January 18th my 9 y/o son got hit in hockey (by accident, two players collided) and suffered a concussion.

That is five and a half weeks ago.

He has been steadily improving and we did everything we could to assist in his healing by providing a calm, quiet, no video games, no strenuous activity environment. I already live that way. He eventually had gradual return to school, even more gradual return to outdoor recesses and gym.

He had not been cleared by his doctor to play hockey until three days ago. He played three games this weekend, short shifts, no incidents. No recurring pain. Overall he did excellently and I was full of hope!

But today he called me from school, crying. Says his head is hurting so bad. The noise was so bad in the background I had to wonder what kind of zoo he was in!

I have a tough decision there with my sensitive child, whether to rescue him immediately (they are clever at this age especially when Mom is soft) or talk him into trying Tylenol and ear plugs for an hour then call again if no relief. I chose the latter because he has an after school cooking club that he loves and if he makes it through, he'll be happier for it.

If I don't hear from him in another 15 minutes I will call there to check on him and get husband to pick him up if need be.

Here's my dilemma though.

I think at this stage we're in PCS territory and that scares me to no end. If he is getting headaches due to noise and activity (he had gym class this morning) and he is approaching the six week mark.... That's PCS, from what I've read.

Tomorrow afternoon we are going for a preliminary vision check for him (he gets dizzy when tracking objects and reading, or flashing lights) and I hope they can help us. (Thanks to Mokey for the info about vision therapy!!)

Caring for his concussion, I had hope (and anxiety that I try to hide) for his recovery. Caring for a child with PCS is so scary because to me, it's like a concussion on steroids, it never seems to get better. I never see a story of true recovery. I see stories of work arounds and modified expectations. I don't want him to end up with this fate. I'd add on 100 years of misery to my life to spare him of this. But I have to wonder...

Is there a genetic component to prolonged suffering with brain injuries?

I find myself struggling with guilt. And anger at whatever is making my family suffer so much, with husbands heart attack and two mTBI's in 10 months. It's hard to remember the "it could be worse" mantra today.

Any advice? Thoughts?