I've been dealing with PCS for five months now. It forced me to take last semester off and I returned to school this semester feeling somewhat better. I expected my symptoms to return for a while, but we're at midterm now and I'm still dealing with migraines, sleep problems (too much/too little), and so many concentration difficulties. Things have been stressful lately because last week was a bit hellish. My symptoms peaked for a day or two and I'm having family problems...and this caused me to get behind on work. I feel so horrible right now because I've never done this poorly in school.

I've turned to a lady that has been helping me with school and she basically said she can't do much. She's always very busy and has no time to talk. I also turned to my neurologist, who gave me a new treatment plan but said the same thing: she can't do anything. My stress levels are so high right now and I realize that's like suicide for my PCS. I've been trying to take breaks with work and trying to get things done with these impossible migraines, but obviously to no avail. I'm just so angry and frustrated with myself and I don't know what to do.

My neuro said she can't do much for my concentration, esp. in regard to medicine. Is this true? What other tips could you guys offer that involve concentration? other than the obvious things like keeping up with health, studying in quiet places, taking breaks, etc. I feel like I've tried a lot of things.

Also, doing homework is nearly impossible because I get migraines every night. I feel fine during the day, which is when I have classes, so that's good...but it doesn't help much when I need to get work/papers/reading done at night. What do you suggest I do about that?

asd;fjsadlk;jkdlsnagowejoiad so stressed out right now

I can't imagine going to college and dealing with PCS. Sorry to hear of your struggles. I know I post similar advice a lot on here, but it's only because I wish someone had told me when I started posting that the 1st thing you need to do is get your vision checked by a neuro optometrist. Someone who can prescribe prism or tinted glasses. Going to regular neuro was a complete waste of time I found.

If it's a vision issue, it doesn't matter how much you rest or what supplements you take. You brain will constantly be overloaded and reading or being on the computer will make you feel symptomatic right away. Best of luck.

I know exactly what you are talking about. I had to take an entire year off from school. My concentration, for lack of better term, is kinda like the dog from the movie, "UP". My Neuropsychologist recommended that I be put on meds for the concentration, and it is now being maintained by my primary care physician. It helps some, but I am no where near what the previous me was. It is really hard. I find myself "daydreaming" a ton. I stare off into space, but all of the professionals tell me I should still see improvement, even though I am over my 1 year mark. I know that I push myself too much, do too much and don't take the brain breaks I need to recharge. It's too hard. I want to feel "normal", but who's to say what's normal right? I miss the old me so much sometimes. But I know the new me is the same but just have to do things differently.

Hey I understand how you feel. I am also in college, freshman, and have been dealing with PCS for over a year now since my last concussion. I understand how you feel with the loads of work associated with college, it slapped me in the face when I first started.

I have also had problems concentrating and my doctor started me on something similar to ritalin, it also helps keep me awake because I was falling asleep so much during classes. I could see some improvements in my concentration and study habits. Could be a possibilty or just something to maybe bring up at your next doctors visit? Does studying with a friend help?

Is there anything at your school that can help people with problems like this? My college has a program set up that arranges tutors or notetakers, they have also gotten it so that I can have extended time on tests and take it in a quieter environment. Something else to look into? I have a hard time reading for almost any amount of time, especially textbooks and have thought about asking if someone could read them to me instead.

For the migraines I would look into medications, I was on a combination of two drugs for a while, Amitryptline and one other I can't remember the name of, but those two together seemed to really help the migraines.

Try not to get stressed out, you may be at the point where this could be a chronic condition and while you are not used to doing as poorly in school it could just be the way it is now. I am not saying things can't get better it might just be a point where it is better to accept the lower grades and keep the stress down. Honestly I am at the point where I am happy just passing my classes, it was a hard adjustment but I realize my mental capacities are not what they used to be, and probably never will, so it is more healthy to just appreciate being at college than stressing out about what grades I could be getting.

I hope at least a little of this could be helpful, best of luck.

-soccer14

Thanks for your insight. I saw an eye doctor a month ago because I thought my vision had gone bad, but he said it had stayed exactly the same since a year before. I didn't tell him about the PCS though. I still feel that it's blurry even with glasses and contacts. Is this a bad sign?

I sometimes wonder if a year off would have been a better idea, but then again, I did feel almost better before school started. The comparison to Doug rings true for me too. My neuro sounded like she almost refused to give me meds for the concentration. Would a normal doc, maybe?

Dealing with a loss of or separate sense of self is pretty normal for PCS, I gather. I've also heard that time is the only healer quite a few times now, which makes dealing with things harder. The daydreaming and bad concentration seem to be signs that the brain is working too hard and is telling you to take it easy for a bit. I take breaks seriously, yet it is still something that only helps for a while before things get worse again.

Thanks so much for your reply. I'm also a first year and I go to a small and rigorous liberal arts college. Transitioning while going through this makes everything difficult as it is. Studying with friends hasn't helped me in the past, maybe because they don't know how to keep me on track and it's hard to see how easily they get things done.

My school has academic advising, which I kind of mentioned already. I'm treated as a student with a "temporary" disability, so I was offered the services you mentioned. I got this smart pen thing from the school that records the lecture as you take notes and it's super helpful for those days when I can't pay attention in class or have a migraine during it. I can also get more time on tests, something I haven't yet taken advantage of too much because I've only had one exam. I studied really hard for it and I've done the reading for the semester, but the prof seemed to think I hadn't and was very nit-picky about my essays and silly details, though I do admit I made a lot of dumb mistakes. Argh.

Right now I'm on an adjustable dose of Amitriptyline that increases each week until it helps the migraines. I was on a baby dose (10 mg) for a while and it did nothing. I'm also on Nabumetone twice a day.

Your advice is comforting. I'll really try to keep what you said in mind when I feel stressed again.

kimik and sarge,

There is no way to get around the need for continuous quiet rest for the brain to recover. Taking time to recharge does not make up for the stress that caused the need to recharge.

The brain needs long terms of stress free quiet rest. Resting on the weekends will not be much help. As others have commented, taking time off from school is a good idea.

Taking stimulants like Ritalin or Adderal may provide temporary cognitive functions but do not help with recovery. They may stop recovery or even be detrimental to the point of making your condition worse. Same goes for caffeine.

My vision was perfect too. That is not the issue. It is how your eye muscles move and team together. Blurry/double vision is a symptom of convergent insufficiency. I actually take it as a good sign, because of vision is the issue, there is treatment for it. Spend the $ to get a visual assessment from good neuro opthamologist and see what they say.

I was back at the doctor today and the combination of medication I was taking for my headaches was amitryptilyline and topomax, maybe it was the combination that worked the best. since you are already on the amitriptyline you could try just adding the topomax. Worth a shot at least

Sorry to hear about your professor/s. That is one of the hardest part about head injuries, trying to get people to understand. I have had some like that, they just don't understand what it is like to deal with the symptoms let alone attend college. Maybe try meeting with them one on one and saying I know I made some stupid mistakes but what can I do to correct the bigger mistakes. It shows that you care about the class and want to do the work well.

Once again best of luck. -soccer14

Just curious, where do you go to college?