I'm sure your mom is overwhelemed and confused. And, honestly, the more research I do for my daughter the more I would like to go into denial. It is so confusing. And the doctors can't give you really clear answers. We moms like to hear things like, "classic ear infection. Give your daughter this medicine for 10 days she will be fine."

I'm no expert on PCS, but here is a little explanation that helped my daughter understand "what" was happening to her. When she hit her head all the little nerves, neurons, fired off at once. Then they all shut down at once. Now it's like re-booting a computer and things have to get back in good order. At the same time, some of those brain cells were damaged and new ones now have to grow in their place. Apparently this can take a long time.

In my opinion you still might be pushing your schooling a little too much, but you are your own best judge of that. I can only tell you that once my daughter accepted that she was going to get cruddy grades this year, and that nobody cared if that happened, she was very relieved and felt physically better.

Kaitlyn,

The others have given you lots of good counsel. let me try to condense it into something that will not overwhelm you.

Print out this post so you can read it at your leisure. Highlight the parts that you are going to start with.

To start with, disregard the doctors who did not recognize any concussion symptoms. Your concussion symptoms are real and many. The many mild impacts and shakings can easily accumulate to cause a concussion. I can suffer a concussion from a ride on a bumpy road when there is never a single bump that causes a concussion. The cumulative effect of multiple very mild impact can be worse than a moderate to severe concussion.

Many concussion symptoms do not show up until after a few days. This is a result of damaged brain cells dying and giving off chemicals that cause neighboring brain cells to shut down. This can take days to weeks.

The first thing you need to do is start a journal/record keeping system. A three ring binder works best because you can add to it easily. A pocket or purse note pad will help. You can use your computer to type up a list of your symptoms and add to it from time to time.

Your biggest challenge will be recognizing symptoms that are concussion related. You can post them here and we can give you feedback as to whether it is a concussion symptom.

It will be helpful if you download and print out Dr Glen Johnson's TBI Survival Guide at www.tbiguide.com. He lists many of the symptoms that you may not have recognized.

It appears that you are very confused, a common symptom of concussion. Your writings are 'all over the map.' This is to be expected. As you try to condense your thoughts, it will help you to gain understanding of your condition. There are anxiety issues that you are experiencing. There are also cognitive/memory issues.

The physical issues like headaches and dizziness are treated (hopefully) by traditional medical doctors. The anxiety issues are usually treated by a psychologist or psychiatrist. It is helpful for this person to be experienced with mTBI/PCS (mild Traumatic Brain Injury/Post Concussion Syndrome). The cognitive/memory issues can be treated by a psychologist or better, a neuro-psychologist. This usually starts with a neuro-psychological assessment.

There is a good self-help "book" written by Dr. Larry Schutz available for free download at
http://www.givebackorlando.com/hepusef/hepindex.html

It will be helpful if your mother and other family members read the TBIGuide and this book. It will help if they get on-board with you as you work toward recovery.

There is a simple vitamin and supplement protocol that will help your brain heal. The minimums you want to take are:
A 2500 IU's
B-2 200-300 mgs
B-6 500mgs
B-12 500-1000 mcgs (micrograms)
Folic acid 1000mcgs
Thiamine
Omega 3 fish oil with DHA and EPA 1000 to 2000 mg per day
Niacin 200 to 400 mgs
C 1000 mgs
D3 2000-3000 IU's
E 300 IU's
K 50 mcgs

Plus a good Stress oriented Multi-vitamin for the myriad of trace minerals and other elements.

This needs to become an ongoing lifestyle change. It will take months for the best benefit.

As your journal and other notes start to condense your symptoms and 'brain injury moments,' you will be able to use some of the techniques in the Dr. Schutz's Book.

You may find help in Dr. Cheryle Sullivan's book "365 Tips Tricks and Techniques" available at Amazon. I have not read it but the reviews sound good.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, STOP any activities that can cause any kind of trauma to your head. Rough play or even wild dancing. This includes loud music, excessive chaotic environments, yelling, (this is for your family) etc.

No consumption of Diet beverages or foods. The Aspartame is highly toxic to an injured brain. No foods with MSG (mono-sodium glutamate) either. Reduce the consumption of dense refined sugars. Minimal consumption of caffeine, too.

Good meat protein is good for your brain. A Mediterranean diet is recommended by many.

Get plenty of good sleep. This may require some experimentation. You may need to find music that can help you get the deep sleep you need. If you wake up groggy, it was not good sleep.

Break your day down into small segments so you can take a break between tasks. A five hour test is NOT a small segment. You will probably find a hour or two is your functional limit. Early on, my limit was often 15 minutes. Relaxing tasks can go longer, like a long calm walk.

If reading makes you tired, break it into smaller segments. Use a blank piece of paper as a reading guide. It will help your eyes track the line you are reading and reduce fatigue.

If sounds cause a problem, get some foam ear plugs and keep them with you at all times.

As you try to understand what is happening with your brain, you need to understand that the brain receives information, processes it, and then give a reply. You may be able to sound OK but your ability to receive and process information may be limited.

Being an excessively talkative person is a common symptom of a brain injury. The brain struggles to determine when you have said enough. I can have this symptom to the extreme.

I think I have said enough if not too much, so....

Now......... Try to relax. It is the best way for you to heal.

very good recommendations from Mark, but why Niacin? had it prescribed for an unrelated condition, Niacin gave me an entire body rush just for an hour
.

Niacin is just another term for one of the B vitamins, B-3 to be exact. The rush is normal but should not last for an hour. Mine only last for a few minutes at the beginning of trying a different brand that is not slow release. I buy whatever is cheaper.

Try a slow release form to avoid the flush. Niacin is good for small vessel blood circulation. That is why you get the flush feeling. It works great after a sun burn or wind burn as it flushes the toxins out of your skin.

Your body will acclimate to it in a week or so. Then, any flush will be mild and short lived. Just a warm feeling.

It is helpful as part of a more complex regimen for reducing cholesterol.

I'm sorry that your Mom isn't being more helpful. Have you contacted the Brain Injury Association of Saskatchewan www.sbia.ca ? They have support groups and info for both patients and family members. They might also be able to help you advocate for better care. Be prepared to fight: only 1/20 Canadians gets anywhere near the rehabilitaion and treatment they need after a brain injury.

Hang in There

You said "This includes loud music, excessive chaotic environments, yelling, (this is for your family) etc."

Do you think these activities (loud music, chaos, yelling) actually cause more trauma or are they simply more irritating to a healing brain?

Thanks again for your insight.

The niacin i took was at prescription strength, so perhaps that made my rash worst.

In the long run niacin at high dosages can cause liverdamage.

arb,

I have never heard of Niacin as prescription strength. Since it can be purchased over the counter, you can take as much as you want. There is not much reason to take large doses. I take about 400 mg per day. I have taken more at my doctor's instruction.

PCSLearner,

The noise and other stimuli are stressors, similar to anything that creates stress to the body and brain. Lack of sleep is a stressor. High fever is a stressor. Poor nutrition is a stressor. People with PCS tend to be more prone to the stress effects of sounds, light, chaotic environments, etc.

These environmental and emotional stressors can cause an excess of stress hormones. This can fatigue the brain. Some of the stress hormones trigger a speed up of the brain's processing. This is the system behind the fight or flight response. This can be damaging to a brain that needs a slower pace. Or, it can be just cause fatigue.

Can you talk more about Caffeine and Aspartame? I read a multiple sites that coffee is good for a concussion and I don't see any sites that say that talks about Aspartame being damaging to TBI victims other than a news article about a research going underway.

hi im actually a sophmore right now and am going through/went through the same things you are. last semester i missed over 2 months of school. i stayed home with intense headaches of any kind (stabbing, pressure, pulsating, hot/burning feeling, shooting pain, concentrated in one area, etc you get the point) i also had horrible memory problems concentration problems feelings of being overwhelmed exhausted all the time not caring about anything i did so in other words never doing my homework assignments zoning out really bad etc etc the list goes on.

so i pretty much know what youre going through. i got my concussion over a year ago and have since been diagnosed with PCS and have had 4 different relapses of symptoms ( you can read my history on one of my other threads)...but i do have some good news. i am recovering now i ended up passing all my classes except i had to drop out of spanish but im back at school now and doing pretty well.

im back in basketball which i acutally think is bringing on another relapse and yet i continue to hide my symptoms but oh well. so really the reason i posted this was i understand what youre going through and if you have any questions i will definitely try to answer them for you.