[BeccaP]

Does anyone know of a good neurologist in the Sacramento, CA area who is familiar with Post Concussion Syndrome/mtbi? After being diagnosed and referred out by my PCM I chose blindly, and badly, ending up with a doc who doesn't believe PCS is legitimate. She called me a hypo (said I was imagining the symptoms) and that I never even really had a concussion because I wasn't knocked unconscious when I hit my head. It was quite discouraging, but I've done enough research to know she was way off base, and that there are some great doctors out there who know how to help with this. I just need to find one.

[arb64]

Hello,

I would contact a traumatic brain injury center, they may be able to direct you to a PCS knowledgeable neurologist. UC Davis may be a good contact as well.

Time is the best healer, you will be fine within a few month, especially since you do not seem to have a long history of concussions/PCS.

[Mark in Idaho]

Becca,

You might try contacting a neuro-psychologist to ask for a referral. Since they are often involved in the diagnosis of the after effects of concussion, they may be a good resource. One I know of is ROBERT A. ALLEN, Ph.D. in Roseville. There are others, too.
Some physiatrists have knowledge of concussion. You will find them listed under Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine in the phone book.

I am as concerned as you for your symptoms persisting three months after your injury. Have you been seen by a chiropractor or physical therapist? You may have a upper neck injury that is causing problems. You need to be very careful looking for a chiropractor or physical therapist to find one who really understands the neck injuries that can accompany a concussion.
A possibility may be Dr. Donald Erwin
900 Fulton Ave. Ste 102
Sacramento, CA 95825-4516
Phone: 916-973-0623

Do you have a blood pressure monitoring system? I would suggest taking you blood pressure, especially when you are feeling fatigued when standing up. You may have an autonomic nervous system malfunction from an upper neck injury. I went for two weeks with extreme low BP. I could hardly stand up.

Walgreens sells BP systems for about $30. I think everyone should have one at home.

My best to you.

[concussionkate]

Hey Becca,

I'm sorry to hear about your poor experience with a neuro who doesn't believe in PCS. It's awful to have that horrible feeling in your stomach after dealing with someone like that. Sometimes, even a weird look from someone who thinks I'm not really "sick" can affect me for days.

Good luck finding someone in your area. I was very blessed to have a good neuro recommended to me right off the bat. You have to be your own advocate. Do some research and be prepared to fight for treatment. Like Mark said, be careful about the type of chiropractor or PT you see.

I'm glad you found our group here. It's good just to have a group of people who understand and believe in you.

[BeccaP]

Thanks for all the info and support, it is much appreciated! This is my fifth concussion, first time with PCS. All the other concussions were between 15 and 20 yrs old (2 basketball, 1 car accident, 1 got hit by a car when a pedestrian), I'm 37 now. I did a lot of research and did find a great neurologist, his name is Dr. Eric Hassid in Davis, CA. He got me started with physical therapy (vestibular rehab), gave me shots of prednisone and lidocaine in my head that do seem to have helped some with the headaches (although the headaches were worse for the first couple of day after the shots). He is doing a full hormone blood panel, will go in next week to find out results. I also got a referral to a chiro that specializes in neck stuff, I'll try that soon too, perhaps cranio sacral as well, have a referral to a gal that's supposed to be really good, helped a friend of mine a lot. The neuro recommended trying acupuncture as well so I might look into that. Right now I don't want to try too many appts at once, I am so easily overwhelmed and don't do so well with too much driving.

[Mark in Idaho]

Becca,

I would go light on the cranio-sacral. This technique is very controversial. There are some who understand its limitations and others who think it will raise the dead. Its' greatest value is the neck manipulations. The plates of the skull do not move like some CST's try to claim.

Sounds like your neuro gave you some lidocaine so that he could give you a more painful shot of prednisone. The lidocaine is short acting. The prednisone would be unbearable if done without the lidocaine. I bet the injections were at the base of your skull. This is where upper cervical chiropractic may be helpful. I have a recurring problem at the left occipital condyle (behind the left ear).

Did you see my post about prism corrections for headaches? An optometrist can test you for "prism".

Is your blood work including Thyroid , folate, B-12 etc.? Check my posts. You should find some more comments about nutrition concerns. mhr4 has also posted about nutrition after research and his physician confirmed the value of good nutrition.

Be careful about too many different therapies at the same time. You will not be able to tell which one is giving you relief. The acupuncture, chiro, and such can have overlapping results. With chiro, you want more than a chiro who is good with necks. You want one who specialized in upper cervical issues. This is a specific specialty. NUCCA is an association that some are members of.

I hope you did not get charged too much by the PCS denying neiro. I would suggest sending a complaint to the State Medical Board and the specialty board that has credentialed him. Most neuro's are members of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology at www.abpn.com. We have enough trouble getting good PCS treatment from neuro's. Denying PCS is beyond any professional standards.

Your history of concussion should be journalled and kept with your personal medical file. There may come a time when someone wants to chart your progression with PCS. As the medical industry is beginning to pay attention to PCS, having this background may become useful.

Let us know haw things are going.

My best to you.

[BeccaP]

Thanks for all the good advice Mark, it is appreciated. I will stick to one thing at a time, wait until I finish the PT to try the Chiro, if I still need to (dare I dream...;-). I am planning to write to the state med board about the bad neurologist, in addition to telling me I never even had a concussion because I wasn't unconscious, and I'm a hypo she said my "psychological issues" were due to unresolved abuse issues in my past, this after talking to me for about a minute and in spite of having no symptoms whatsoever before the hit. Totally crazy! It was such a bizarre experience. I'm waiting until I get further down the road with the good neurologist so I have more data to put in my complaint.

[Lucy]

Originally Posted by BeccaP

Thanks for all the good advice Mark, it is appreciated. I will stick to one thing at a time, wait until I finish the PT to try the Chiro, if I still need to (dare I dream...;-). I am planning to write to the state med board about the bad neurologist, in addition to telling me I never even had a concussion because I wasn't unconscious, and I'm a hypo she said my "psychological issues" were due to unresolved abuse issues in my past, this after talking to me for about a minute and in spite of having no symptoms whatsoever before the hit. Totally crazy! It was such a bizarre experience. I'm waiting until I get further down the road with the good neurologist so I have more data to put in my complaint.

Hi, I had a similar experience with my first doctor post accident, then a psychologist who said that just because I had concussion didn't mean to say that I had a head injury and then when I was sent to our public hospital by my GP last year for a CT scan as I had hit my head again (probably the 20th time). My doctor had telephoned ahead and had me go through A&E. I was put in a cubicle before my husband had returned from parking the car and seen by a nurse. She was taking my history and told me that she had never heard of PCS and that there was no such thing. I spent about half an hour trying to tell her and pointing out that I had not asked to be seen, that my GP had sent me etc. You can imagine that my screaming headache etc became a lot worse. The sheer frustration becomes overwhelming.

Then you get the idiots who haven't even heard of cumulative brain injury - and they are meant to be specialists. It is sad that we have to be seen by those who know less about our conditions than we do = we have managed to educate our selves and so many "specialists" have not made the effort to keep themselves up to date with PCS etc and really should not be attending to us. It is so dangerous to be given advice by a specialist is incompetent.

I have had more help from this site than from anybody I have seen - my GP has been helpful but has had PCS himself.

I hope your find a good nuero.

Lynlee

[BeccaP]

This site is a lifesaver! It has helped me so much information wise and with not feeling alone in this. The validation helps ease a bitter pill.

Thanks for sharing your experience Lynlee. I feel really grateful that, after a lot of research, I found a neurologist that I am really happy with, he believes me, listens and is open minded. What a relief! I have been blessed to run across a few other ladies here locally who suffered with pcs but both eventually recovered. It is so nice to communicate with people who understand whether here or in person. Thanks again!

[BeccaP]

[QUOTE=Mark in Idaho;624829]

Sounds like your neuro gave you some lidocaine so that he could give you a more painful shot of prednisone. The lidocaine is short acting. The prednisone would be unbearable if done without the lidocaine.

-The lidocaine was quite short lived! Glad it was there, the shots weren't fun. It hurt pretty bad for a few days after the injections but it helped. My head was still really sore where I hit it and around there, it was uncomfortable to lay on that side and I was having throbbing headaches on the "outside" that the shots seem to have helped a lot. I still get some "inside" headaches but they seem to be slowly improving as well.

Is your blood work including Thyroid , folate, B-12 etc.? Check my posts. You should find some more comments about nutrition concerns. mhr4 has also posted about nutrition after research and his physician confirmed the value of good nutrition.

-Yes, I saw the doc today and we went over the blood work, turns out my thyroid is borderline (runs in my family, no surprise), and I am Vit D deficient (not terribly surprising, I've been a hermit in my bedroom for months, not getting any sun). So I'm taking supplements for that and will start thyroid after next visit. I'm a believer in the supplements, taking a boatload of all the stuff you two have recommended. The neuro I'm seeing is very keen on nutrition and supplements as well and is encouraging and guiding me.

I hope you did not get charged too much by the PCS denying neiro. Denying PCS is beyond any professional standards.

-Thankfully, I have good insurance so I didn't pay anything out of pocket.

Your history of concussion should be journalled and kept with your personal medical file.

-Good idea, I'll start keeping a better record. Thanks for the input!