[21mom]

My 13yr old daughter got a concussion 1/11/16, she was elbowed just above her temple in an basketball game. She wasn't knocked out and just kept playing, a few minutes later she was tripped, hurt her knee and the coach pulled her out for the rest of the game (thank goodness). She told me as soon as the game was over that she thought she was getting sick, she was dizzy and nauseous. The stomach virus was going around so I just contributed it to that. The rest of the night, next morning - same stuff. She kept calling from school to come pick her up. She begged me to get her before her weightlifting class. I was finally able to leave work and get her during the weightlifting class. She had already ran laps, squats, push ups, sit ups, and lifted. I took her home, she tried to work on her algebra homework which made her even worse. A couple hours later with her insisting that she just didn't feel right, I thought MAYBE this is a concussion. We took her to the Children's ER. Because it was 24 hours post accident, the ER doc chose not to do a CT. She said if there was a bleed she would be in BAD shape by this time. She suggested rest, no tv/phone, etc.
We are now on day 24 and she's still sick. She started experiencing a headache about 3 days after the concussion. She basically has a headache 24 hours a day. Some dizziness and nausea. If she's up too long, every shower she will get dizzy/nausea. The thing I think that most concerns me is that each time she has attempted to do her homework she will get VERY nauseous. She's never thrown up but the nausea is awful. Of course the headache is getting worse at this time as well. She will be super sick the rest of the day. She has good days...few and far in between but even the good days she still has all the symptoms- just not awful.

We haven't seen a neuro. We're doing chiro/acupuncture/essential oils. Our primary care physician started her on Naproxen 375mg Tuesday, so she's had 4 doses of that and it hasn't touched the pain. Dr said to call back Friday (tomorrow) morning if it doesn't help. I had originally called him requesting either a neuro referral and/or migraine meds to try on her after having a few friends that they had helped them.

All of this just to see if anyone has heard of the nausea becoming worse when trying to read/write. Any other advice would be great as well. I've been reading through this forum for almost a week so I've seen lots of stuff..but just looking for some reassurance.

[JBuckl]

Welcome! Sorry to hear about your daughter's concussion.

The best pieces of advice that I can give are these:

*Get on the Vitamin Regimen found at the top of the general forum page. The earlier she gets on these, the better.
*Good diet. Limit (or no) sugar, wheat, artificial flavors/sweetners/colors/preservatives, caffeine, MSG
*Exercise (non-impactful) can be good or bad. Listen to the brain's response. Start small and build up. If exercise helps, great. But if it makes things worse, slow down, or do less. Walking was all that I could do for a while. I remember I started off with walking for about a minute.
*Learn when the brain needs breaks and take them. Pushing through causes symptoms to increase and will delay recovery.

*If she's in school, get accommodations. A Dr.'s note helps with this. I got one from a nurse that worked in a TBI unit.
*Tinted glasses may help with lights. I wear Gamma Ray blueblocker glasses. Found on amazon for about $20. There are better ones out there for light sensitivity like Axon Optics, but they're more expensive.
*Look into vestibular, vision, and syntonic therapies.

It's good you're doing chiropractor. If it's a traditional "twist and pop" chiro, it may be too aggressive for her brain and neck. NUCCA or Atlas Orthagonal chiros are best. Once I finally held the adjustments, my neck relaxed for the first time in a year and a half. My headaches pretty much all disappeared.
I think most of the people on here have had bad luck with neurologists for concussions. Some are good, but most don't know much about brain injuries at all. My neurologist was more focused on the headaches.

I know there is some I'm missing. Hopefully others on here will fill in the missing pieces. Keep us updated!

[Doozer]

This will improve and heal over time. The amount of time depends on the injury itself. Symptoms generally fade, but on the good days make sure that she keeps resting and not doing the things that agitate her symptoms. At this early stage (and yes it is very early in terms of a brain injury) your daughter needs to avoid things which will work her brain too hard. This means watching tv, concentration, smart phones and places where there is high stimulation for the brain. Avoid sugar heavy foods and foods with sweeteners.

Other things to do is not to worry and stress about this. Stress makes symptoms worse. Get a regular sleep pattern and naps during the day if required. Research vitamins, they can help not only alleviate symptoms, but also help the healing process. She will need you to reassure her, this will help her in her recovery, but I won't lie, it may be some months before she is back to normal, this may not be the case, but nobody can tell. Any questions you have, don't hesitate to post them, there are many experienced people here who are willing to help.

I wish your daughter a speedy recovery.

[21mom]

Originally Posted by JBuckl

Welcome! Sorry to hear about your daughter's concussion.

The best pieces of advice that I can give are these:

*Get on the Vitamin Regimen found at the top of the general forum page. The earlier she gets on these, the better.
*Good diet. Limit (or no) sugar, wheat, artificial flavors/sweetners/colors/preservatives, caffeine, MSG
*Exercise (non-impactful) can be good or bad. Listen to the brain's response. Start small and build up. If exercise helps, great. But if it makes things worse, slow down, or do less. Walking was all that I could do for a while. I remember I started off with walking for about a minute.
*Learn when the brain needs breaks and take them. Pushing through causes symptoms to increase and will delay recovery.

*If she's in school, get accommodations. A Dr.'s note helps with this. I got one from a nurse that worked in a TBI unit.
*Tinted glasses may help with lights. I wear Gamma Ray blueblocker glasses. Found on amazon for about $20. There are better ones out there for light sensitivity like Axon Optics, but they're more expensive.
*Look into vestibular, vision, and syntonic therapies.

It's good you're doing chiropractor. If it's a traditional "twist and pop" chiro, it may be too aggressive for her brain and neck. NUCCA or Atlas Orthagonal chiros are best. Once I finally held the adjustments, my neck relaxed for the first time in a year and a half. My headaches pretty much all disappeared.
I think most of the people on here have had bad luck with neurologists for concussions. Some are good, but most don't know much about brain injuries at all. My neurologist was more focused on the headaches.

I know there is some I'm missing. Hopefully others on here will fill in the missing pieces. Keep us updated!

I forgot to mention the chiro is NOT a twist and pop. I'm driving over an hour twice a week to take her to this precious lady. She spends around an hour with her each time. She keeps her on her back and it "looks like" she's just massaging her neck and then does "real" needle acupuncture. I'm not sure what exactly she's classified as but she's not like ANY chiro I've ever had. All of mine have spent maybe 3-4 mins...crack pop, see ya!

[Mark in Idaho]

21mom,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

At almost 4 weeks post injury, she is still early in her recovery before she would be considered a prolonged recovery.

The ER doc was better than some but missed it with the CT Scan at 24 hours. Bleeds can continue slowly and cause symptoms. The optimum time for a CT is about 72 hours post injury.

I wonder if the chiro/acupuncture is helping if you are not seeing results. Effective treatments usually show some level of improvement with the first few treatments. A hour drive in the car can possibly be counter to some of the benefit.

Personally, I would stop the essential oils for a bit. The concussed brain is usually hypersensitive and what is easily tolerated by most can be overwhelming for the concussed brain, especially the aromatics.

Has she had a vestibular work-up ? That would be worthwhile. Does her school refer to a concussion clinic ? They are usually better than an ER or GP.

Until she gets relief from the nausea, she should limit her physical activity to just enough to not be sedentary. She needs simple activities to occupy her mind and keep her hands busy. Hand crafts, solitaire with cards, crocheting, knitting, Swedish weaving, and other hand oriented tasks will keep her brain engaged so it keep blood flow going until her nausea and dizziness improves and she can start more activity.

If she struggles with school work, she should back off. It will be much easier to catch up than to do work that frustrates her and is not real learning. Her brain's health is much more important than keeping up with a lesson plan.

At her age, her body and brain are under a lot of stress as she matures. It can be miserable to add the pressure of trying to keep up with school life, too, especially with a compromised brain. Stress works against her recovery so it needs to be minimized. If friends come over to visit, it is better if it is one at a time. The concussed brain can overload with competing voices. This can also be a struggle at school. It can be easier for her to walk the halls when the other students are in class to lessen the stimulation.

Nausea and dizziness can be caused by a vestibular injury, too much brain activity, and some nerve fiber strain. The brain has a limited amount of processing power that is further reduced by a concussion so reducing that strain is helpful.

I hope this helps.

My best to you both.

[clandestine]

Sorry to say but you're very early in the process and there no way to tell how things will go or how long they will take. Your daughter may be fine in 2 weeks, or it might take 2 years. Personally, I'm 2 years post concussion and still have headaches. This is a sad reality.

That said, children are often resilient and heal much more quickly.

[LouiseN]

You have been given great advice here. I am almost 10 weeks out and I finally feel and truly believe I will be 100%. I think I have said that before at various milestones of improvement. This is a very slow process and as everyone will tell you everyone is different. I read here - I think Mark In Idaho said there is a saying, if you see one head injury you see one head injury. The beginning time I am told is critical. The vitamin regime, the resting, limiting screen time which is hard for teens. Keeping a log of what brings on symptoms. As I started to recover I could go on my computer for half an hour before a headache would start. Knowing the triggers and accepting them-they are real-can make a huge difference. I think another thing that helps is limiting stress as best you can, whatever works for her. I felt like I was "babying" myself but everyone here is so encouraging of doing what you need and what feels right. Take the time. Patience and love and acceptance go a long way. I wish you both the best.

[hermanator90]

One thing that my neurologist Doctor Cantu (Boston) told me that has been extremely helpful in calming my anxiety is that the brain never stops healing. There is no coding in the brain that says "we won't replete these damaged cells." So, the brain continues to try to heal.

So, in essence, given enough time, and enough patience, you will definitely begin to see improvements. I am about 10 months in, and these headaches are horrifying, but the words that things will "definitely get better" keep me very positive. I hope it does the same for you and your kid.

[21mom]

... she has returned to school and is now regressing. I think it's MOSTLY stress the teachers are putting on her.

Anyone have advice for dealing with schools?
We have a doctors note from her neuro that specifically says she should be exempt from testing, although the teachers don't seem to understand this simple concept. She was "forced" to take a test today which resulted in a severe headache and having to go home at noon.

[Bud]

Forgive me all for saying this but how bout if I give the teacher a concussion...we'll call it a learning experience.

I would think you could be an angry mom, a squeaky wheel so to speak.

Bud