Hello everyone. I've been reading on these forums for awhile now, and just decided it was time to join up.

6 years ago I had my first minor concussion playing soccer. No loss of consciousness, nausea for just a day, and then back to normal pretty quickly. About a year later I got into a minor ski accident and bumped my head, but once again recovered quickly. Then, half a year after that, I got into my most severe accident. Skiing, with a helmet, my pole struck my face, causing a minor orbital fracture and more severe (albeit, still minor) concussion. There was no loss of consciousness, but I felt nausea and tiredness for the rest of the day. 9 months later, I sustained a minor concussion playing intramural soccer in college. That was 3 years ago, and I still have many, many symptoms.

I have a great amount of anxiety surrounding head injuries. I was, and still am, a very academic student, but I feel as though I am not functioning at the same level as before the most recent two accidents. Mostly, I just have pressure headaches in my temples and the floaty, spaced out reality feeling A LOT. The intensity varies with the amount of stress I'm under, and (the most important factor) how much sleep I'm getting. Currently, I'm taking 50 mg amitryptiline as a sleep aide, and have seen a variety of neurologists. Here is the source of much of my anxiety:

After each of my concussions, the first few of which were fairly mild, I never changed my behavior afterwards. I kept being a high school student, and did not ever undergo brain rest or medication. After my most recent concussion, I stayed up the next night writing a philosophy paper with a splitting headache and inability to concentrate because it was due, and I refused to see a doctor or tell anyone, which I now realize was because I was in serious, serious denial about the severity of my injuries.

As I look back on my past three years struggling with PCS while remaining a high-functioning college student, I get scared. There are so many warnings on this website and in the literature about how important rest is after concussions, and how lack of rest can exacerbate symptoms and prolong recovery. I am scared, beyond belief, that I will never return to the way I was before these accidents. I am willing to try virtually any medication, change in diet, or therapy regimen. The thing that keeps me up at night is that, by failing to acknowledge my injuries at the time and take steps to get better, I somehow damaged myself in a way that I will never be able to recover from. Is there anyone out there who knows whether lack of rest following an injury does further damage, or just prolongs recovery? Has anyone struggled with PCS for years on end after a series of minor concussions? Of those people, have therapies worked? Medications? Counseling? I am willing to try anything, think about anything, or listen to any suggestions. Tell me what you would do, who you would see. I have great health insurance and a supporting family, but I have yet to see a doctor who believes in my symptoms and who I can actually trust to understand my perspective. On paper everything in my life seems so good, but the PCS makes me miserable... and I lose hope of ever getting better. Have I damaged myself irreversibly? Can I get better? Is there any reason to hope? Would rest now, even 3 years later, be the best treatment?

Thank you, all my future friends. I've browsed for quite awhile now, reading stories, and it has been one of the only things that has given me hope during the dark times.