[worried_mom]

Let me start by saying I'm very glad to have found this place!

My 14 y/0 son suffered a severe concussion from being speared head-to-head in football practice on October 7th. He never lost consciousness, but started wandering around talking to himself.

Days 1-3 he seemed very dazed, but overall OK. Days 3-14, he progressively got worse. Sensitivity to light, sound, touch, couldn't sleep, very slow to respond verbally, slurring of words, short term memory loss. We spent 6 weeks in the complete dark at home, no lights/curtains drawn at all times.

He saw urgent care dr, pediatrician, then a sports doctor. Had MRI and CT, showed no bleeding. At 3 weeks, he took the ImPACT test and scored 1% with symptom score of 78.

He has seen dr and taken that test every 2 weeks since. He passes now with flying colors! BUT symptoms are still high. He missed over 3 months of school. He just started back three hours per day.

At 6 weeks doctor put him on Amitriptyline for sleeping, because he couldn't sleep more than two hours per day. We've tried taking him off twice, but he can't sleep and about day three he gets incoherent.

He still feels tired after sleeping 10 hrs, some stumbling to find words, can't remember most of math (which was his strength before), still struggles to find the right words/name sometimes, loss of coordination, slow response to pain stimuli, easily startled, and the headaches.

His headaches are predictable. Reading causes the back of his head to hurt. Reading more than one page causes the white page to turn green and red then black. Focusing on a teacher causes hot or cold spots on front top of head that tingle. The only cure for these are to sleep.

Any pain medication makes him lose memory of that time.

No neurologist wants to see him. He goes today for another CT to recheck, since it's been 3.5 months. Doctor is concerned, but keeps saying "just wait"

Does this sound familiar? Any ideas? Would've been easier for me as mom if he'd broken both arms and both legs!

[worried_mom]

an added detail. The school district says if he comes to school for any part of the day, they won't provide tutoring for the subjects he can't attend. He has to stay home completely (again) to get a tutor.

[Mark in Idaho]

Worried_Mom,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. I am so sorry to hear about your son's injury and struggles. I can understand the anguish you are going through.

I have questions for you.

What dose of amitriptyline is he taking?

Has he had any imaging/diagnostic work done on his neck, especially his upper neck?

Have you observed him sleeping?

Probably not so try watching him sleep for at least an hour. Does he breath consistently?

The tiredness after sleeping 10 hours can be due to poor breathing.

Ignore the iMPACT test results. They are meaningless, at least in his situation.

What positions did he play? How long has he been playing full contact football?

Does he play any other contact sports? soccer?

Where do you live? Maybe we can help find a doctor who understands concussion. Sports doctors rarely understand concussion. Their goal is return to play issues and reducing legal liability for the schools.

You are not necessarily missing out by the neuros refusal to see him. Most do not have the concussion knowledge he needs.

Has he had a NeuroPsychological Assessment? An NPA will show what the iMPACT test is missing.

What does he eat each day? Any energy drinks, cafeine or such? Do you have him on any vitamin supplementation? If so, what doses? He needs nutritional help for his brain to detoxify.

Is he on any other meds? Ritalin, Aderall, Concerta ?

He is not ready to return to school. His recovery is more important than keeping up with his class.

More after some answers.

My best to you.

[AllAmericanAmy]

My heart hurts for you. I can only imagine how devastated and worried you must be.

My advice is to

consult a physiatrist : (physiatry /fɨˈzaɪ.ətri/ or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a physiatrist or rehab medicine specialist. Physiatrists specialize in restoring optimal function to people with injuries to the muscles, bones, tissues, and nervous system (such as stroke patients). My husband's experience with a neurologist was very, very unsatisfactory - as are many people's. If you want to see a neuro, be sure to find one that specializes in brain injury. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think when you have a concussion that months later is still causing considerable impairment, a neuro is fairly worthless unless they specialize in rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is what a physiatrist DOES.

Read: the the online booklet www.tbiguide.com This will help you understand what your son is dealing with. Mark is right to be concerned about the quality of sleep, for sure. Much of the tiredness can be explained from how hard the brain is working now to process information it used to process seemlessly in seconds.

Find others in your area: Go to a Brain Injury Support group near you (or at least call and talk to their coodinator). I was overwhelmed at month 4 with my husbands injury and the lack of help/direction from his neuro so I sought others in my area for referrals on doctors or facilities to go to - and, just as importantly, who NOT to go to. Check out www.biausa.org for a meeting or contact person near you (Brain Injury Association of America)

Read: Older posts on this forum. There is MUCH good information. I'd especially recommend the post titled something like "Things you wish you'd known when you first got pcs". (Sorry, I don't know how to flag it or link it or bump it or whatever! lol It's worth hunting for though).


As far as school goes.... It's not what is important right now. Your son is dealing with a horrific injury. There IS hope and he WILL improve. It may take some time though. If he is a freshman in highschool, he may be better off with the tutor at home if he can even do the work. If it causes too much distress for hiim or makes him too sick - skip it. School, though important, is NOT the priority right now. His health and well-being are. There are many ways he can catch back up with his class after he is healed.

Praying for wisdom for you and healing for him....
Amy

[worried_mom]

Mark, he takes 25ng Amitriptyline and i strongly encourage him to go to sleep when it makes him tired.

He did have thorough Xrays of neck and back. Radiologist looked and I had my Chiropractor look as well. Neither were concerned. He does still have neck and back pain/stiffness.

I haven't watched him sleep, but I certainly will and observe. He wakes up with red bloodshot eyes and a complete stoned look on his face.

He played tight end and/or wide receiver for the last 4 seasons (both indoor and outdoor football). He plays no other sports. He's 6'2" and only weighs 135 pounds.

We live in Spokane, WA but willing to travel if needed.

I called the recommended neuropsychologist (one of my son's friends saw her) but she can't see him til September!!

He does not consume any caffeine. He eats a very well rounded diet with few exceptions.. I give him a multi vitamin, 3000mg flaxseed oil, vit E daily.

As for ADD meds, the dr mentioned maybe trying that in the future.

Nathan was a very happy, active, 4.0 student, with friends galore until this. His personality is different, he can't take in school lessons, can't access his math memory, and just recently started effecting his mood. Just the last week or so, he realized he's different and now depressed. Teenagers are even harder to explain this to. They think if he's at school, he's 100%. He says it's exhausting to keep up the act of trying to do what his teachers and friends expect.

[worried_mom]

We saw a new Doctor yesterday, another sports guy, but very well versed in the world of concussion. He didn't really tell me anything new, but was somewhat reassuring.

Apparently Nathan's concussion was unusual (like all the rest are the same LOL), but he seems to be progressing "normally".

He is sending him for an EEG with an epileptologist per my request following a conversation with a neurologist. No neuro will see him, even the pediatric neuro said she won't until he's another 6 months into it!

We start cognitive retraining next week and this dr gave me a lead on another neuorphsych who might be able to see him sometime before Fall.

He is going to the chiropractor today for a C1/C2 adjustment. Dr thinks some of his headaches could be pinched nerve related.

Does anyone have any good results with any dietary or supplement changes?

ANY feedback is most valuable to me.......as it's nearly impossible to parent a 6'2" toddler with alzheimers, fight for his treatment and accomodation, AND try to accept this for what it is.

jenny

[Eowyn]

Wow, how very difficult. I'm so sorry that you're going through this.

As far as waking up "stoned," amitriptyline makes me feel that way in the morning, too. I am on 30 mg now and it takes a good while for me to really wake up in the morning. That is the trade-off for the reduction in headaches, I guess.

I was a teacher before my concussion, and I can tell you that attending school is a prime opportunity for a setback even if he has been improving. There is a LOT going on with a LOT of people and LOTS of sensory and cognitive input. I pushed through my first week and ended up having to take the entire next semester off. I then tried to return this school year (part time, one-to-one setting) and still wasn't able to manage it. You might seriously consider taking a leave from school and/or homeschooling so he can learn in an environment that is not so over-stimulating.

Where are you doing the cognitive retraining? I attended some seminars on LearningRX, which is a commercial chain that does this. Are there medical professionals who also do it?

Finally, as far as supplements, here is what I've been taking for the past six months:
- Algal DHA: 900-1000 mg daily
- Vitamin B-Complex 100: 1 daily
- Acetyl-l-carnitine: 500 mg daily
- Vitamin D3: 2000 IU daily

I also have an anti-depressant (we are still trying to find one that will actually help me feel less depressed) and of course the amitriptyline at night.

Good luck. I know this must be totally overwhelming for both you and him. It does get better, but in my experience, it's a VERY slow process.