I'm in Gatlinburg,Tennessee,as for the Xanax I am so surprised that it isn't a drug given to people with PCS b/c i can honestly say it 100% makes my symptoms go completely away it truly has been a miracle drug in all of this,i worry about getting hooked but then on the other side i tell myself a couple of 5mg Xanax can't be that bad,however i know it can lead to addiction but i can't live my life like this everyday at this point anything to make it go away i will take.

tommy and others,

You guys are all over the map with your information. As a 45 years survivor of TBI, MTBI PCS and a 12 years survivor of PTSD, I can clear some things up.
TBI is a relative term. It depends on the doctor. Often, it means an injury where there is some kind of visual evidence, fractured skull, penetrating wound, something shows up on a CT or MRI, etc. Just because there is something to be seen does not relate to the intensity of the injury. Some docs differentiate by using the Glascow Coma Scale (GSC) or length of Loss of Consciousness (LOC). Unfortunately, GCS, LOC, and imaging can have nothing to do with recovery period or whether total recovery is expected.

It is common to hear than unless there is a LOC, total recovery can be expected. This is pure BULL. Many neuros refuse to recognize what they can not see in an image or EEG. Dr. Dorothy Gronwall has studied PCS since 1978, and found that all PCS patients will have residual problems. They might not be noticeable to most docs, but with proper testing, the symptoms will show up.
The most important fact to know is that Second Impact Syndrome or Multiple Impact Syndrome is the greatest threat to long term outlook.

Tommy, as a wrestler, you are at great risk. I would give up wrestling if I were you. I got a concussion or two even when the coach could drop a raw egg from eight feet and it would not break when it hit the mat. You brain is up to ten times more sensitive to a concussion after your first concussion. my brain is so sensitive that I can get a concussion shaking my head NO. I got one once from an amusement park ride (Tilt-a-whirl, those seats that tilt and swing around.) I have had 13 concussion worth noting. Many more that I forgot about.

I had to give up driving at 46 years old. I live like a hermit because I can not tolerate loud noises, bright lights, crowds, etc.

I suspect you are young. There are a few things for your "do not do list." No alcohol, no drugs, no contact sports, nor any other behaviors that may cause physical or chemical injury to your brain.

This may seen extreme but hear me out. My first concussion was in 3rd grade. A year later I fell off a bike and got knocked out. Since then, every time I have bumped my head, I have had to spend time doing mental exercises to get my thinking skills back. My IQ is in the top TWO percent of the population. My immediate memory and short term memory rank in the bottom ten percent of the population. I can not drive because I can not remember where the other cars are. i can be at an intersection. Look to the left and see the traffic. Look to the right and see the traffic. But I have already forgotten what I just saw to the left.

My grades fell from straight A's in ninth grade to straight B's in tenth grade back to straight A's in eleventh and twelfth grade. My ten grade problem was from heading a soccer ball. No hard hits, just repeated hits.

In college, after a good first semester, I almost flunked second semester. Again from a small bump from jumping down from a rock and landing with my knees locked. Eight years ago, I stepped of a curb and landed with my knee locked and that changed my life forever. The physics of that step show a 65 G force into my brain. The NFL does not get concerned until players suffer 80 G's or more. No wonder Troy Aikman, Steve Young and many others had to retire from football before their time.

At present, I have horrible insomnia, no memory (great for watching reruns on TV late at night), seizures, sensitive to sound and light, difficulty using both hands at the same time ( recently cut a little finger off as a result ) and many more symptoms you would not understand.

I cannot get health insurance, I take $600 in meds each month and hope to get on Social Security Disability and Medicare next month. I have wiped out 30 years of saving and retirement funds. Yet, all the doctors (except for two) say there is nothing wrong with me. The only two tests that show my dysfunctions are Qeeg (brain mapping) and neuropsychological assessment. My MRI, CT, SPECT, MRI/MRA, MRI with contrast, all say my brain is normal. But my brain behaves like I am in the very early stage of Alzheimer's Disease.

Have a question? Ask, I can probably quickly find the answer from all of my research.

Mark in Idaho

A mind is a terrible thing to lose.

sometimes i feel great and it dont bother me at all sometimes it does the ptsd is letting it hang on i think so my question is this does my ''case'' sound that bad and could i recover.I have quit wrestling

sometimes i feel great and it dont bother me at all sometimes it does the ptsd is letting it hang on i think so my question is this does my ''case'' sound that bad and could i recover.I have quit wrestling

hi tommy glad your not still getting into the ring you haven,t said how you got this last concussion ptsd or stress of any type can make us notice this stuff, more, I find one of my old hobbys helps, it frustrating but it helps shift my focus

hi mark sorry you are having such a hard time of it

gcs and loc I lost,ed memory of about an hour before and 3 hours after I was conscious but not at home, like,I dident know were I was or tell left from right but new my name I have a csf leak, but, I think I must have lost the protective fluid also at the time of impact I am still waiting for my appointment with nuro pysic thanks for posting it helps us all I would like to know more about Dr. Dorothy Gronwall work if you have a link or can tell us her findings, this head injury thing is different in every case and we must try to remember this. I feel

thanks again and welcome

Mark in Idaho,

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I can relate - I have had several head injuries and need to avoid crowds, loud sounds, and lights, lots of medications and alcohol. Most people my age, 38, consider me to be real dull. But I have good reason to avoid all of those things. If I didn't I'd be even worse than I am now, and that's not an attractive idea!

Hugs to you!
Heather

Tommy,
I have great days and bad days too. It usually has to do with the quality of sleep I am getting. Also stress loads can ruin my day. By stress loads I mean things that cause mental stresses. It may be reading the newspaper etc, listening to the wrong kind of music, taking on a difficult task, or anything that requires concentration to complete. Sometimes, it is just a stimulus that takes brain power to tolerate, such as sounds, etc. Think of your brain like a pulled hamstring. It can do light work but it is not ready for heavy lifting.

I am confused about this PTSD issue? What even would cause your PTSD? It sounds more like you have depression. It is not uncommon to get depression after a head injury.

How is your diet? Do you take any vitamin supplements? B vitamins are VERY important to brain health. If I go without my vitamins, by the second day, I am a mess.

I need about 100 mg of B-6, 500mcg of B-12, a broad spectrum of all of the other vitamins and minerals, fish oil, niacin, etc. I take 21 pills every morning, including five that are meds.

Who is treating you? It sounds like just a family doctor. You should find a physiatrist who is knowledgeable in head injuries. They usually are listed under "physical medicine and rehabilitation."
How old are you? That can make a serious difference in recover times and other symptoms. The brain is doing a lot of internal work just growing and maturing until you hit 25 years old. It is high school years that are the most critical.

I have more to say if you have questions. Do not expect total recovery. Accept each small step as it comes. You may find that you have to change the way you get along in the world. These changes are called work-arounds or accommodations. Most brain injury therapy is teaching new ways to do things that can not be done the old ways.

Hope you have a good day.

I developed severe PTSD following my first concussion despite the fact that the event would not seem to be particularly traumatic to an outside observer. People think that PTSD only shows up in combat veterans and rape victims, but that's not the case at all. Small events cause PTSD for people all the time - some people are just more susceptible to that sort of a reaction than others. For the record, PTSD also causes profound depression in many cases.

You've definitely been through a lot Mark, but I think you need to open up your mind a little bit in relation to other people's experiences. The general tone of your posts thus far seems to have assumed a "it's true for me, therefore it's true for everyone" tone. Perhaps more than any other injury a person can have, no two brain injuries are the same, no two recoveries from brain injuries are the same, and no two set of post concussion limitations are the same either.

My point here is just that you know nothing about what's going to happen in Tommy's life over the next 5 years, nor do you know the full scope of what's going on in Tommy's life - or Tommy's brain - right now. Just a suggestion, but I would appreciate it going for if you used your past experiences to provide helpful suggestions ("this worked well for me...", "you might want to try...", "sometimes it helps when I...") instead of ultimatums. I personally find your "do not expect total recovery" statement offensive. Who are you to say whether Tommy should expect total recovery? This world has seen far stranger occurrences than a young kid coming all the way back from a head injury.

Sorry if this comes across as being a bit caustic, but I just get very irked when people take a "you won't do this" or "you will do this" approach to talking to people about their health. Healing is a personal thing, regardless of what you tell them, people will find out for themselves what they can and cannot do, and what changes they are and are not willing to accept into their lives.

Yea man the whole ''No Recovery'' thing scared me a little as for your questions Mark i'm 26 and no i don't take vitamins and honestly despite being a wrestler i really don't eat healthy to be honest im in one town and out the next and run my own business when i do come in so i'm sure stress has tons to do with it,regardless of what people say i expect a full recovery for sure