This may sound a little blunt for such devastating news, for which I apologise, but there's no easy way to say this.

Most people and indeed most doctors (apart from the top research types who really know their stuff) seem to believe that concussions and sub-concussive impacts to the brain do not cause long term damage. However, the evidence says otherwise. (see quote and links below for some of it).

Unfortunately I was not made aware of this until it had happened to me. It sounds like you have learned the hard way too.

Find another hobby. there's nothing more frightening than the realisation that your brain doesn't work properly and that you don't know if or when it will ever get better. I lost a year of my life to post-concussion syndrome brought on by a number of years of seemingly minor and mostly sport-related concussions. Others on here have suffered even more than that. By looking for information on here you have given yourself the chance to dodge that bullet - so take it.

I've replaced my weekly soccer matches with singing, running, swimming and reading. I loved soccer but my brain is more important than soccer, and yours is more important than cheerleading.

As I've said, this isn't the advice you will get from most people outside this forum - but we are the only people who know the risks (or more accurately, the certain cumulative brain damage) you are putting yourself through.

Best wishes

http://journals.lww.com/neurosurgery...School.11.aspx

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10932476

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17762746

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/la...288-3/abstract