[anne921]

Hello everyone.

My name is Anne and I am 17 yrs old. On Thursday, I went to the ER for bumping my head on the ground while playing volleyball w some friends. Loss consciousness for a minute or so and woke up confused.

In the ER The doctor diagnosed me with a concussion and my CT scan came back "normal".. went home a few hours later. The doctor gave me a note excusing me from my summer school class for a week.

My symptoms are not going away.. STILL. I'm having stupid memory problems, an awful headache... ironically, i CANT sleep... and I am just crying, all the time. The doctor put me on tylenol with codeine. Which helps the headache, but I feel nauseated.. like all the time.

I've been reading about PCS, and i'm wondering how long it needs to be before I might have PCS? My Dad just keeps following me around asking "what's wrong with me".

Can anyone help me?

[windseeker242]

Originally Posted by anne921

Hello everyone.

My name is Anne and I am 17 yrs old. On Thursday, I went to the ER for bumping my head on the ground while playing volleyball w some friends. Loss consciousness for a minute or so and woke up confused.

In the ER The doctor diagnosed me with a concussion and my CT scan came back "normal".. went home a few hours later. The doctor gave me a note excusing me from my summer school class for a week.

My symptoms are not going away.. STILL. I'm having stupid memory problems, an awful headache... ironically, i CANT sleep... and I am just crying, all the time. The doctor put me on tylenol with codeine. Which helps the headache, but I feel nauseated.. like all the time.

I've been reading about PCS, and i'm wondering how long it needs to be before I might have PCS? My Dad just keeps following me around asking "what's wrong with me".

Can anyone help me?

This is how i felt after my initial injury. It took me 2 weeks then I made a full recovery. Another injury 2 months later has given me PCS. Just try to rest as much as possible. Be sensible, avoid alcohol. Take vitamins. Give your brain what it needs to recover. Drink lots of water. DON'T HIT YOUR HEAD AGAIN!

Look around this forum for information and keep us up to date.

Most guidelines call it PCS at the 3 month mark. Some at 6 months.

Best of Luck

[Mark in Idaho]

anne,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear of your injury.

You do not have PCS yet. As windseeker said, your concussion symptoms need to last 3 to 6 months before it is considered PCS.

You are very early in your recovery. With the intensity of your symptoms, you should not return to summer school for a week after all of your symptoms subside. If they return when you return to school, take another extended time off.

You should be getting quiet rest. That means no cognitive effort, no texting, video games, loud or intense music. No extended phone conversations. No conversations with more than one other person and only for short periods, a few minutes or so. Minimal to no TV. Avoid bright lights and visual stimulation. No caffeine or MSG or artificial sweeteners (aspartame, Equal, Nutrasweet, etc) Limit intense sugars. Get good hydration.

Yes, this will be incredibly boring. Your brain needs boring. If you can find a hand craft to spend time doing, it will help your brain stay relaxed. Painting, knitting, crocheting, needle point, and just about anything that is manually focused. The hands can not work faster that an injured brain can process (except on a computer or smart phone).

You may notice your symptoms getting worse over the next few weeks. This is not uncommon and not a reason for concern. The only concern is if you develop an intense head ache, blurry vision, difficulty with motor control, are any sense that one side of your body works or feels different than the other, get to the ER. This is very unlikely after the past 3 days.

You may try aspirin and Tylenol combined rather than the Tylenol with codeine. But, if the Tylenol w codeine helps you get some sleep that you struggle to get otherwise, you may need to use it for sleep.

btw, My doctor told me about combining Tylenol and aspirin, both a full doses.

You should stay off the volleyball court for 6 months or so. It is a lot riskier for head injuries than many understand. The jumping is jarring on an injured brain. Diving digs are just as jarring.

Keep one thing in mind. When you think you have made a full recovery, slowly start returning to your previous normal activities. It is not uncommon for symptoms to be triggered by a simple effort. That return of symptoms is often delayed until the day after the effort.

You can easily undo weeks of recovery with one try to get back to normal. So, take it slow.

Keep us informed about how you are doing.

And, watch the YouTube video series called "You Look Great" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Xso...ature=youtu.be
Have you parents watch it too. It takes about an hour to watch all 6 segments. It will help them understand your struggles.

My best to you.

[anne921]

Thank you for responding. I had no idea PCS was for 3-6 months later.

My next question is... I had 2 CT scans (I guess the 1st came back blurry, so they did a 2nd), and they were both "normal." My Dad seems to think that I shouldn't be having these problems if my scan was normal, especially now that its a few days later.

Is a CT scan like the end-all? Is my Dad right in thinking that just because my CT scan is "normal" that I shouldn't feel like this?

[Mark in Idaho]

All a CT Scan tells you is that you do not have a skull fracture or a possibly fatal brain bleed.

A CT Scan or MRI will never show a concussion that does not have a severe contusion or brain bleed.

Actually, a CT Scan is best done at about 72 hours after the injury. That is when evidence of a small brain bleed is most imageable. But, if you do not have excruciating head aches or loss of motor control, you should be OK, just concussed.

Please be careful about letting the doctor order CT Scans. They have very high levels of radiation. If you have any reason to have more imaging, demand an MRI.

Watch the YouTube and have you father watch it too. John Byler never even hit his head. It was just a whiplash from a rear-ender.

Or, have him sign on to NT and we can tell him about concussions. It would be helpful to have him in your corner.

My best to you.

[Mist8012]

Welcome!

I've had PCS for 4 months now and it's my first concussion that I'm aware of. I actually had to give up on my crafting because it was too frustrating especially with the brain fog. I also forgot how to do simple stitches that I knew so well before and reading patterns? forget it!

I think the best way to cope is to do nothing. I would listen to audio tapes or soft music until you feel ready for anything stimulating. Just for a while.

Just my opinion

[Mark in Idaho]

Mist,

I wonder if you have a level of anxiety that is getting in the way of doing some of the crafts that you had learned previously. Over-learned skills are usually available.

Nick has had some good result with Keppra helping his brain settle down. It is an anti-convulsant. But, you still need a doctor to work with you. Until you get that help, comparisons will likely be difficult.

[awakendream]

Originally Posted by anne921

Hello everyone.

My name is Anne and I am 17 yrs old. On Thursday, I went to the ER for bumping my head on the ground while playing volleyball w some friends. Loss consciousness for a minute or so and woke up confused.

In the ER The doctor diagnosed me with a concussion and my CT scan came back "normal".. went home a few hours later. The doctor gave me a note excusing me from my summer school class for a week.

My symptoms are not going away.. STILL. I'm having stupid memory problems, an awful headache... ironically, i CANT sleep... and I am just crying, all the time. The doctor put me on tylenol with codeine. Which helps the headache, but I feel nauseated.. like all the time.

I've been reading about PCS, and i'm wondering how long it needs to be before I might have PCS? My Dad just keeps following me around asking "what's wrong with me".

Can anyone help me?

Hi there. About a month ago I sustained a concussion and a broken nose after an assault. My face was slammed into the ground by force multiple times. Later I was diagnosed with PCS. I am such a *****. The fact that you are just crying is a good thing. Its normal from what I understand. I am still getting used to what PCS is and what it means. Its really strange.