[ClumsyCharlie]

Hey, I've just joined the forum, and thought I should introduce myself

I'm 17, and I've had PCS for just over a month now, and I'm just looking for some advice and support which isn't 'take some painkillers' or 'it's just a headache, what are you complaining about?' I got PCS after falling over at my friend's house backwards, and hit the back of my head 3 times on the way down. I was diagnosed with PCS two weeks ago, as well as amnesia and whiplash. Although I recall the event, and if I was unconscious it wasn't for long, I am having trouble forming new memories and following conversations (and on bad days, I forget the beginning of the question by the time the person has finished it!) I've always prided on myself on my good memory, so this has hit me hardest, harder than the constant headaches. I also have trouble controlling my temperature, have vision problems, tinnitus, photosensitivity, trouble concentrating, nausea and, of course, the headaches.

I was told by my doctors to rest and limit my time in front of a screen and consider taking some time off Sixth Form. While, I have tried not to miss any time, I was wondering if I really should be taking a couple of days off Sixth Form as I'm finding it hard to keep up? And what counts as rest? Should I be sleeping all the time or can I read (when my eyes will focus)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you x

[Eowyn]

Yes, take the days off. I am a teacher and taught through the first week after my concussion. My symptoms got worse and worse as the days went on. Even after I stopped physically going in to work, I was sending in lesson plans and checking work email. I did not start to improve until I had stopped all of this (much much later).

Basically, you should rest both your body and your brain. Some things that worked for me were:

Sleeping
Coloring
Staring at the ceiling
Listening to nature sounds (waves & rain)
Walking (slowly, outdoors if possible)
Soaking in a bath

Don't do anything that makes your symptoms worse.

Because this is a medical condition, you should be able to get some type of accommodation from your school. Hopefully you can rest up now and recover quickly so you won't miss too much.

As I said, I pushed through for several weeks and ended up having to take an entire semester off. More rest earlier is better.

You may also want to try some brain-building nutritional supplements. The ones I use are:
Algal DHA (900 mg)
B-Complex 100
Vitamin D3
Acetyl-l-carnitine (500 mg)

Good luck. Hope you are able to rest and heal quickly!

[tamisue]

Rest, rest, and more rest. Low impact stuff. Not a lot of reading or television. Wear sunglasses inside if you have too. I also used ear plugs. They helped too-but not ear plugs and walking on the road at the same time!

The best thing that will help is time. Good luck.