Thank you, Mark. I've noticed you are very knowledgable about so much regarding the head. I appreciate reading your posts and find them helpful! I have also been told that the drug amitriptyline can take a month before you see any results. My son is almost at three weeks so we are willing to give it a try and you are right, as it is the most commonly used drug of choice for post concussion headaches. Do you know of any other drugs and or treatment that could possibly help a young boy in regards to pain relief for headaches when tylenol or advil does not work either? Thanks again!

*When you do exercise with your concussion, symptoms can become more prevalent because your heart is pumping blood faster through your brain. As for the nausea, I tried ginger Gravol, helps a bit without making you drowsy. I used to be the same way not wanting to eat, but I find not eating makes my symptoms worse and I get more irritable and confused more easily without food. Even if you feel sick, if you can try even to eat like a banana or soup crackers (something not too harsh on the stomach) it will probably make you feel better in the long run.

I totally get that 22 days seems like a really long time to be feeling this way, but really for the first few months, as much resting as possible is best. The first while after I got my concussion, I kept pushing through and trying to keep doing all my school and work stuff like I did before (minus ringette I couldn't play because of the concussion). That made everything worse and progressively got more intense symptoms. If you feel tired, make time to sleep. If your body says you want to sit down, do it. I let my body tell me how much I can accomplish in a day and its never wrong . Also, make sure you drink lootsss of water. The more, the better. Being dehydrated only makes things unecissarily worse.

I understand where you're coming from feeling really slowed down when you're used to going constantly. Unfortunately, I've been told that the best thing to do is to rest until your symptoms are good at resting level, then light exercise and slowly work up, never pushing past your limits. It seems like concussions take forever, but your brain's trying hard to fix that Axonal injury.

Hope I helped you a bit and never forget that a lot of us here at NeuroTalk know EXACTLY where you're coming from!

All the best!

Have you tried the aspirin and Tylenol combination? Start with 2 - 325mgs tablets of each every 4 hours.

My online research shows a 14 year old can take this combination without any problems. If he is an adult size/weight, he could even take 3 of each every 6 hours.

It has been my choice for the more intense head aches. Since I have head aches frequently, I think I may have more tolerance for them.

Have you checked his blood pressure when his head aches are the worst? If the intensity goes up and down with his blood pressure, you should ask the doctor if there is something he suggests.

Does he have sore areas behind his ears? If so, he can have muscle spasms that are causing his head aches. These muscles connect to the neck vertebra. It is not uncommon for these to be strained from the concussion impact forces.

Hope he gets some relief from the aspirin/Tylenol combination.

My best to you both.

Thank you for your suggestion,Mark. He's 8 years old and weighs 65 pounds. I will talk to the doctor and see if I can give him the aspirin/Tylenol combination. It sounds like a good idea because he really could use some immediate relief!

I just asked him if he had pain behind his ears and he said yes. That is very intereting you brought that up and it all makes sense as to why he would have pain there. Thanks for asking.

I haven't taken his blood pressure but I will ask the doctor when we see him next.

I really appreciate you bringing up these different thoughts and ideas. My son has been suffering with headaches for two months since his soccer injury when he fell back and banged his head on the ground. The doctor says the young ones can take time but it's really tough to see your child suffer.

Thank you so much, again! You've been so helpful, Mark!

The young ones do not take any more time than the rest of us. Their brains are at much more risk of long term damage because the injury can interrupt the maturing processes.

When I asked about taking his blood pressure, I meant "you" need to be able to do it. You can buy automated BP kits at the pharmacy. About $20 to $30.

Take his BP occasionally during the day and chart it to his level of head ache pain. he can probably operate an automatic BP kit himself.

You need to understand if his worst head aches are connected to an increase in BP. The concussed brain can cause BP to elevate.

I suggest calling the doctors office to ask about the Tylenol/aspirin combination. He needs some relief. There is not much the doctor can do so frequent appointments are not much help. He needs rest, maybe some therapy on his upper neck, some icing of his upper neck, and more rest.

www.NUCCA.org chiropractors have very gentle and specific techniques for upper neck injuries. Some Physical Therapist have gentle traction and manipulation skills for this, too. Avoid any twist and pop chiros and aggressive range of motion oriented PT's. The upper neck needs very gentle treatments.

Many moms here will tell you than waiting for doctors to figure things out is a long and tedious waste of time. They just do not understand concussions. Once they rule out anything serious, they can't do much else, except a script to amitriptyline, maybe. Or pain meds.

My best to you.

That advice all sounds good, Mark. I will keep you posted. Thank you.
You take care!