Craig,

I understand what you are saying completely. I injured myself snowboarding 1.5 years ago. I too am an avid hockey player. I have not yet fully recovered from my concussion. I am a passionate hockey player and haven't played for the past year and a half. I won't play at all this winter again. I have decided I won't play again until 100% fully healed and maybe even then I won't.

I'm not as young as you (39) but love hockey. Read this carefully "you should not play again until you are 100% better". Have you noticed what's going on in the NHL right now - go look at the injury list of different teams - PCS is dominating. You are nuts to go and play contact hockey let alone non-contact until you are 100% recovered.

I am also a surfer and snowboarder. I have snowboarded a little but just with my kids at relatively slow speeds. I've surfed a bit in conditions where I'm in complete control. I don't want to be a hypocrite as there is some risk with those things but I feel it is not high - unlike hockey.

You must make that decision re: hockey. It is not worth it. When you do recover you need to play non-contact only.

Try to find other things - I work out at the gym, weights, run and am pretty fit. It sucks compared to hockey but it's something. For the first year I was nauseated every single day all day so I understand. As I write this I'm having a bad day and am light headed and nauseated. I am keeping hope one day it will go away - it's not as bad as it was and you need to look at things on a longer horizon - easy to say but hard to do.

I'm not recovered yet and just deal with feeling like crap often during workouts. You have to maintain your self-esteem.

If you want to chat more send me a private message. I completely understand how you feel.

Regarding the comment

<...post concussion syndrome is really just a head injury which causes a bursting of a membrane inside the inner ear, namely the oval window or round window....which then causes the vestibular system to malfunction giving one a host of strange symptoms related to the peripheral and autonomic nervous systems manfunctioning and also vestibular sensory disturbance. doctor's just call things a syndrome when they can't figure it out..>

Some people with PCS may have this injury but it is by far not the main cause of persistent PCS. Diffuse Axonal Injury is the main culprit. There are small tears or strains to many of the billions of axons that connect the neurons. This causes poor communication between brain cells and even cellular death.

A common symptom of PCS is the delayed onset. This is due to the inflammation and cellular death that takes days to weeks to happen. The brain does not like misperforming axons and neurons. It sends out signals for the injured axons and neurons to shut down. This takes time. There is also a cascade of chemical processes that becomes improper. Glutamate is the most common misbehaving substance from my reading of the research.

Yes, there are many who have vestibular problems that can be treated. Many have posted to this forum. But, vestibular treatment/therapy does not correct all of the array of PCS symptoms.

I wish it did.

My best to all.

Don't worry....
I know that sounds bad, but you are only on month 5. The first question is have you every had a concussion before and if so how long ago? Second question if you did did you have PCS?
If you say yes to the two previous questions then you could have this for a while, but if you said no then the odds are with you. The key is drink only a little and don't do anything that raises your blood pressure too much until you have felt absolutely not even the slightest sign of the symptoms for at least two weeks (and if you want to be safe a month) Then, try to do a little something...go for a light work out or something like that...and see if it has gone away. All the docs I saw this was their advice...unfortunately I had seven or eight concussions within a year so I have very small hope for a full recovery, but first timers have a very good chance of full recovery!
Good luck!
Margarite

Listen this guy is right...I had 7 or 8 concussions in a year and each time I thought I was almost better so I did just a little something and some weird thing happened and I got hit again for example swing dancing I was dipped and another girl nearby was also dipped and kicked me in the head...not fun!
I have found that anything that raises my blood pressure causes a headache I have not found a good cause for the nausea, dizziness, and clouded thought. Medications don't really work except for large doses of advil which I don't dare to take daily. In January it will be one year since my last concussion and in February it will be two years since my first concussion.

The first one was caused by me falling off of a horse and hitting my head on the frozen ground...I am told that I blacked out for about 5 seconds. I don't remember the horse though I do remember mounting him (I had been riding him for an hour or so). I fell off at about 3:30pm and don't remember any of the happenings of that night until about midnight. During that time I went to the hospital, had a CT scan, went to dinner, my classmates had fun telling me stories about how I fell because I would forget about every five minutes and ask all over again what was wrong with me. All of this I have been told and don't remember. Two weeks later I was sitting at a picnic table studying and someone kicked a volleyball from about 40 feet away and hit me in the head.

3 months later someone knocked heads with me while I was laying down and they fell trying to catch a ball. Three months later I was dancing and was kicked. Two months later I was dancing and was dropped. Two months later I was almost all better and went sledding, I went over a few big bumps that jostled my head just enough to make me sick for the next five months. Two days later I leaned my chair against the wall and it slipped out from under me and I hit my head on a metal heater that stuck out from the wall and then hit my had on the back of the chair...I still have a lump in my skull. That was January 2010.
I have not hit my head since...I am starting to work out a little, because I am tired of being out of shape from lack of activity. But every time I almost fall down from dizziness or feel so nauseated that I almost have to leave. I always have a spitting headache for the next 24 hours and then I do it again...
Such is my life...Such is so many of ours...Hopefully medicine will find an answer...SOON!

Last thing. I have been to eight doctors. One was a neurologist. I had 2 CT's and two MRI's of my head and neck. No one knows what is wrong...the neuro gave me some meds that take away the pain but make me so nauseated that they are only worth it if the pain is so bad that it is causing nausea anyways.

The moral of the story is don't hit your head again....I am only at 21months not years...but DON'T HIT YOUR HEAD and DON'T HIT IT MORE THAN ONCE!

Good luck to all!
Margarite

Margarite and all,

There are two strong reasons to avoid risks of head bumps, especially after a head bump.

The dysfunctions that can follow after a concussion or sub-concussive impact can cause an increased risk for a following head bump. Many sports programs use this as their primary goal. They often ignore the issue of Second Impact syndrome (deadly) and Multiple Impact Syndrome ( a life of struggle) Their main focus is returning a player to the field who has balance and coordination problems.

Too bad they often ignore the latter and most important issue. But, its problems don't show up until after the game or season is over.

Margarite has shown you all a great example. I doubt she thought she was putting her head at risk. She know better now.

Keep up the good words, Margarite.

Bumped brains need lots of repetition before they start to grasp an important message.

I am currently in the same condition you have described. How are you doing today? What did you do to get better? I realize this is a long-shot to receive a reply, but any information would be very much appreciated.

usa555,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. You have found a good place for support and knowledge.

Please tell us a bit about yourself so we can offer support and help.

How long ago were you concussed?

What symptoms are your biggest struggle?

My best to you.

I am 21 years old. In September 2011 I got a whiplash concussion playing intramural football (no helmet). It was my first concussion since April 2008, (healed within a few days) and my 2nd possibly 3rd concussion overall. Since the concussion in September I have had the classic post concussion symptoms, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, feeling bogged down. I seemed to be on the road to recovery but was never able to heal, I believe due to excessive drinking and working out. A couple weeks into February my symptoms had gotten considerably worse. I also began experiencing upper neck pain for the first time, something which I believe was originally caused by the whiplash. I have been going to physical therapy for my neck and head at a concussion clinic near by. Since my latest wave of symptoms I have stopped drinking and have only been lightly working out. I was advised by a neuropsychologist to "get back in the swing of things", meaning a return to school, (missed a week of classes) and a normal college life. What should I be doing to get over PCS. Is it beneficial to be pushing myself both cognitively and physically in this stage of the recovery? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

USA555,

No you should not be pushing your brain and body. Consider that your continued drinking prevented any healing from even getting started.

Getting wasted is very similar to getting a concussions, especially if you get wasted after getting a concussion.

You should stop all contact activities. Limit exercise activities to low impact and low pulse efforts. Your class work should be minimized to lessen the mental load. Your college play time is probably too stimulating for your brain. use this extra time to settle down and study in a more leisurely manner and location.

Ask the Disabilities Department if they have a tutor to help you with some study needs. Hopefully, they have some idea of how to help you.

Avoid caffeine, alcohol, MSG, artificial sweeteners and preservative (No Diet Cokes or such) and get some nutritional supplements started. There are plenty posts about vitamins and such. Your brain needs to detoxify before it can start healing.

What advice has the concussion clinic been giving you?

Not all concussion clinics are created equal. Some concussion clinics know their stuff. Some just know how to tap into a lucrative market for billing insurance companies.

btw, The NeuroPsych likely told you to get back into the swing of things because there is nothing he can do for you to justify continued billings.

Hope this helps.

My best to you.

The concussion clinic has advised me to return to normal everyday life (keeping in mind to take breaks, possibly a mid-day nap), in an effort to ease the anxiety/depression that has come on due to the prolonged post concussion symptoms. In addition, I have been doing physical therapy there on my upper neck, and soon to start vestibular therapy. I have been in contact with the school administration, and am given special circumstances to complete assignments. Besides eating well, taking vitamins, and getting plenty of sleep, is there anything I can do to ease the symptoms, particularly the headaches and mental fatigue? My symptoms get worse as the day progresses, and my recovery seems to be very sporadic, as I am not making steady progress as time goes on.


Thanks