IreneClarissa,

It sounds like you hit hard. Those hits to the back of the head are problematic because they usually include a serious trauma to the upper cervical vertebra as the head stops but the neck wants to continue to move toward the floor. It is a sort of reverse whiplash.

You should be icing your neck on and off throughout the day.

You should not be taking benzos although you are already past the critical days when benzos are a serious concern.

Instead of the benzos, you need to find a way to get relief from the chaos of the kids. Your brain needs a low stimulation environment, not a drugged condition.

If your kids cannot calm the atmosphere, one or the other needs to find a place to be so you can get some quiet. You should plan on needing 2 weeks of lower stimulation where you can choose the activity level based on how you are responding. Screens are OK as long as they do not cause your symptoms to increase.

You seriously need to sleep at regular times with good head and neck posture. Sleep where you can sleep with your head straight. I used a recliner with a pillow to support my head from tipping to the side.

A thorough vision exam and vestibular exam of how your eyes work with your vestibular system would be good. Look for a behavioral optometrist, sometimes called a neuro optometrist (not a neuro ophthalmologist). Few general optometrist do these exams. They assess who your eyes work together, not how well you can read the letters. Convergence insufficiency is a common concussion struggle. The eyes may cross or struggle to both track the same object properly.

The upper neck injury will not show up on a CT Scan. The radiologist does not look for these subtle instabilities. All you can do is treat your upper neck like it has been strained. Any neck therapy should be very gentle and not include range of motion tests or exercises.

Good news. After a concussion like this, the experts say you should stop drinking, at least for a year. A single serving, glass of wine maybe, in the evening is sometimes OK because the value of reducing stress levels can be worth the risk of complications. Beer is too full of toxins that trigger the hangover. Many find their alcohol tolerance drops substantially. They can be drunk at 0.04 BAC, smashed at 0.08. Very dangerous.

I've likely already overloaded you with information. Please, take steps to get control over stimulation/chaos levels so you can stop the Xanax and let your brain rest.

My best to you.