[BerlinHockey14]

Hey, I was wondering if anyone here has better answers than just "time" for post concussion syndrome.
Alittle bit about my self: Im a Freshman in high school, from Northern New Hampshire, i play girls soccer, co-ed ice hockey, and high school hockey for another town. I was raised to be extremely athletic, constantly on the go between sports, never had any down time. On September 19th, my brain totally changed. i went up to head a ball in soccer against another girl. Her head hit the back of mine, and as we were falling, her elbow slid down my neck, fractured it, and moved around some discs in it. I was knocked unconcious for about 20 minutes, and woke up in a hospital, and have no memory whatsoever until 6th grade. i lived in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit(PICU) for about a week at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. during that week, i had 3 MRIs and 2 CT scans done. i was also put through something called traction, where 2 pins were drilled into my skull(they were unable to numb me for that) and 3, 30 pound sandbags were attached to the Halo the pins were connected to. after traction was not helping, i went back into the MRI machine witht he metal pins still in. the nurses "forgot" to take them out, so ten minutes into the MRI i saw smoke coming from above my ears, and my scalp started to burn. they later told me that if i was in there for 2 more minutes, my brain would have bursted and i would have died. i was released from the hospital, but had to live in a plastic collar neck brace for a month, and had to attend follow up appointments every month.
I was still having neck pain, dizzy spells, blind rushes, sever and constant headaches, sensitvity to light and noise, trouble reading, focusing, and concentrating, but i told the doctors up until last week that i had no symptoms because i was dying, living in my room and not seeing the ice. Hiding my syptoms was my biggest regret.
I now have glasses for double vision, because my concussion had forced some nerves to detach and 2 muscles in my eye stopped working. i go to physical therapy twice a week before school. meet with a psychologist every other week for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Anxiety. i also attend Anger-management classes every two weeks. i have a tutor, and a guided study in school, along with a 504 contract.
You would think all of this is making a difference, right? well it hasnt. all my symptoms are still here. ive met with every doctor out there, from Consussion specialists, to athletic trainers, to kneisiology and crainiology. they all tell me the same thing: "give it time." In 4 weeks i will be tested again for ADD, PCS, brain cancer, and brain tumors. Im only 14, i feel im too young for this. Thankfully, the doctors will not take away my athletic life, because they believe that if they do, i really do not know any other way of life, and my anxiety will most likely lead to depression and later suicide. i am just super naturally impatient, and just want my old self, and my old life back. Its been 5 months, and nobody knows what is wrong with me, still. Is there anyone on here, that has gone through something like this, and can give me some answers? please, im begging.

[xanadu00]

I'm so sorry to hear about your injury and continuing difficulties; that just sounds awful. First of all, give yourself credit for hanging in there this long and not giving up on yourself. That's no small thing.

Are you taking any vitamin supplements? How is your diet? Taking the right supplements and eating the right foods may help to facilitate your recovery. There have been a number of recent threads here on vitamins and nutrition. If I am remembering correctly, some of the more important nutrients are DHA (found in fish oil); Vitamins B6, B12, C, D, and E; Choline (found in egg yolks and supplements); and Curcumin (found in Turmeric and supplements). Some important foods are Blueberries, Eggs, Green Tea, and fresh fruits and vegetables generally. The brightly colored fruits and vegetables tend to be higher in antioxidants, which are important for brain health. There is also post under one of the stickies above about branch-chain amino acids and their potential beneficial effects on cognitive performance.

I'm probably leaving some stuff out here. I have to head out shortly and this is just off the top of my head, but hopefully others can follow up and fill in anything I'm missing here. I'll also come back and check later.

Hang in there and be patient and brave.

Pete

[xanadu00]

You can find a lot of information on the foods I mentioned at this website:

http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

[tamisue]

sometimes the only answer the professionals can give you is time. I know that blows, but it's the truth. I'm pretty impatient myself and it was hard to hear. Just talk to someone when you get upset, find a nice quiet place if need be-something to help keep you calm.

Hope things change sooner rather than later.

[Eowyn]

WOW. I cannot believe that happened to you with the MRI. How totally terrifying!!

I'm sorry to hear that your symptoms are still persisting. I know it's very frustrating not to feel like yourself and not be able to do the things you love to do. I'm struggling with the same thing.

The only thing I would say in addition to time is TIME + REST. It sounds like you are still doing an awful lot of stuff. Have you taken time to just rest and have little or no stimulation? To get rest for your body and your brain? If you can do this to a point where you have few or no symptoms and then gradually build back up, you may after time be able to resume your activities. If you continue to push yourself to do your regular activities (as I did), you may be prolonging your recovery.

Unfortunately, I speak from some sad experience here.

Can you take some time off school and just rest?

Good luck!

[xanadu00]

I forgot to mention Folic Acid, Magnesium, and Acetyl L-Carnitine. I can't remember the details behind each of these, but I remember coming across them as important supplements for PCS.

If you're not sure whether you're getting enough of these vitamins, or those I mentioned in the previous post, they're all available through supplements. Depending on your diet, you'll likely need higher doses of these vitamins than the recommended daily allowance (RDA), especially B-6, B-12, C, and D.

Don't go too overboard on Vitamin D, since it's fat soluble and can build up to toxic levels in your system. I take 2,000 IU every day and haven't had any problems with toxicity, though I get very little sunlight. For B-12, I take a 500 mcg sublingual tablet that dissolves under the tongue for easy absorption (meat is the primary source of B-12, but I'm vegetarian). Alternatively, if you eat meat, a B-complex might be enough. I take a high-potency B-complex in addition to the sublingual B-12. If you get too much Niacin (one of the Bs), you can get a "Niacin flush," in which your skin becomes hot and flushed for about 20 min. It's uncomfortable, but harmless. Magnesium can cause GI issues, but Magnesium Glycinate is easier on the stomach than the other varieties (the cheap stuff is always Magnesium Oxide, which is inferior in a number of ways).

I also want to echo Eowyn's advice about taking it easy. I have also made the mistake of trying to do too much, and have set myself back as a result. I know how difficult it can be to force yourself to take down time and relax when you're used to being so active. I am one of the world's most impatient people--or at least, I used to be--and I had to force myself to start meditating to deal with anxiety problems that started 16 years ago, way before my head injury. Now, I'm having to force myself to sit for longer periods and be even more patient and calm. Even after all of my previous work meditating, it is still very hard. These days, I take long breaks about every two hours throughout the day. Even listening to audio books stresses me out after a couple of hours, and I have to go meditate or listen to relaxing music in the dark.

Finally, along with relaxing, it's a good idea to minimize sources of visual and auditory stimulation. The more you can do to avoid noisy, brightly-lit environments, the better. Even if these environments don't bother you at first, the stimulation takes a toll on your brain and eventually manifests as a worsening of symptoms.

I'm sure that none of this is easy to hear. This is a horrible condition that we on this forum are dealing with, and most of us have had to make pretty significant changes with our lifestyle to improve, and even just to keep from getting worse.

Hang in there and be strong.

Pete

[Johnson]

I am so sorry to hear your story. But time IS the best cure. This concussion thing is very hard for a 14-years-old. I completely understand.

You need to stop your activities immediately and have enough rest. Everything you do will only make it worse. In the meantime, look for some other interesting things. Sport is not the only thing you can love. You can always come back to sports when you are fully recovered. You are very young and there is a bright future in front of you.

Take care,