Dave,

You need to understand the limits of the ImPACT system. It has no valid use in determining when your brain has recovered. Your experience is a prime example. You did better after a concussion that during your baseline. ImPACT is best used as an aid to convincing athletes, their parents and coaches of the need to be removed from play. It is of little use at determining when the brain is healed and tolerant of another trauma, whether it is physical trauma, emotional trauma, or chemical trauma. The authors of the ImPACT system and research have made that statement emphatically.

She was way off base in even suggesting that you could resume drinking and partying. ImPACT has not the slightest bearing on such activities.

As I said, ImPACT has no bearing on when you are safe to return to play. If you return to play, you are taking a risk. Nobody can say otherwise. If they try to say that, they are speaking out of the wrong orifice.

The ImPACT researchers have a study that shows that there is not a cumulative effect when a second concussion occurs. The problem is like the rest of their research. They limit the depth of the data. At the very end of their report, they state that the ImPACT system may not be sensitive enough to show the differences between a first concussion and a second concussion.

I honestly expect a critical mass of law suits against ImPACT and the other systems like it and the trainers that use it for giving false information about return to play decisions. The athletes and parents sign a waiver when they play and use the ImPACT system at school but this waiver will eventually be beaten in court, IMO.

Just remember how your symptoms have effected your life. Then, consider those risks as you make your decision. I'd never play a defensive position where a ball can hit my face or head like a water polo ball can. The other risks of concussion are enough of a risk.

But then, considering the other risks you take, another concussion is the least of your worries.

My best to you.

Mark has explained it well enough actually.

This article of research gives a conclusion that clarifies the facts very well, especially as any trainer should follow explicitly:

The last paragraphs of the article's Discussion Section

Dear God... no one told me anything about concussions, nor did I really think they were a big deal. On 12/4, I was drinking, got in the shower, slipped, and got a concussion. The next day, symptoms were apparent. I was taken to the ER where I got an MRI but I was told I was fine- "just a concussion". I took two days off of school. Friday morning, I got hit in the face with a basketball. Symptoms reappeared. I went home. By 2 o' clock, I was plastered. I passed out before five. Saturday, I got drunk again. Same goes for Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... I've only drunk a little today. I feel, as one could imagine, horrendous. I have been not only perpetually hungover (exacerbation due to concussion), but I have recently found that alcohol interacts badly with Lamictal, of which I take a daily dose of 50mg. The drunkenness is aggravated by the Lamictal, and supposedly worsens it by tenfold, as well as the alcohol having an effect on the "high" of Lamictal.

I don't even know anymore. Right now I am utterly exhausted, confused, experiencing heart palpitations, and a strong lack of coordination and focus. There's no way for me to know if symptoms are reoccurring, because what I'm experiencing could be due to several other things, such as overall lack of sobriety, the necessity for my dosage to be increased or medication to be changed or just stopped altogether, relentless hangovers, poor sleep, etc.

Don't call me stupid. Just tell me what I need to do to get better.

hell,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

First thing, STOP DRINKING. Alcohol and concussion are a horrible mix. You will never heal getting drunk.

Why are you taking the Lamictal? Do you have a seizure disorder?

Any doctor treating someone with a seizure disorder should have told his patients to stay away from alcohol regardless of which or any drugs prescribed.

Tell us more about your symptoms and we can offer more help.

Have you been icing your head and/or upper neck at all? It would be a good idea. A zip lock baggy with 1 part rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol and three parts water will freeze into a moldable ice pack. 15 minutes on, 30 minutes off, repeat as often as possible, especially when your head aches.

Getting drunk with a concussion will not get you much support or sympathy here. Concussion can cause a hang-over from a very small amount of alcohol.

Sorry you had to find out the hard way about alcohol, I was in the same boat as you, I was drinking when i got my concusion but had no idea, I mistakenly drank a couple days later and then that weekend along with smoking marijuana

that was almost 3 months ago and im still suffering from a constant head pressure that i fear might be permanent and i have severe insomnia along with all the other glorious symptoms of pcs

do yourself a favor and give up on the alcohol for awhile, I was a heavy drinker, drinking heavily practically every weekend for the last 4 years, looking back on it the only thing drinking ever did was cause me problems and now I have to deal with this terrible ailment with no known time frame of when I might get any relief

I don't mean to go on an anti booze rant im just trying to help ya out, I been down that partying path and look where it got me, in retrospect it totally wasn't worth it but you can't change the past, however you can decide your own future

good luck with your recovery

Last may I was kicked in the head during a sparring session, I was knocked out and seized for about 6 seconds after the blow. I went the emergency room where they did the proper scans to check for brain bleeding and what not. All came out normal. I was released from the hospital a day later.

Prior to this injury, I was a chronic marijuana smoker, in fact i believe i was psychologically addicted to the drug. Anyway after my concussion I made the really dumb move to smoke marijuana around 4 days after my injury. Although it felt stranger than the usual high, I blew it off as a one time thing and smoked again around 3 days later. The strange feeling was still there but once again i blew it off as being in my head because i had done research that said marijuana has some properties that induce healing in concussed patients. Boy was I wrong. I continued to smoke throughout the next month and a half and even though sometimes i would have a strange feeling in my head i continued to blow it off and reassure myself that it was all just anxiety.

One time i smoked and my head felt as if it was swelling, i woke up the next morning and my brain felt as if it was sloshing around in my head. I also felt extremely foggy and had a warm feeling in the back of my head. As well, I had a pressure/tension behind my eyes and on my temples. This feeling persisted for about 4 days progressively getting better.

I decided it was time to go to my neurologist to get a check up. I told him I had smoked throughout the past few months and he ordered for an EEG and an MRI. I had both and they came out completely normal. The doctor said my brain just needed rest and that there was nothing to worry about. I listened and gave my body and brain rest, eating a healthy diet and having a good exercise regimen.

About 6 months later, midterms came along for my classes at school. I decided that possibly a 20 mg adderal would help me focus better on my studying and what not. I was wrong, it made me completely unfocused and made me have an extreme anxiety attack. Also following the taking of the adderal, I have developed eye floaters when looking into the bright sky, something which I have never had before.

After that incident I have had on and off feelings of brain foggyness, trouble reading, trouble hearing, a feeling of my ears being clogged, swelling brain feeling, hot brain feeling, and just an overall bad feeling. Like I said these symptoms are "on and off" meaning some days I will feel great and other days I will have these symptoms.

I know my choices to use drugs were ridiculous and immature, and nonetheless idiotic. I cannot find any other reason as to why I abused marijuana knowing that it could hurt me in the long run other than the fact that I was addicted. I can assure you that I do not use any drugs any longer, the guilt of my stupidity is too much for me too even consider it. I AM NOT LOOKING TO BE REPRIMANDED FOR MY BEHAVIOR, I KNOW IT WAS STUPID I JUST WANT ANSWERS.

Although I am not using drugs, I am constantly around friends and the party scene (seeming that i am 18), therefore I am constantly around marijuana. Even the slightest (accidental) inhale of second hand smoke causes me to feel different, or "high". I feel as if my brain is extremely sensitive, the high is not normal, I have terrible symptoms such as the hot feeling and brain swelling feeling. As well it feels as if my ears are clogged. I have asked my neurologist once again what these feelings could be, he attributes it all to my anxiety. I without a doubt know that it is not my anxiety and that it is indeed something different. Possibly it is the fact that the blood vessels in my brain have not healed yet, and I am very sensitive to the constricting and dilating that occurs when a drug is introduced to the brain?

I am just look for some insight whether this will ever go away and if my brain will ever be able to handle a social drink or drugs again. I am not worried about smoking marijuana ever again, I could careless. I am worried if G-d forbid I ever need anesthesia, the effects on my sensitive brain could cause extreme damage. Please once again I am NOT looking to be judged, I have made mistakes in my life just as all of us have.

I am looking for some insight on what to do now in terms of neurological scans/ tests to determine and permanent damage, a vitamin regimen I should take to promote healing, and if these symptoms correlate with those of PCS.

just joined neuro talk after suffering concussion at age 66 in car accident in so. california on 2/26/13. disgusting care so far unless you go to San Diego. been drinking to relieve stress but know it is not a good idea...please stop! all I hear is Junior Seau's suicide and army vets...all the rest of us suck, and forget senior citizens, afterall, they're old. I retired here after 40 yrs. working to enjoy my golden years that now have turned to coal. Sorry for my complaining,but no good care when you are on medicare and are in an accident case. My family members think I am senile or are faking it. Any good suggestions for medical care in Temecula, Ca.? Please help!!

I didn't have to go to hospital, either. After 6 months, my doc at the university I was at shook my hand, told me I was looking great, and sent me on my way. I drink approx 6 small glasses of wine per year and I am even wary about that. And now, at 20 months after the fact, I am still struggling. I fell and banged my head on the corner of our bed. No indentation, I didn't pass out, etc. and the health line I called said not to worry, just to watch over the next few days. Little did I know I had a concussion and whiplash.
My point is, you suffered a head injury. It's serious, whether you think it is or not. Put your health first before anything else. It won't be good to hurt yourself again.

I work with Aboriginal youth and sometimes their lives can be rather difficult. One of the boys I work with was swarmed and severily injured, after a CT scan the doctor told him he had a "mild" concussion. My psychopharmacolgy professor had told us there is no such thing and I'm inclined to believe him.

Today I had to assist this boy's parents in getting their son into a psychiatric hospital because he had a psychotic episode complete with paranoid delusions and hallucinations. This had been building over the last 3 days but he was able to hold it together when speaking to professionals. Last night he barricaded himself in the family home and set glass. Bottles at every point of entry, so that he would have a warning when the zombies attacked. It sounds funny but thgere's nothing amusing about what he's going through. His father was afraid for his family's safety so he stayed up all night to make sure his son didn't injure himself or anyone else. They had already tried twice to get him admitted to hospital but he would run away and the ambulance and police would leave without him.

This morning he ran away again, his brother called me and we started looking for him, this time we were able to catch him and he is under observation for 72 hours, sedated and safe for now. I've been working with him for 6 years while he was on probation, it's been very hard for him but he was finally turning his life around, I was very much afraid for him and prayed that his life would not end this way. It's so hard to warn teens about the dangers they expose themselves to, sometimes they seem to go out of their way to do dangerous and stupid things but some of us are stiil out there pitching. Hopefully between the assault and the psychosis he will be scared enough to make changes in his life. To all our young peoiple, no matter how dark things seem there is always someone out there who cares about you, worries about you and loves you. Sometimes it's a parent, or a friend's parent, sometimes it's a sibling or a professional but there is always someone who will take the time to help. We minimise the impact of drugs especially pot and alcohol but they are destructive forces.

There are genetic factors that can impoact brain chemistry and cause you to react in unpredictable ways. I'm studying psychopharmacology so that oi can better assist thge kids I work with, and I am learning a lot about how different ethnic groups react to drugs. So please understand that there is no such thing as harmless drugs and that people who care are a far better way to cope with your stress. Before going completely of the deep end, this young man said he would always love me no matter what and he was concerned that he was causing me too much stress and was afraid that something woukd "happen to me" but in his psychotic state, his fears became real to him and he thought I was in hospital, it didn't help his mental state to think I was near death. I was really grateful to see all the posts from people who had concussions and telling how drug use caused them harm. I'll be showing these to him when he's released and hopefully this will help him turn around.

I searched for a over a year after the accident for a diagnosis. In that year I had M.D.s trying to push me on narcotics.I told them I am not taking ANYTHING until I get "a" diagnosis.In the mean time I was never a big drinker I ended up using alcohol as numbing juice for pain.I had no direction to what was wrong with me.I had medical neglect and nowhere to turn to but alcohol.

The worst mistake I did because I think it has contributed to my long term cognitive impairments and I think more mental diagnosis.

You have a great idea at showing him this thread because it is something that really needs to be taken seriously.He will thank you in the end.