So I decided to do this because you all actually know whats going on with this stuff.
I'm the poster child for the "tough it out" school of concussion treatment.
My first concussion was in first grade when a bus stopped short and I hit my head. I spent a week in bed. For some reason my mom didn't bring me to a hospital.
A few years later I started playing football and wrestling. I was used to spending entire seasons with a headache by middle school and I never considered going to a doctor.
By middle school I was playing football, wrestling, and lacrosse, and I just expected concussions. It was just something that happened, and I never really told anyone other than to brag.
High school I continued to play all three, spent alot of time freshman year getting knocked around, got knocked unconscious at practice. That was the only time I ever took more than a day off, my coach told me to take the rest of the week off.

By now, I'm in college, I barely play contact sports but any time I hit my head even lightly that old ringing is back in my head.

Grand total of 7 concussions that caused me to puke and countless others that I just played through.


Now for the real stuff.
I have severe ADD which developed in elementary school. I am bordering on anti social personality disorder. I have intense fits of rage, have no long term memory, and any light tap to the head gives me a 2, 3 day headache.

I know I'm really going to have some problems down the road, I'm actually fairly sure this will kill me eventually... is there anything I can do now to get help?
Is there any advice, anything I can do?

Thank you

Concussion kid,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. It sure sounds like you have set yourself up for some tough roads ahead. My first recommendation is to read the Vitamins and Supplements sticky at the top. You need to become very disciplined about how you treat and nourish your brain. I would also recommend NO more contact sports. You will have enough risk of head impacts just from daily living activities without adding the risk of more contact sports.

A way you can try to convince yourself to take better precautions is simple. Do you want to develop Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in your 20's or push the risk to your 40's or 50's or later ? CTE is the brain wasting and atrophying that causes severe cognitive decline.

You should also seek counseling and even therapy to help you learn how to manage your fits of rage. These can lead to jail or prison time. There are signs of the impending rage. If you and those around you learn to recognize them, you can reduce your risk of exploding. This will likely be the most important life skill for you to learn. Studies show that 60 to 80 % of inmates show signs of brain injuries. The question is, Did the brain injuries cause the behaviors that ended up sending the subject to confinement ?

Your severe ADD is very likely a result of your brain trauma. Easy distractability is a very common sign of brain injury. I would doubt that you are very responsive to ADD meds. In fact, they may cause your behavior to become more erratic.

Please keep in touch. There are lots of life skills for you to learn so you can manage how your concussion history effects your life. The vitamin and supplement regimen should be your first step.

My best to you.

Mark,

So Vitamins will help? I'll really do anything here to keep my brain working as long as possible before I conk out.


I'm in the military so I'll probably be getting at least a few more during my time in service, and I'm really not trying to get discharged because my brain doesn't work. I'm trying to figure out policies on how they would deal with my case.

I'm getting good at controlling myself, its been a while, and the ADD sucks but it doesn't hold me back too much.

Mostly just vitamins and try not to hit my head too much?
Thanks

It is best to make a lifestyle change to help your brain. No or very limited alcohol. Basically a one drink limit. Avoid impacts. Avoid explosions or loud impacting sounds. Try to keep life stresses to a minimum. The vitamins are to help your brain tolerate the stresses of daily life so it can try to heal. They are not a healing potion. The Omega 3 DHA fish oil can help the brain heal.

Hello,
I have been at this for 5 years and I am not sure how many concussions I have had (if it is a bad day I count everything and if it is a good day I only count the "for sure" ones) but somewhere between 5 and 12 and the last major one was 2 years ago. Meds don't work for me, sleep doesn't help, in fact when I only sleep about 4 hours a night for a couple weeks and then sleep more for the next couple weeks, I actually feel more alive and less like a lump on a log. I have not let the concussions keep me back, I got my first during my freshman year of college and I graduated on time and am now planning to go back to school to get a second bachelor's this time in nursing. I don't know how to help because I am in a similar boat, I am just sucking it up and trying not to think about the high risk for dementia as I get older.
Mostly I just wanted to say good luck and stay away from those bumps!
In Christ,
Margarite

Your brain has certainly taken a lot of damage over the years but I would want to say some positive things.

First, the brains ability to heal itself is amazing. Secondly, aerobic training in general and specifically running is a huge brain booster. Your brain is basically showered with new brain cells when you run. It has a tremendous effect on IQ and other cognitive skills as well.

If you complement the running with eating healthy and listening to Mozart, playing some chess or similar and doing something you like, you have a good plan for your healing.

But the hardest part is to get healthy enough so that you can start the running and start to live a normal life again. How to do that, I don't know. But once you are there, you can heal yourself again.

Ball123,

Can you point me to the research that supports what you have said ? The research I have seen suggests any neurogenesis is very limited and slow.