Mikeyy,

There was some interesting research done in Vancouver a few years back. They found that 60% of incarcerated people have a history of brain injury. They postulate that the brain injury may be part of the cause of the behavior that led to incarceration.

As brain injury can effect personality, memory, cognition, and especially success in an educational setting, these findings are not surprising.

Unfortunately, the Canadian health system did not appear to respond to the needs of the brain injured. This lack of services to brain injured is pretty much the standard all over the world.

we used to have a hospital for people with mental disabilities and injuries but they shut it down and since then street people population has sky rocketed

I have recently had a bad bout of luck, in the last year I have had three concussions...each worse with time and post concussion symptoms. The first lasted for about a week, while the second took about three months to fully recover. However, the last concussion that i have had was about four months ago and has drastically altered my life.

Prior to the last concussion i was in college, in good academic standing, and was in the best physical shape of my life. Since the last head injury i have had to take a semester off and can no longer workout. My frustrations are how long will it take for me to fully recover this time?!?


Currently my symptoms vary on scale:
Migraines
Dizziness
Really odd mood swings from major depression to manic episodes (never had these until after the concussion)
personality irregularities
Loss of Concentration and cognitive skills
Nausesness
etc..

Compared to Four months ago my symptoms have dissipated, but the psychological side effects seem to be worsening

I understand that the majority of threads in this forum ask the same redundant questions, however, I am wondering when will it be ok for me to return to school and exercise. Also, what type of basic things can i do to get better faster.

I got my concussion 9 months ago and have relapsed twice since. I was doing well over the summer but once school started I went downhill. It got to the point where I had to go back to the doctor despite me telling my parents I was fine. I went back and was diagnosed with PCS. I havent been to school the last week and I have a neuro psych test next week. I hop when he goes back to school it goes a little better then it did for me.

margot, nancy, etc.

School can be especially hard for a PCS patient. Old study habits will no longer be successful There will likely be a need to drastically reduce work load until the student can develop a new system of study, learning, and testing.

Testing can be extremely problematic. The stress hormone put out during a test can create havoc. You should check with the school for assistance. Tests should be taken in as low a stress environment as possible. Normal time limits will be unacceptable to many with PCS symptoms. Sometimes, there is a need for a note-taker as auditory problems may prevent good note taking.

Check with the office that handles disability issues. In high school and lower, an IEP (Individualized Education Program) might be called for.

I can track all of my decompensations through my school years by looking at old report cards. ( Yes, my mom saved them and gave them to me recently) Twice, I had major struggles with big drops in grades.

Those with the highest previous achievement often have the hardest time. They need to learn completely new ways to learn.

There are three learning methods common to students: auditory, visual, and tactile.

Auditory is listening to lectures. It can be interrupted by extraneous auditory stimuli. Some schools have auditory aids for the hearing impaired. They will help. They increase the contrast between the lecturer's voice and the other auditory noise. Sometimes, you can record lectures to play back later with head phones.

Visual is reading texts or notes from the board. It can be interrupted by too much visual stimuli in a class room.

Some find it helps to always sit in the front row. Then, most of the visual and auditory stimuli is behind them.

I do better by closing my eyes. It just makes note taking impossible.

Tactile is touch, writing down the words that are either heard or read.

Many with PCS will need to combine at least two or maybe all three. Repetition, repetition, repetition will help.

It is important to learn when 'overload' is reached. Not much learning and understanding will happen after overload. Take a rest/break at the first sign of overload.

Good nutrition is paramount. Especially at breakfast. Proteins and low Glucemic index foods will provide better long term brain fuel.

Avoid alcohol and other substances.

Most of all,

REMEMBER THIS.

You can most likely still do everything you could do before. It will just take longer and more effort. Slow down and work with your brain, not against it.

been there, done that, survived to live another day.

Thanks so much for all the infp mark. It really helps. I am now finding out school is going to be way harder and yes like you said my grades gave dropped. We did look into school and there is somethiing called a TBI program which helps modify the work. I think I get out of tests also. They will put the program together after I do the neuro psych test on the 29 which is a week from today. Well see how that goes and then well figure out what to do after that Ill keep you updated and thans so much for all that info.

Margot,

If you look through the archives of my posts, you will find therapies I have recommended people take look into.

To ease your mind about school, I am in graduate school right now after having suffered multiple concussions as an undergrad. I was able to continue my education because I did a lot of the therapies I mentioned, and I still continue to do some of them today to maintain my functioning.

After you have a neuropsych test done, get in touch with your schools disability service to see what they can do for you. They are required by law to provide you with any necessary accommodations you might need. I, for example, am allowed time and a half to complete exams and, if i need to use it, I'm allowed extensions on assignments. I also tape record every lecture. And, BTW, you also don't need to disclose your condition to your professors.

And, as Mark posted, please don't drink alcohol. I mistakingly did this and it only made things more difficult for me in the long run.

You are young enough and healthy enough to rehab your brain. Start perusing my archived posts and begin researching into the various therapies available to you. Good luck!

Does anyone know how long it usually takes amantadine and sertraline to work?

I've had the symptoms for 8 years, and they haven't gotten better, so I fit under the category of (PPCS) prolonged post-concussion syndrome.

I was in a car accident, I was 12 years old, walking across the street during a yellow light and a truck hit me going about 35mph. I was thrown about a block and a half, and hit my head on the road, I had a broken femur, abdominal bleeding, I was very anemic, and also with the closed head injury, I had a cephla-hematoma, and now after telling my mother this, she said there was speculation that I may have also had a basal head injury as well.

I was in the hospital for a week, it took 3 weeks for the hematoma to disapate. I went to summer school the next week, things seemed fine for rest od summer school, but as soon as regular school hit, I was having all kinds of problems with learning.

After awhile for the anger problems they put me in an alternative school for emotional disabled children, and I was able to find ways of coping and learning, and I graduated on time.

So now, I still have some problems, but I have learned through the years on how to cope and adapt.

just discovered this talk community. Am in UK and have found few people to talk to with my level of recovery. this is a breath of fresh air for me...

Car park barrier hit my head in July 2008. brief concussion, but
PCS adn stroke like symptoms very strong -speech / memory / balance / stamina -for first 6 months
returning to work as teacher initially 2 hours per week after 9 months
15 hours after 15 months . But the struggle is to do it!

Head injury people say I'm doing brilliantly but that is not what it is like inside.

Just wondering whether it is worth trying to hold onto my job.

I am still dogged by extreme fatigue and have to put so much effort into what I do AND REST so much to be able to do it.

Am fascinated by things that help people with symptoms and still wondering whether full recovery is possible or what I can do to help it.

I would like to exercise more but am finding it more than difficult to keep the level of activity I already have.

Can manage nearly 3 hours pain free when well rested; and stretch to 5 hours activity. If I push to 8 I really am off for about 2 days.

Currently on l no medication.

Agree - mornings awful. Takes so long to come 'to'.
When I overdo it have to have weekends in bed... sleep non-stop.

sleep much less disturbed than previously. use music to go off too etc.

Have driven some on well known routes and in day time...

agree - mornings awful. Takes so long to come 'to'.
Just fascinated to hear how people are doing in the long term.
what helps the most at this stage?

How do you know if you have plateau'ed? or if htis is what you have to live with?

KayC