As a confirmation to you two about staying the course. Before we decided to homeschool, we were dyed in the wool against the concept. My middle daughter was falling through the cracks at a very good private Christian school. My Youngest had stomach trouble from the stress. My older son had bad dreams from the stress. With all this came the fights over who knew what. They would chastise my wife with "That's not how the teacher says to do it." They had put their teacher at a higher level than my wife and I.

After frustration hit a peak and my wife realized that she spent more time fighting over homework assignments that our homeschool friends spent homeschooling, we started to soften. After searching every other option, we took the plunge. Our daughter who was doing 2nd grade work in the 4th grade was up to 4th grade standards within 4 months. The household settled down.

The struggling student took the early graduation test at 14 just to get experience in the testing environment. She passed. She had been in special ed for 1st grade. Now she had just graduated by California high school standards at 14. This was not a GED. It only shows minimum competency. The CHSPE requires that the student rank at or above the 50th percentile of graduating seniors.

She was the General's chosen medic in Iraq. Interned as a surgical technician in Hawaii because of her high marks in Surg Tech school.

Just let your kids learn as they learn about your needs. They will be fine. There is nothing as important as learning in a family setting. When you need some quiet time, they will be just fine. Just no flaming science experiments in the house.

My youngest daughter is still trying to find a way to earn a living in the great outdoors. Not an easy task no matter how educated one is.

So, relax. The house should feel lived in, not lived for. A little dust is good for the immune system. Studies prove this.

My life verse has changed my perspective on life and made me much easier to live with. Life is too precious and short to get wrapped up in the little things.

My best to you both.

Thanks for your encouragement, perspective and wisdom Mark!

RRRRRRrrrrr!

Finally went to the neurologist yesterday and it was a complete waste of time. I don't even think he believed anything I said and he ended up giving me a prescription for Paxil. So basically, he thinks it's anxiety?
Ugh I am so frustrated with these doctors!

juliec,

Have you had any blood work done? B-12, folate, D-3, all of the hormones, etc. I would make sure they are al up to par before any consideration of an SSRI. I have been on Paxil for 10 years and it is not an easy road. My brain can easily get stuck looping mundane thoughts. A stanza to a song, license plate number, the spelling of a word, all can get stuck repeating for hours or even days. So the Paxil is worth the side-effects. But for general anxiety issues, I would try general nutrition long before an SSRI.

What symptoms are your primary complaints?

Ditto what Mark said. I've learned that panic attacks can be brought on by lots of physical problems, i.e. inner ear problems, vision problems, hormone levels, blood pressure, etc. Nothing wrong with the meds if that's what you need, but consider that there might be something going on that could be treated rather than masked.

In other words, consider the panic attacks a physical symptom of tbi, not simply your emotional reaction.

I think they did tons of bloodwork while I was in the hospital. After Mark informed me about hormones I did have my doctor check my blood last week- I think it was just thyroid though. (Haven't heard back)

My cheif complaint I suppose is these "episodes" as my husband calls them which I have no recollection of. He says I just get kind of out of it and then my shoulder and head and sometimes my leg will jerk and then I am "back" but then I feel very tired and need to rest a few minutes. My EEG was normal so they don't think it's seizures.

The rest of the complaints are exactly what I read in the tbiguide- headaches, tingling in my arm, forgetfulness, irritabilty (because I try really hard to focus on something and cannot be interrupted) sometimes I drive and forget where I'm going....stuff like that. Is that anxiety, or is that because I slammed my head on the ice and two months later got slammed again by a car????

Yesterday the neurologist told me that my tests were normal (CT, MRI, EEg- speaking of MRI, shouldn't they have done another one after my second injury?) and that I need to let "Mother Nature takes it's course. You'll be fine and here's a little something to help you along the way." (Paxil) What I heard was "You're not injured, you're making this up- go home and get over it."

The blood work can be misleading. If you are withing the 'normal' range, they let it go. But to mTBI subjects, the low end of the normal range can be too low. We need to be in the high end of the normal range.

You may not be having EEG definition seizures, but you likely are having a pseudo-seizure. Something is misfiring. The amnesia, jerks and follow-up tiredness all point to some form of strain on your brain.

The tingling arm/hand needs to be addressed too. I would keep looking for someone who can find a cervical or upper back cause for this. It does not fit with brain trauma. It is a result of the neck/back trauma.

There are multi-disciplinary spine clinics in many areas. They will include Physical Therapy, Chiropractic, Massage, neuro-surgery (especially its minimally invasive forms). There are spine decompression devices that can be helpful.

I am spoiled by my extraordinary PT. She has skills that are extremely rare. Have you tried interviewing various PT clinics? Some will offer techniques that are specific to whiplash. There is a chiropractor at the Oregon Health and Science University who does research and teaches about the difficulties with whiplash. I do not know if this email address still works but you could try it. forensictrauma at gmail.com Replace the at with @ and no spaces. He is Dr Michael Freeman. You could also google him. Here is link to an article he has written http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...Icwk911GnF1v_Q I found it by googling his email address.

btw, Unless you have a seizure during the EEG or in the neuro's office, they will rarely diagnose any seizure condition. My wife sees me blank out and often my face will get a stern look. Now she knows what these episodes are.

Sorry you had such a bad experience. I had one too with the first neurologist I saw. I picked her just because she was close to my house. She told me I was making up my symptoms because I had repressed issues (ie "you're a nut") and that I never really even had a concussion (even though I was diagnosed in the ER and then at my GP and had no symptoms before the injury). No joking, this after she talked to me for a few minutes. She didn't even offer me any Paxil! I was furious when I left her office, then sat in my car and cried. It was so rotten to go to someone for help and be treated like that. I think some doctors just don't want to deal with you if you don't fit in a neat little peghole so they write you off as a wacko.

You should ask them to do a complete hormone and nutrient panel. There are some threads that cover this topic thoroughly. I found a good neurologist after spending a lot of time researching through doctor rating and credential sites online. He tested all my hormones and select nutrients, my thyroid and Vit D were low. I started with the Vit D first then started taking thyroid meds about 6 weeks ago and it has really made a difference in my energy level.

I think it is true that time heals, all the same, there may be things that will help you heal faster. I agree with what mark and pcslearner said about the Paxil, you may want to look into some other things first. I don't know as much as Mark, but what you're describing sounds like some sort of mild seizure to me as well.

Mark mentioned upper cervical chiropractic. A friend referred me to one months ago but I did the PT thing first (it didn't help me this time, although it has in the past) and I honestly didn't want to make the drive because it's 45 minutes from my house, plus my insurance doesn't cover it. I finally went this week and it is already making a difference.

Things were out of whack in my upper neck, even I could see it on the x-rays. The D.C. I am seeing does something called Atlas Orthogonal and so far the results have been noticeable. It is very gentle and doesn't involve cracking and popping your head or neck around. I'll keep you posted but I really think this is helping. So that's my experience. I think there are other upper cervical techniques as well. Probably worth a little research and consideration. Every little bit of progess is worthy of a celebration (mild, with no whooping or head shaking ;-) Hang in there!

All the best,

Becca

I can so related to this w/ my daughter. While the doctors didn't deny she had a concussion, they were convinced she had some sort of pre-existing psychological issues causing the bulk of her issues. They basically thought she was "nuts" and passed us off to the behavioral medicine folks. They evaluated her and said she had classic PCS w/ no underlying issues.

Keep trying until you find a doctor that will listen to you.

My daughter has been seeing a NUCCA chiropractor for a couple of weeks. Things were really out of whack. I was obvious on the x-rays and also in her posture. I think it is making a difference also. Her headaches have been decreasing in severity and frequency. She was actually headache free today for the first time in a long time. I also think she is a little more focused. Getting her moving in the AM is still an issue but once up for a couple of hours, she seems to have an normal amount of energy.

hi juliec
I an afraid this is a familiar tale, with GP or PC doctor,s it is something they can treat , and also perhaps neurologist. there are psychological effects of PCS/TBI, I think we would all agree with that . but they are a result of the injury . not underling psychology

I was placed on Prozac and had a real bad reaction psychologically,volcanic mood swings

my then doctor,was at the limit of his knowledge, I have just been placed on another drug for for migraine and sleep epilepsy its given me a skin complaint, so I am back to squire one, but now itchy LOL

I would never advise someone not to try a treatment a doctor has prescribed it may help you

the not being believed, is real vexing even at my head injury group some of the staff there think, due to my IQ that I am fixed, they cant see it maybe there own vanity, or social services targets thats coloring there judgment and you would think they should know better HUH

you have to have known some one pre injury to notice the change

or know how hard we try to regain our pre injury selves

best wishes keep us posted