So, I got my first documented concussion March 26, 2011 during my lacrosse game. I didn't lose consciousness and felt fine after the hit. Later that day, I started feeling not "myself". I felt fatigued, foggy and kind of out of it. That monday the trainer at my school referred me to a concussion doctor and he confirmed it was a "mild" concussion. Well, two weeks went by and I started to feel pretty good, although i will admit now that i was not 100%. I would say i was at like 85%.

Anyway, when I came back for my first game three weeks later. I got hit kinda hard, but I felt fine and kept playing. Later that day, i started feeling tired, got a migraine, and felt nauseous. I went back to the same doctor and he told me that he thinks I re concussed myself. He told me that my season was over (which I was upset about) and told me to take it easy. And that is exactly what I did. My life revolves around weightlifting and I do it everyday. I had to stay away from the weight room for two months, wich mentally took its toll on me. Well, June came around and I started feeling pretty good. The headaches were very mild, the fatigue was wearing off and I was starting to feel myself again. I saw the doctor one more time and he told me to gradually get back into the swing of things, but not too quick! And low and behold, I was jackass and didn't listen to him. The day after he told me that i went to the weight room and went hard as hell. I felt fine, but I still was not 100%, but I was sayign to myself "the hell with it".

Since then, I have bumped my head a few times, taken some falls without hitting my head, not hard at all, just a regular old bump on something, I have done dives off diving boards and it seems my head isn't feeling "worse" just not better.

9 months later, here I am. I have mild headaches every day, I get lightheaded all the time, my vision is kinda foggy, sometimes my ears feel like I am on an airplane and feel like I want to commit suicide thats how much I can't stand living like this. My short term memory has gotten a little worse, concentration has gotten a little worse. Last week I went back to that doctor and he told me that I HAVE to stop the weightlifting for a while and this time I listened. he also prescribed me amantidine for the fogginess and it kinda works. The only physical activity I am doing is bodylastics bands in my basement. I start vestibular therapy next week and I hope it helps.

I have also had an MRI and it was negative

Another thing that I have been suffering from my whole life is hypochondria. I have really bad anxiety and the concussion has made it worse.

Please, I need advice from someone who has gone through this. I want to be normal again. I want to be the old "me". What strategies are helpful?

Would you like this copied to the TBI/PCS forum? They might be of help there.
You can copy/paste it yourself if you want to.
here is the link if you haven't found it -
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum92.html

I feel the way you do. I felt like I was alone and know one would understand what I was going though besides my doctors. I go to the concussion specialist in pittsburgh. They have helped me a lot. my last concussions sept 2010 and that was my 6th one since jan. and I have a headache that was worse than that I have ever had. It felt like needles in the back of my head. This was my senior of high school. So I went to the doctor and he did some test and he told me my season of soccer was over. I was crushed I have been playing since I was little. Then since my head is as bad as it is they told me I would never play again.

With my concussion the took me out of school bc I got really nervous about a lot of people. when I would set in my deck chair I would feel like my body would sway back and forth. I didn't feel balanced walking up stairs or even walking alone.

I am in college now and i still am not better. I get blurry vision a lot. headaches everyday. It hard to focus in class, at time when it is a really big class i still get nervous and just want to leave. I am always tried. The med that I am on is Amantadine and Clonazepam.

I know how you feel bc I feel the same way. I just want to be myself again and not have to worry about anything. My doctor told me it could take 2 to 5 years maybe to be the full me.