[Scallywag]

Hello all,

I'm a long time reader and first time poster here on Neurotalk. I'm posting here for a friend. Here is her story.

About a year and a half ago, she received a few quick but light blows to head. Nothing severe enough that one would suspect any lasting injury, or even a concussion at all. However, starting a few days later she developed dizziness, headaches, and difficulty looking at computer screens. It quickly got bad enough that she quit her job and moved in with family.

From that day forward, her recovery has been a heartbreaking game of one step forward, two steps back. Every person occasionally bumps their head against things, despite even the best of efforts, and in her case it seems like even the most minor of bumps is enough to cause, what she swears, is a concussion. She's taken to walking around at a helmet at all times.

At this point, after 8-10 relatively minor though almost-moderate head impacts, and then one in December that was severe enough to leave a bump, my friend is restricted from even the most basic activities. She's been increasingly house-bound and then bedridden over the last year and a half, she can't read without causing herself intense head pain, she can't watch any tv or look at any bright lights, and the list just goes on. She suffers from migraines almost constantly.

She's tried multiple medications, done multiple brain scans (all showing no damage), gone to multiple neurologists, seen multiple psychiatrists, tried antidepressants, tried multiple migraine medications, and medical marijuana all with little progress and she's really just running out of ideas.

So here I am, posting for her, looking for those ideas. Has anyone else seen someone whose concussion threshold is so utterly abysmal? If so, did they find any helpful therapies? is there a condition that could cause this sensitivity?

I also want to ask if anyone can advise me on using Cannabidiol for treating PCS. I've seen multiple threads and websites saying that it's helpful, but it's expensive to get in really large quantities and I'm looking for someone who can tell me how much a person usually needs to use before they start to see a difference in how they feel? She recently took 150mg of CBD tinctures over the course of about a month. Are those large enough doses? If body size is a consideration, assume she is six foot tall and curvy.

[Littlepaw]

Hello Scallywag,

Welcome to Neurotalk Support Groups.

I am so sorry to hear about your friend. Those are a lot of big changes to go through. There are many supportive people here so hopefully you will find some information that is helpful for her.

You might find some suggestions here...
Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Concussion Syndrome

I can't answer to the cannabis questions but I can recommend a great video from TEDtalks by Jane Macgonigal who suffered from PCS herself and developed the game "Superbetter". The talk is about her journey back from a place where every stimulus was causing pain and problems.
https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgon..._years_of_life

I hope your friend finds relief and healing soon. You are a dear to be there for her.