I saw a program about rest and cognitive abilities. It showed that more frequent rest is better than longer periods of rest. Anything to spread out the cognitive effort between rest periods would be beneficial.

Thanks for the responses! They are truly appreciated. :)

I can see both situations being beneficial in their own ways. Leaning towards Mark's suggestion for now. I would be interested to see some type of study or, as Mark mentioned, a program on this topic.

Reminds me of my killer concussion in highschool. After concussion every afternoon you could pretty much pin point the time my brain would have enough and I would have a massive panic attack. Just couldn't handle the stimulation. I didn't know what was wrong with me I just kept it to myself and suffered. Good on you for sticking it out my man.

Thanks Ricky! Classes start at 9am tomorrow! I got this.

All the best to you for tomorrow!

btw. My daughter has some health problems of her own (but not PCS) and she always tries to split the days. If she's got a lecture on Tuesday for example, she may also have a tutorial for the same subject on the same day so that makes it a big day. Sometimes they split them so one is early morning and the other may not be until late afternoon or evening. Then it's really tiring waiting around on campus for the next class.

Then she tries to leave a day in between. You also need to factor in travelling time and all of that. You may not need travel far, I don't know. One semester she needed to travel a long way there and a long way home each day so tried to get everything over and done with in 2 full days. It was too much. Especially when there's so much more study to do at home and with papers etc..

Way to go, man! I have faith in you. Take it slow and controlled. Good luck! :p

Thanks for the responses. You guys are awesome!

I made it through my first day all right. Definitely a little more anxiety than usual but this is to be expected. I'm trying to stay positive and take it one day at a time. Headphones come in handy for the crowds of students. They were definitely extra antsy today coming back from break.

It turns out the class meeting on Thursdays will be optional! :D
It is a recitation for the TA to go over notes and homework. This is an excellent development! I will most likely go when I can but now I know that I have a day to rest if I need it.

Anyway, just thought I would share how today went. Take care everyone and stay positive!

-Danny

Setback
 

After working hard to finish last semester (I made Deans list with a 3.52 gpa) I suffered a setback in my recovery. The other night (Monday, 2/9) I was reaching for something in the refrigerator and I had to move it then I pulled my head out awkwardly and banged the back of it on the freezer part of the refrigerator. Its one of those where the freezer is on top of the refrigerator. Stupid design in my opinion.

I tried to tough it out and stay hopeful but the familiar symptoms of a fresh concussion started to set in and really intensified today. I was unable to complete a homework assignment due to slow processing, headaches and lightheadedness. I decided the best thing to do would be to see a doctor so I went to urgent care. The physician assistant performed the normal tests. He prescribed me Tramadol to help with the new headaches and gave me a note to excuse me from classes for a week.

My biggest fear is that all of my progress since the real mTBI in October (my 1st concussion) has been erased. I'm a chemical engineering student and the coursework is too difficult to complete with a badly injured brain. My hope is that it was not a second concussion and that this is just an exacerbation of PCS. It really wasn't even close to as hard as the first impact and I have hit my head like that many times in my lifetime.

The physician assisant seemed to think that I should recover back to where I was prior to this bump within a week or so. I really hope that is the case and that I don't have another 4 months+ to get back to where I just was a week ago. I was finally starting to feel like myself again!!! :(

The fact that you felt the need to see a doctor suggests that your response was more anxiety related that injury. All of your symptoms can be due to anxiety. A top freezer door is quite light (sheet metal, foam and plastic) and moveable. The impact forces would be more startling than injurious. I suggest you try to get back to your normal schedule. Following a normal schedule is a great way to reduce anxiety levels. Take ear plugs to reduce sensory stimulation.

btw, A top freezer makes good sense based on physics. Cold air flows down. The milk is closest to the freezer and needs to stay cold. The vegetables are farthest away so they don't get too cold or freeze. When the freezer is on the bottom, veggies are more likely to freeze. Been there, done that.

While I'm glad to hear you say that, my brain is processing at a slower speed. Are you saying that can be a result of anxiety? That seems like a measure of some type of damage or dysfunction. I agree that other symptoms are anxiety related. The real issue that dawned on me is that if I were to take an exam right now I would fail. With two tests scheduled for Monday I don't see returning to my routine as an option.

Also I wanted to clarify that the part of the refrigerator l nailed with my head was this stationary, pretty sturdy surface in between the freezer and refrigerator sections, not the freezer door itself. This surface is pretty solid and would cause more damage than the door. Just wanted to make sure the injury was illustrated a little more clearly.

My comment about the freezer design was mainly due to frustration. I simply meant the design in terms of user convenience, not the thermodynamics! Good call though, your logic seems correct.