal. I was working two jobs and going to school full-time before the accident and I feel my body just gave out from the trauma of the car accident along with the concussion. Unfortunately this time I no longer have insurance so I can't go see a doctor. Ibuprofen doesn't work for me anymore but it seems that aleve works pretty well for my headaches, but the constant tiredness, fatigue, and sudden emotional changes is what worrys me. Also my daily functions take a lot out of me and sometimes the only way I can get any energy is from caffeine. I seem to think I have PCS this time around but am not familiar with it.

I just don't know what to do anymore because the rest and aleve is not getting me back to normal like it has before. I really need to get a job asap and am willing to try anything that works. I'm looking to go to a chiropractor or massage therapist and possibly seeing an herbalist to try and see if any of these options could help. Any and all suggestions would be so helpful!! I just want to get my life back in order as my mom can't really afford to take care of me (she has 5 other kids and is in school full-time since my dad left her) even though she says it doesn't matter since we have no idea how long it will take for me to get back to somewhat normal. Please help me know what options I have and what any of you have found to help your PCS symptoms! Thanks!!!