Hi Soccer,

I know how hard today was for you - but it's an outcome that promises to make all the tomorrows of the rest of your life a lot better.

As for the neuro-psych, it's painless, but exhausting.

You'll meet with your neuro-psychologist and do a series of tests (verbal, written, motor skills) that are designed to see how your brain is actually functioning.

In advance of your appointment, he/she will want all of your medical records, educational transcripts and letters from employers and friends to try and get a clear picture of pre-morbid you that can serve as a baseline and determine which tests would be most appropriate.

You will also have a long pre-interview where the neuro-psychologist will ask you questions about yourself, your injury, etc... They like also to talk to a close family member or friend to help get a more complete picture. (For example, I had no idea that I constantly repeated myself until my husband said it and all my friends mentioned it in their letters.)

The testing is usually done over the course of one long day. However, they can break it up if that proves too tiring for you.

Most of the time you will get your results in about two weeks. The neuro-psychologist will call you and a family member (if you want) in for a long discussion about your results and make any treatment suggestions. You will also get a written report.

I understand that you might feel apprehensive about getting neuro-psych feedback. However, it's not as bad as you might imagine. Frankly, it's not that you don't know something is wrong. During the testing, you may find, as I did, that there are tasks you can't do at all. And, of course, you've seen your MRI and live with your deficits every day. So, in short, while the specifics and extent might surprise you, the news that you have a brain injury isn't news at all.

In a funny way, listening to my neuro-psych was a relief. Finally someone understood how I was thinking and feeling and behaving and could explain to me exactly why I was thinking, feeling and behaving that way. Before that, I thought I was going nuts.

The neuro-psych also helped target my cognitive therapy and got me access to some of the support services I obviously needed.

Another person who's been there? Done That? It's truly scary at first? But, try webbing up 'neuro psych evaluations and just find out what they entail.

I mean, after all Christopher Reeve had a VERY VERY bad head/spine injury...I was at that site when he got hurt, and he survived a far WORSE injury and kept going? Acting and producing and directing... soo your life is NOT at an end because you can't actually play? Now is a time when you can cheer support and help your teammates go and do it without you? But also because you helped! I bet they'll acknowledge that in the end. [Believe me, that fall, not knowing at the time, what it was, was a really scary thing to learn about and then follow up on in terms of reports!] It amazes me what each of us can truly DO when faced with such hurt and injury. We simply overcome? We have to!?

In a way, it's really hard for you to now HAVE to change channels, so to speak, in the middle of a show? BUT you have your life and your own brain and health to consider. You have to/MUST put your own well being first NOW! You are just going to have to find different ways to make your life goals, and they might be far different from anything you thought they might have been in that soon to be old 'before', we live in the now and your now is gonna be different. How you do it all is up to you.

It's a lot to take in? But at any age, it is. I promise you, tho, that you can heal lots, and with caution about your body and how you use it? You are likely to achieve far more than you ever thought you could in that 'before'!
My heart is with you for whatever it's worth, and I see many others here care as well. Who knows? And, no one does yet, that you mite get back to a whole normal and soon!

Keep in touch, and if your folks are acting 'iffy'? Have them read all this! You are being truly brave in all of this, and if you gotta cry? IT IS OK! But, I've always found that was too tiring!...So I researched all of what was happening to me so I could understand it better! Still, now and then? I gotta cry for whatever reasons and it feels soo good just to do so.

We ARE far BETTER than what happens to us! 's - j

Im so glad you did!! Im wishing you the very best outcome.

Thanks everyone for the help and support. Since I will be out for a while I need to find something else to do. Since a lot of people have been through this before what were some of the things you did while you were out?

Hi Soccer,

One of the most important things you can do is rest. I know that's hard advice for an active, young person, but the more you rest, the faster and more complete your recovery will be.

Once they determine if it's either a head injury or a spinal column issue your plan of 'attack' to heal could be very different. Asides from what Hockey said about REST? IF you can concentrate at all, work on your school assignments [it mite take you almost twice as long to 'get' it into your brain?] and from all that the docs ask you, well, bring that NOTE PAD and write down what terms you can...if the doc says something like: 'Mumble, snorffle, dorxoslaxis?' HIM to spell it out for you! Don't ask him to write it down--ever try and read a doc's prescription? You write it down, and even if you don't get all of 'it'? We've all been bailing out that boat ourselves and can help.
Once you find out what damage [if any] there is, the doc's not going to explain a whole bunch about it, other than the bare bones of what's going on and what to do next...with a usual -'we'll see how you're doing when I see you next'...
Soo, learn, learn and then learn more about which problem you have...essentially? Is it animal, vegetable or mineral kind of thing...and then learn all you can! There are lots of good folks here or at other sources and you will find we all share. We'll talk about options if you can't do any soccer after a while, but don't worry about that now...Just worry about the what all is going on and what to do about it! I prefer to think positively tho....and you should too! FOLLOW doctor's instructions, keep your mind sharp, ask about physcial therapies you can do to keep your body tone in shape safely, and once you get any go ahead go from there. Use your brain right now to be your secret weapon.... by knowing what is going on w/doc exams, then what it all means is YOU being one jump ahead of your docs. You have to be your own 'goalie' in the medical world. Do keep us up to date! And, don't be shy, ever about asking questions. - j 's

Wow thanks so much for all that. It was a big help, I will keep you updated on everything. I go to the neuro-psych on the 29, wonder what thats gonna be like. I went to the doctor on monday and they put me on setraline for the emotions and amantadine to help with the concentration. How long does it usually take for you to start feeling the effects of them?