[Xoe22]

Going in my 6th week of my second concussion I suffered in less them two months. My doc says he thinks I should be seen by a neuropycolgist. At first I was like does he think I'm crazy or something? As you can see I had no clue what a neuronpycologist was and I'm still not 100% sure. I called and was told the testing would last about two hours and coat around $1,032. I am paying for everything out of pocket.

Has anybody seen one before if so what should I expect and have they been helpful to you?

And I'm also asking for any suggestions on finding headache relif. Thanks.

[nightnurse30]

I think everyone is different. But there are a lot of meds that have helped people with their headaches. I just got started on Nortriptyline (a lot of the users here are on amitriptyline, a similar drug) and i take it at night, and i find that my headaches are gone for most of the day, but come back at night. I also am doing a lot of nutritional supplements like green/fruit smoothies for all the antioxidant help and vitamin help. I also get B12/B6 injections by a naturopathic doc which has been documented to help with many different injuries and ailments including depression, headaches, pain, etc. Not sure where you live, but we have a farmers market in California that the Dr sets up a station where a nurse gives you the injections. i also do acupuncture for the headaches and its definetly helping. Im 6 weeks out as well. Good luck.

[ShellyK]

I have had neuropsychological testing done. It has nothing to do with being crazy. It is a series of tests - many tests- that can help determine in what way you were affected by the concussion. In the hands of a competent neuropsychologist it can be a valuable tool.

However, it is a battery of tests. Mine took eight hours, done on two different days, because I did not have the stamina to last eight hours. One of the things that it showed, for example, was that I had slowed processing speed. I believe that this is very common with concussion and helps explain why we get overwhelmed so easily.

In one of Mark's posts he explains it in much more detail. I did not have the neuropsychological testing done until a year after my accident. (I am now at 16 months).

Maybe someone else knows when it would be best to have the testing done. My instinct would be to wait, because it is still so soon after your injury. But I am not a doctor.

[Mark in Idaho]

I agree with Shelly. If you are paying out of pocket, it will be some very expensive information. It will confirm your cognitive and memory symptoms but can also throw in a monkey wrench.

If the NP does the MMPI-II (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory- II), he may misread it and diagnose you as depressed with your symptoms caused by your depression. The MMPI-II needs additional analysis to determine if concussion/organic brain injury is present.

The WAIS and WMS, if they are done, will give good information.

A two hour NP Assessment is a limited battery. The Halstead-Reitan battery can take the eight hours as mentioned earlier. The HR battery is the gold standard for mTBI.

The value of a NP Assessment is that it can confirm that your symptoms are real and you are not crazy. High price for such a confirmation. You two concussions in close proximity is enough to know you have PCS.

btw, I have had two full NP Assessments and a limited NP Assessment. The limited NP doctor understood concussion better than the full battery docs.

As I said, it can be a crap shoot.

If you have an insurance claim pending, a NP Assessment can be helpful if the HR Battery is done and interpreted properly.

My best to you.

My best to you.