Hi-
I found this forum searching online. I can relate! My son has been diagnosed? w/PCS. It has been 5 weeks since a big hit in football. Fell sideways from counterstool next night-loss of balance??No other symptoms at all so he continued to practice for 2 weeks and then symptoms of bad headaches, major fatigue. A visit to the pediatrician, maybe PCS but why no symptoms for 2 weeks after that hit? Maybe another little hit in practice? 2 trips to the Children's Healthcare in ATL ER with worsening symptoms including a call from school nurse that his pupils were dilated uneven and he needed to be looked at. CAT scan, MRI and EEG fine-neurologist said just come back for 6 week f/u. Prednisone no help Motrin no relief from headaches. Made it through 1 day of school that week. Saw sports concussion specialist last Thursday morning who took him out of school for that day and Fri and no stimulation, no activity through entire weekend. Took him off Motrin since doesn't seem to work anyway. Still had a couple of headaches and then back to school yesterday w/ 1 hr in clinic for a bad afternoon headache. Completely fatigued w/ muscle soreness. Now what? Any suggestions. All indications are that this is PCS but drs not even sure he had a concussion-so frustrating!!!

Hi and welcome,

so sorry to hear of these children dealing with PCS.

You may want to repost on our PCS/TBI forum as the members there can possibly offer best advice
here is the link
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum92.html

all the best

Dear Suzelder,

I am so sorry to hear about your son's injury and understand what you are going through. You are absolutely right, it is so frustrating to watch your child suffer and to feel so frightened and desperate.

It is horrible to not be able to control the headaches. As a Mom, we feel that we should be able to make our child feel better and it is devastating when we can't. Do know that it will get better in time.

Is your son out of football for the rest of the season? I know that can be devastating to a kid but highly recommend it no matter what. His brain is fragile right now as it is healing. Another hit (even a minor bump) is a really big deal right now.

I would also consider keeping him out of gym class at school until you are 100% sure all symptoms are gone and that he is fully recovered. It is not worth the risk.

No two concussions are alike therefore, treatment can vary depending on the symptoms. Basically, you are reacting to symptoms as they present. At this point with your son, it is important that he rests and to avoid anything that may trigger a headache.

I am concerned that the Motrin is not working at all and he is not receiving any pain medication for the headaches? Headaches aggravate PCS and make the symptoms last longer. It is hard to heal your brain when it keeps getting aggravated by headaches. He needs sleep, rest and minimal activity right now.

I wonder if the Motrin dose is not high enough? At 11 years old, my daughter was taking 400 mg of Motrin which is an adult dose. Perhaps ask your doctor if your son can have a higher dose and perhaps even overlap it with Tylenol? Alleve is also worth trying.

At 8 weeks out, my daughter started to take prescription medications to help control the headaches. It was a bit of trial and error with a few different meds. If you would like more info on this, let me know

Very important to stop any activity (physical or cognitive) when a headache starts. Do not try to push through the headache as it can aggravate symptoms and make the headache worse. Cognitive exertion includes reading, computer, school work, etc and that can all be just as aggravating to his condition as physical activity or worse.

For example, if your son is taking a test at school and a headache starts....he should get up and go the nurse immediately. Don't try to push through just to finish it. Get out of that situation before the headache worsens.

School should at least lighten his workload and possibly give your son other accommodations while he recovers. The last thing that he needs is a stack of make-up work. Timed tests were a problem for my daughter among other things. If you need ideas/info about dealing with school, let me know

I reiterate, it is NOT common for symptoms to last as long as they have with my daughter. She had two concussions within minutes of each other which is why we believe the PCS has lasted so long with her. Again, I mention this so you know that your son is likely to recover very soon.

The advice and care that he receives right now can make ALL the difference. My best piece of advice, is to avoid another head injury at all cost. Avoid football for the rest of the season and any other contact sports until you are 100% positive.

Also trust your instincts. If something is wrong with your child, you know and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

You asked why no symptoms for two weeks and now the horrible headaches....that is an impossible question to answer since the brain is so complicated and we cannot see this injury.

There are too many possiblities to list ....here are just a few possibilities that come to mind... it is possible that he did not recognize the symptoms, it is possible that the cognitive and physical exertion after the head injury aggravated his condition.

It is also VERY common for kids to overlook symptoms and to try to be tough for various reasons. One big one, is that they want to continue their sport and worry that if they mention that they have a headache, they won't be allowed to participate.

Also I believe that falling off the stool was a symptom. My daughter lost her balance a few times right after her head injury.

You mentioned muscle soreness? Where is that? My daughter also injured her neck and shoulder in her accident. She was treated by an orthopedic doctor for that also received physical therapy which helped a lot.

Please feel free to PM me if you would like to call me with any questions or for support.

I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers,

Glad that you found this board...tons of great people with very helpful info. Take it all in and trust your instincts... don't hesitate to get additional medical opinions if something doesn't sound right to you. Even the doctors are learning about PCS and how to treat it.

Thank you for the responses. I have been away from the site for a few days as we deal with all of this. The school has been great with accomodations so far. The IMPACT testing was done on day 10 at school and her numbers were very low. Thankfully, we have that test available for follow-up so we can see if her numbers go up over time. We are going for some imaging this week, and that will determine the course of events. I took her for a one hour massage over the weekend, and that helped her to relax. It did not do alot for any of the symptoms, but was good for her sense of wellbeing. As you all have noted, it is amazing how this has put our family and our lives on hold. I was asked today about doing something next week. I can't even imagine what next week holds in store for us. It is just day to day. I am glad I found this group.

Thanks for the response Tralee. No he is been out of football since these symtoms started and no Pe w/possibility of any contact. We broke the news to him that he is out of football for the season. Had to not knowing of he had 2 "hits" although the dr is still suggesting that this could just be migraines since we don't know for sure. BUT he has had a constant headche for 3 the last 3 weeks. Somethimes a dull ache,a "2" on his scale up to a "9" or over(when I took him back to ER). I was worried about too much Motrin as I was keeping him on it (low dose only 3 tsp, definitely not 400 mg) regularly thinking it would help keep the headaches at a manageable level.I have a call back in to the dr to see what to do since the last 4 days have not alleviated them. Muscle soreness in his legs,knees and hips. school has been supportive and lets him take time to rest at nurse's but not sure he isasking to go as often as he should. Said they wouldn't do the IMPACT test on him because he's too young. Snowdaykids I'm with you on the our life is on hold, feel like I am holding my breath. hang in there. Thanks again Tralee. You guys are in my prayers as well-

Hi Suzelder,

How old is your son? Some don't feel that the ImPACT test is reliable for children under 13 however, my daughter first had it at age 11 and it was helpful. I understand that you are not sure if he had a second hit but he did have one, right? If so, I don't understand why the doctor is suggesting that this could "just be migraines". Too much of a coincidence that the migraines started after a blow to the head and he also had the balance issue. Not all doctors and people you will meet get it since many are still learning about concussion. Trust your instincts, So sorry for all that you are going thru

Dear Snowdays,
I am happy to hear that the school is supportive and helping. That makes a huge difference. We had a hard time with our school for a long time and it made the situation so stressful. It is difficult for some to understand or accept an injury that they can't see. We too continue to have follow-up ImPACT tests and find the information helpful. I have also taken my daughter for a massage since her injury and it did her a world of good as you described. Anything that can help her relax is helpful. Please feel free to PM me anytime if I can help in anyway. Hang in there. It will get better in time.

Tralee,
My son is only 10 and is small-68 lbs. I checked and his Motrin dosage he was taking was 300 mg. The problem with the PCS diagnosis is we are not positive he had a concussion in that game. No symptoms, I just saw him sustain a big blind hit. It just took a few minutes for him to get up then he ran back to the line, says he didn't feel dizzy/fuzzy(but he may have been). Then 2 weeks after the game without any symptoms(besides the counter stool incident that next night which is why I recalled that hit the day before).

That's why we saw the neurologist and did the MRI and EEG at that point, to rule out anything else. And that's why I think and the dr agrees that it may have been a MILD concussion and then there may have been another hit within the two weeks after in practice. He has a great deal of experience with concussion patients, which is why it has been frustrating that he can't tell me for sure 100% he thought it was a concussion that started this whole thing.

He doesn't think IMPACT is reliable under age 12 so has referred me to a neoropsychologist to do some other other cognitive tests but can't get in soon enough. You are at their mercy and meanwhile your child is suffering. Believe me, I've researched every condition/possibility under the sun for his symptoms and really the post concussion is the only thing that makes sense at this point. I was concerned about rebound headaches with continuing him on the Motrin. Your thoughts on medicine?

My daughter's MRI came back normal. The doctor says that she must not have had much of a concussion based upon the MRI, if at all. It does seem like that could be the case, because she did not have alot of secondary symptoms. However, she has had a headache every since that day and never had a headache before. She is also tired all the time, spacy, and "slow" in her schoolwork. Perhaps hitting her head has given her a migraine? And the other symptoms are related to the headache? Perhaps the symptoms are related to the pain medication. So now should we treat it as a migraine? Anyone else have thoughts about this, when the MRI is normal?

Hey Snowydaykids,
My son's MRI was normal also but from what I understand it usually is. He is seeing a neuropsychologist tomorrow to check some of the cognitive issues. He has the same symptoms as your duaghter. His sports dr didn't think the Impact test was reliable for his age so referred him to be tested by the neuropych. A football teammate of my son's that had a hairline skull fracture and concussion has only been to school for an hour a day and has 1 hr of at-home tutoring, since it happened 5 weeks ago, and will continue this until December per the neuropsychologist. Don't think it's migraines, but post-concussion headaches. My son never got headaches before either. He is still getting really bad ones when he tries to write, do math or is in a light or nosiy environment. Hang in there, it's difficult!