It's been 6 weeks now and I have no idea what to do!
 

6 weeks ago I was going downhill on a scooter without a helmet.

Fell, grazed my shoulders and hit my head from the back. I was a little shell shocked for the first hour afterwards but I didn't lose consciousness and I remember everything.

First set of doctors see me, take one look and say I'm fine.

Later that night, I start feeling nauseous and dizzy, call for ambulance and they do a CT scan which shows that there's no damage and 'I should be fine'.

In the weeks post scan, I have since still felt symptoms of PCS but they seem to vary each week. I have since seen two doctors and they have both said I should be fine and things should let up in a few weeks yet they haven't really.

There was a spell of 3 days or so, where I felt like the PCS was 90% gone. I had no symptoms whatsoever unless I exerted myself. But then I relapsed.

Problem, I have is that most of the symptoms are intermittent (I get all the tell-tale symptoms) But I'm in college and struggling to focus / turn up.

4 doctors have now said I'm fine but I can't exercise at all and studying has become hard 6 weeks on. At what point, should I get referred to a expert neurologist to actually tell me what exactly is up.

No neuro will be much help. You sound like classic prolonged PCS. A concussion clinic MIGHT help but more likely you need to slow down your activity level and give your brain some rest. Read the vitamins sticky at the top. The college experience is off the schedule for a month or two.

Why would a neuro be of no help?

Really hate the idea of being out completely for a month or two. After doctors said I'd be fine within weeks :mad:

Also the hardest thing is....it's when I do stay home alone in bed that I tend to feel the worst. If I'm in a social setting it's weird but I think my mind just forgets that there's PCS.

For example, I'm a photographer and take pictures in nightclubs. Last week I was working in a pretty busy nightclub with bright lasers, loud music and loads of people. Yet I felt pretty much symptom less for the duration of my work.

Then somedays when I just stay at home, the symptoms kick in hard. In fact the symptoms have been the strongest at home alone and weakest around people outside.

Which is the most frustrating thing!

Neuros are of little help because there is no standard treatment for PCS. Proper quiet rest (not bed rest beyond a normal amount of sleep) with enough "moderated" stimulation to keep good blood flow through the brain is best. Whatever doctors said you'd be fine after a few weeks were talking out their ear. They say this to try to relieve your anxiety because there is not much else they can do. The only truth is that, statistically, 85% of concussions resolve spontaneously within about 6 weeks.

Your roller coaster ride of symptoms likely has more to do with your activity level. It is normal to be able to tolerate a busy activity but then have a relapse the day or two after.

Alcohol, caffeine, and other neuro-toxins can be problematic.

Read the Vitamins sticky at the top.

Your anxiety is evident and counter to recovery. It is the Catch-22 of PCS. PCS causes anxiety. Anxiety causes PCS to be prolonged.

I know there is no treatment. But surely they would be better placed to give a timeframe of recovery? And also tell me things I should be avoiding doing? Almost like giving a program to follow

Because the doctors literally told me 'rest a little a bit and it should go within weeks'

I suggest exploring the site sticky threads at the upper section of the main TBI/PCS page - tons of info and tips as well as supplements that might be helpful.. It is real person info , more than what many drs can or will give you...
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum92.html

There is no reliable time frames. We have a saying. If you have seen one head injury, you have seen "one" head injury. They are all different. The recovery times are spread out along a bell curve just like many statistical situations are.

'Rest a little bit' is about as good as it gets. They just do not know how to properly describe what 'rest' means regarding concussions. Read the Vitamins sticky at the top like I suggested yesterday and Jo*Mar suggested.

I'll corroborate what Mark has stated about Neuros. Outside of identifying a major issue/deficit, Neuros, in my experience, have been utterly useless when it comes to my PCS. If your medical record notes any anxiety, depression, or other psychological issues that are related or unrelated to your PCS, the neuro will always assume your issues are related to these.

Just my experience.

lol no treatment and no reliable time frame for recovery. :eek::eek::eek:

I don't have a previous with anxiety but I tend to worry a lot.

I'm worried that this injury might hamper my last year of university though. We have essay deadlines coming in a month and I'm not sure what to do about this tbh.