Do you know of a good neurologist in the Boise area?

You made some good points. I too experienced the frustration of going to the wrong medical professional. He was a more of a psych-neuro guy and not a neurologist. Unfortunately I wasted 4 hours taking tests that did not really add up to much. He seemed more interested in diagnosing me with depression or stress induced anxiety and completely discounted the fact that I experienced my second diagnosed concussion in a year. I work in a demanding job with a lot of responsibility so of course I experience stress but I like stress, it helps push me to achieve. My doctor fortunately seemed to support my views of the missed diagnosis however he has not been able to come up with a good treatment to help alleviate my lingering symptoms of poor balance, poor memory and sensitivity to noise. And to make things worse its now 2 months later and I hit my head again and was diagnosed with a third concussion. This one has made the lingering symptoms worse and my reaction times and vestibular deficiencies have lead my doctor to restrict me from driving. It sounds as if you may have an understanding of the issues from concussion symptoms that last a while. Have you made any progress in recovery?

Things I wish I had known when I had post concussive syndrome:

1) Doctor intervention is important. Getting to the right doctors always makes a difference. Headaches and anxiety were treated, plus Occipital Neuralgia.

2)Keeping a diary of your symptoms every day is important. You can look back and feel good about progress, also it is a great tool to show to your doctors and therapists.

3)"Rest? What rest? I can't sleep! I am lucky if I get sleep at all!". This is the very thing I said to the doctors, and was later prescribed on mirtazapine, which controlled sleep, nausea and appetite. 4 months later, I successfully tapered off of mirt and have beautiful sleep. Do what you can to get rest. I can't express that enough.

4)Nutrition is important. Mark's Vitamins and Supplements thread helped me a bunch. I still take the vitamin regimen every day, and to be honest, even though I have recovered, my ADD brain performs better and I can calm down when frustrated.

5)Avoid going out into crowded places. The stress, nausea and pain from going out actually make me run back into my car, plus it takes a bit of time to recover from a place called Wal-Mart. Now, I can go into Wal-Mart without problems now that I have recovered.

6)Remember that song It takes two to make things go right? Well, that is correct. In fact, sometimes more than two people is great. People need support from other people, especially during PCS/TBI. I can't express how great it was to have my friend watch over me everyday. She supported me during my dark times and understood my triggers, and on good days, we would do low stimulation activities such as art.

7)"Being normal" are two bad words during PCS, and should never be used. You will never recover to "normal". It's not possible. During healing, the brain changes so much and ever so slowly, and during your PCS journey, your personality does change. Mine changed for the better, I feel more grateful towards life and I am no longer afraid to ask for help when I need it. However, the hot-headed stubborn part hasn't changed. lol! I am still 98% recovered with symptoms of Occipital Neuralgia since April of 2013.

8)An anti-depressant helps sometimes in some situations. During my PCS journey, I was extremely anxious and depressed. My brain was screaming for help as I felt I had lost everything in my life and wanted it back. This caused major depressive disorder caused by both my ADHD and PCS. Having both didn't help plus being anxious all the time didn't help, I got on board with Paxil. I have not tapered yet since it helps me with my troubling ADHD symptoms since childhood, such as depressive episodes and some anxiety.

9)"I'm having a good day, can I watch some television?" Absolutely not. You need 2 weeks of good days to determine if you feel better, and even then over-stimulation should only be increased little by little daily to see what you can handle. I was an avid gamer before my PCS and it killed me to not have gaming in my life. 2 weeks passed, and I slowly got into video games slowly. Proteus and the game Flower was very easy on my brain, and so was brain training games like Lumosity. I went into increasing by 5 minute intervals each day.

10)Life is full of ups and downs. This is a down that will soon become an up. I promise, its gets better from here. You will improve in some way. Take care of you during this time. I felt grief and mourning over my life during PCS, which later turned into acceptance and happiness after a while.

I really hope this helps you all as this comes from a PCS survivor. If you have any questions, drop me a message. I will be happy to help. Brain injury awareness is important and the support is lacking.

Warm wishes to you,

Elisa (Consider)

I didn't really think of it like that - but spacing out is exactly what I've been doing and it is very helpful.

I often follow a guided meditation to get there and then just lay around relaxing as much as I can.

thanks
el

Margarite,
Thank you for your words of inspiration. I am currently a senior in college dealing with PCS and have found your words encouraging. I have always been a spontaneous girl who like extreme sports like soccer, snowboarding, horseback riding, etc. I am only in month 3 and know I may have a long road ahead of me. I am trying to get through the rest of this semester so I can go home and fully rest over winter break. It is difficult dealing with constant fatigue, nausea, dizziness, and loss of time. The emotions have taken a greater toll on me though. I get anxiety wondering when this will end or if it will. I wonder if my boyfriend will continue to love me if I cant be that same spontaneous and fun girl. I wonder if my friends will still accept me as they have already drifted as I have given up drinking. This makes me sad and that feeling can be overwhelming as I just want to be back to "normal." I have hope I will get better as I get gleams of hope here and there when I dont experience symptoms for a few hours. I have given up sports and drinking as I do not know how they affect the healing process. Ive also given up the gym for now for the same reasons. I want to give my body time to heal but it is difficult in this fast pace life while I am trying to finish school. My faith has definetly helped me through this process and I am trying to find positives every day and be my sweet fun loving self even if it takes all of my energy. Thank you for your encouragement and if you have any other advice for a fellow college student trying to overcome this PCS, please let me know.

Kacee

Thank you for your words of inspiration. I am currently a senior in college trying to make it though my last semesters. All of my life I have been the girl who loves a challenge. MY passions include soccer, snowboarding, wakeboarding, surfing, horseback riding, hiking, and all of that fun stuff. Now, Ive had one too many concussions and am here dealing with PCS. I am only in month 3 and have given up sports for the time being and am trying to give up the gym for a little to see if it helps. I have nausea daly, fatigue, dizziness, and all that fun stuff. The anxiety and depression have taken a toll on me as I feel like my brain is precious and I am upset in myself for hurting it and pray that it will be better one day. If not, I mus learn to cope with this new me and I need to come to terms with that because like you said it could be way worse. I can still walk and smile and im alive on this earth. I know soccer and snowboarding and other activities may be done for me for good which is saddening. How long did you give yourself to heal before you started participating in simple active activities? I feel as if Im okay to handle the gym and outdoor activities, but I also do not want to rush the healing process. The gym helps with my anxiety though and that is why I am stuck at a cross road. I know the recovery road will be slow, and I may never be back to where I was, I just hope the people in my life accept me for that. Thank you for your encouragement and I hope your path continues to improve for you!

Kacee

I am also in the early stages of PCS as I am just passing my third month. I understand your frustration as I have had numerous concussions that I have been able to just shake off. Now however its different. I wake up nauseous every day, get dizzy, light headed, lose track of time, find it hard to concentrate, find my reaction has slowed, and my emotions have severly changed. I get extremely anxious, depressed, and anti social. Not being able to participate in sports has also taken its toll on me. I have found this site to help me as every time I have an anxiety attack about the future, I read these stories of people who have been experiencing PCS for years and are okay. Even if I never fully return to normal, I am coming to terms with the fact that I can make this make me a better person or a worse one. That is up to you. When I get on here and vent, it helps with the emotional toll, and for the physical I take everything day by day. I am trying to rest my best, recconect with my faith, and understand this is out of my hands, but I can help the healing process. Keeping a journal of my symptoms each day has really helped me as progress isnt daily but rather monthly. When you are feeling down, know that you are not alone! hope this helps, stay strong

Kacee

Where do I find a copy of the TBI guide?

I am a 21 year old suffering fro PCS and am looking for advice

I hit my head about 3 months ago now and the recover process seems to be a roller coaster ride.

At first, I didn't know I was injured so I continued with my life and pushed myself far too hard. After I relized something was wrong, I was finally able to take a step back and rest. Now I have been resting for about a month avoiding working out or anything to strenuous. However, I have been using the TV and computer a fair amount to keep me occupied.

I know youre suppose to avoid these things in the first 2 weeks, but since my recovery process was delayed should I attempt to step bak and cut those out to help me heal? Or try and progress? I am able to do light workouts here and there but try to rest as much as possible.

I guess since I had a late start to the recovery process I don't know if I should start over the healing process or continue to progress. My symptoms are not triggered when I work out or use technology, but they do come back on randomly and strong and I feel as if I am starting back from square one.

I would appreciate any advice on how to handle the recovery process

I probably wish I didn't listen to the first physician I saw at the ER.

This is what I was told

"Concussions are very common, and heal very fast, try to work your way up and if you get headaches stop, exercise is fine but do not hit your head hard again"

I went home and played soccer for a few hours, felt fine. Hung out with friends, wrestled a bit, fine.

Next day I wake up with a horrible headache, and that was it.

I will probably never be able to completely trust a physician again.