Drinking
 

I'm a college athlete and after I was finally diagnosed with pcs my doctor told me not to drink or do any physical activity. While at first it wasn't hard for me to give up drinking, it was really difficult to give up physical activity and watch my season pass by. I have been playing soccer almost everyday of my life since I was five, I love it, and it was utterly heart-wrenching not to play. I couldn't even go on a ****ing jog.

I started to get really depressed and it's getting worse as I try to accept the fact that I may never play again. It's so hard for me to have fun. So I decided to drink one night and what do you know, I had a great time.

It was so refreshing to be doing something the old me used to do. So I've gone out drinking a few more times and I know I'm not suppose to.

I wouldn't say alcohol is a way for me to escape reality and drown my depression though. It's more of a way for me to get back to my normal life. I love going out with my friends and having fun. Sometimes I go out with them and try not to drink, but of course, because there are no physical marks of psc, they don't realize the severity of the illness and encourage me to drink.

So yes, I am an idiot. But will some alcohol make it much worse? Should I stop drinking right now?

Will alcohol make it better?

Can you feel comfortable socialising with your friends while nipping at a soda and lime?

These are questions only you can answer. Your doctor already gave a sound opinion.

It may take another professional to help you deal with the loss of physical activity, the loss of your former self. Ain't no way to candy-coat what has happened to us on this board. Depression is a common reaction to all this loss.

Patience is a cast-iron beast at a time like this, but gather all you can. Impatience and frustration can lead to further injury as many of us have found.

I still occasionally miss being able to raise a lot of dust and have a heluva good time like I used to. For the most part, I get my thrills in different ways, and it took some time and some snarling before I learned those different ways.

No shame in talking with a pro about this...rattle your doctor's cage for a referral if need be. Tell the doc what you just told us.

talk with your doctor many people with head injury end up in a right mess with drink and it kills neurons how long has it been since your head injury and how bad was it

kind regards vini

It happened fourteen weeks ago. I was diagnosed with a grade three concussion because I lost consciousness briefly and a month later diagnosed with pcs. I still have bad headaches all the time, fatigue, and concentration issues. After posting, its actually become quite clear that I need to stop drinking.

Thanks for the advice and support. Really. It means a lot.

early days
 

hi did you lose any memory of before the accident
please don.t feel this is a permanent situation because the chances are its not, your doc is right rest both mentally and physically is best, this takes time, each case is different keep us posted ,you are not alone, take the supplements and keep you fluids up, keep up friendships but if you feel pressured to go boozing' just say docs orders until this passes

No fortunately, the only thing that remains foggy is the actually incident itself; I did not lose any memory of prior events. In regards to supplements, I've seen a lot of recommendations for magnesium, fish oil, cq-10, and l-theanine. Right now I'm just taking a fish oil pill and a multivitamin. I don't want to overdo it, but do you have any recommendations/ successful suggestions made by docs?...especially for headaches

Hi there, the headaches are nasty...try to rest as much as you can. I took a lot of naps. Stress is the worst thing,try to avoid it if you can. I refused to take any meds, the headaches peaked one week, and eventually got better.

My cat was very helpful as he has calming effect on me, I call him my "healer".
Take things one day at a time and things do get better..

I completely hear what you are saying. Im not quite a college student but at age 26 I find it very hard not to have a drink especially when im on vacation. I also find it makes me feel more normal because it helps me to NOT think about "whats wrong with me" all the time. However, after seeing my acupuncturist and finding out my liver is weak Ive decided to cut back heavily. My liver is not weak from drinking, however it is weak due to the cortisol level in my body. Because of my PCS which is now mild traumatic brain injury my body was unable to maintain a proper cortisol level which caused my liver to lose strenght. as a result of that my kidneys are starting to fail.. I can NOT FEEL OR SEE any of these but he assures me thats my problem. I try not to drink very much but id recommend getting a blood clotting test to see if you have a similar problem

PS I too feel awesome when I drink and I HATE it because Im not a drinker. But now when I drink I feel normal its annoying!

I'm really sorry to hear that. That must be extremely difficult dealing with PCS and then having it cause liver problems. Good thing you have a knowledgable acupuncturist though. I hope your head and liver get better. Hang in there.

Hi there. I'm about a year since concussion and PCS and almost 100% (thank goodness - I was worried for a while there...

I too, was told to give up drinking - not just because the brain is trying to heal, and alcohol slows this process down, but especially because when intoxicated, your risk of falling and sustaining another concussion is much higher. Another concussion now would be very very bad for your brain.

I also relunctantly gave alcohol up, but have learned to live without it and actually quite enjoy never being hungover. I've learned to have fun with soda and lemon in a wine glass and just join in with the fun.

That said, I'm much older than 26 and had lots of fun in my younger years, so it wasn't that big a deal for me. I suspect it would be much harder for you. I doubt you will have to give it up forever, but while you're healing, I'd sure recommend it. You will heal quicker.

Hang in there.

Re headaches - stay away from stress; pace yourself at work and play; take lots of breaks; get 8 hrs sleep every night; drink enough water; take Advil when necessary.

All the best to you,

MargN