reading this thread gives me great hope in my recovery from PCS. i'm 17 and i've been struggling continually since i was 14 years old when i got my first concussion. having chronic migraines sort of covered up the fact that i had PCS.

it wasn't until december of 2012, 4 concussions later, a psych eval, being told i'd never play a contact sports again, and turning down three universities for soccer had i finally been told i had PCS.

Due to the fact that i often lack emotion due to my PCS i never really grieved about loosing the thing i was most passionate about. most days i do experience a lot of hopelessness and depression, but reading that people have overcome this is exactly what i needed to hear.

I have an appointment at UPMC, yes where the Pittsburgh penguins and the Steelers all get treated for my PSC and chronic migraines coming up this month. i actually can't wait. thank you everyone for giving me hope again.

Just have to say, you're one tough cookie and an inspiration in and of yourself! Best of luck at UPMC!

Hi
I am desperately looking for skull fractures that included an open wound and success stories, or even risk % of getting meningitis after initial treatments are over-down the road. I feel 'normal', a week later, except I can't live with this constant fear
The neurologist that treated me at the hospital , was just not someone that would talk about anything but immediate present treatment, and after reading several information sites on skull fractures that include an open wound, I am plain scared, and this is affecting everything in my life, including the relationship with my husband, who just wants we to assume I;m fine and have life go on as before. If I even bring up my fears, he just does not cope and even with draws, which makes me even more depressed

Most of my 5 major concussions (where I was unconscious for half an hour or more, up to 2 hrs at age 7) occurred before I was poisoned at age 39. I was working at a horrendous job, and had a "nervous breakdown" and was referred to a doc for disability unemployment. What I got was 23 psych meds in 18 months by 12 different 'semi-retired' psychiatrists. Every time I got worse from a med, a new doc would try his favorite on me. I suffered severe brain damage, going from a "gifted" IQ of about 145, to a "let's instititionalize him" IQ of about 65.

I withdrew from the medical system for the most part and began a "self-directed rehabilitation program"; just doing what it took to improve what i had lost: counting, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, knitting, etc., to 'reboot' my brain. I was tested formally by a Cognitive Psychologist 5 yrs later and found to have substantial losses in all areas of recall (except for significant losses in 'Retained Learning'), Spatial Manipulation, Math, and 'Administrative Cognitive Functions'. It is a miracle I survived on my own, mostly by the retention of my Verbal Abilities and my innate drive and determination to persist and prevail. My scores ranged from 85 to 100, where 100 is considered "normal".

In the 15 yrs following the damage, I regained another 15 points by dent of unflagging self-rehabilitation efforts, volunteering as a peer representative and attending the Rehabilitation Model Training as California changed it's Mental Health Services delivery system. There is no need to list the many challenges I encountered, the abuses by doctors and other caregivers for failing to be "compliant". In the end I am glad that I did it my way!

What i found that really made the difference in how well my brain recovered, it's Plasticity, was a auditory technology called Holosync. I was fortunate to get a grant to buy most of the program from an agency called CenterPointe. It is a series of CD's that you listen to with stereo headphones, and it feeds a different beat into each ear, which causes the brain to try to rebalance itself.

In the seven years that it took me to complete the course, i have regained another 20 IQ points! My obsessive thoughts and actions are gone; I have no panic attacks. I still have PTSD for authority figures and doctors in particular, but that is just sanity, from my experience!

I urge people to believe in the ability of the brain to reroute, reuse, retrain, rebuild, and generally rehab itself. And it doesn't hurt to have a little help.

StormE1

At almost two and a half years post concussion, I'm doing much better. I wrote a post detailing my progress on my blog:

http://eowynridesagain.wordpress.com...-a-half-years/

I was a half lost soul after a TBI. I had to fight for a year and five month's to get a diagnosis.In the fighting time with M.D.s I got nowhere!I was so fortunate to be in a great deal of pain and still fight and continue to search for a diagnosis. I told all the M.D.s from the start I am not taking ANY medicine until I get a diagnosis(made these M.D.s not like me so much).

I was falling apart,bed rest 9months out of 12,Insomnia for a year,running into walls,headaches,eye strain,horrible speech,relapse after relapse for a year and half etc.Until I was fortunate to find the one M.D. that was a neurologist that was sincere about his place in the medical profession. In December 2012 the neurologist ordered me to take a series of different test that was a neuropsychological testing and balance testing.

My results were very poor at that time for both tests.I started doing vestibular therapy mid January 2013,psychiatric medicine,physiatrist,physical therapy, started acupuncture in May and many changes in lifestyle.

Now 6month's after finally getting a diagnosis of waiting in a lot of pain for a year and half I have shown a great amount of improvement.I am cleared of my vestibular impairment and at a 98%. I had showed a lot of improvements from prevention medicine for headaches,neck aches,muscle spasms, major depression, and major anxiety/panic. Acupuncture was the icing on the improvements in so many ways for me from a wide range of tinnitus,TMD,moods,energy,headaches,soreness, the list goes on.

Now I am only left with a few cognitive issues that at this present time I cannot get therapy for, but will in time. I am trying my own cognitive therapy like I have since I got diagnosis of TBI.In the winter I made organic soaps, in the spring I started gardening and doing organization of house such as closets, drawers, paperwork of 2years etc.My new cognitive therapy I am starting tomorrow is going back to school online with ADA help to finish my Master's. It will be interesting to see what results I get good or bad.Either way it can only help me.

I will keep posted and hope everyone finds this inspiring to keep fighting it will get better.Mia

You've improved a lot since I just joined in March.

Keep on healing Mia. It's all going in the right direction now.

pm

I.too had an accident March 10th, symptoms for me started 4 weeks
later. Headache, dizzy, nausea, spatial problems, fatigue, enviromental
dufficulties. We know how u feel and what u r going through, what exactly
happenred with your accident? With me i was on the ice and fell back on my head.

ED

I am going to add my story here.

I am 4 months post concussion and I am better. I try not to use the word recovered because that is such a strong word and brain healing is not like any other healing I've ever been though.

I will say that I live in a state of recovery.

Right now, I can take long walks (3-5 miles), and I can drive further distances and for several hours in a row.

I can drive myself to a store and shop in florescent lights, but those lights can still tire me out if I am tired at the start.

I can make food for my family and myself, so I can follow the directions of a recipe.

My sense of humor and word play is back! I delight in words and writing again. I am writing poetry about my recovery and just writing in general too.

Music sounds beautiful again -- and I can listen to a variety of music, even some of the low bass sounds of a pumping song are OK for me. I do prefer more gentle sounds though, such as some classical music or anything that is not too loud or high pitched.

I will start some part time work next week for teaching summer school. And I'll find out how it goes being in the classroom again.

I feel I am returning as a younger version of myself-- more innocent and full of wonder like a child, and for that, I feel so grateful.

Things that have helped me the most and not in order of importance.
1. Vitamin and supplement regimin
2. Support of a loving family
3. Prayer and meditation
4. Acupuncture
5. Asking questions here and reading various threads
6. The slogan, "Easy Does It" "Take One Day at A Time"

I know my brain is still healing, and my body chemistry is changing in its midlife journey too.

I have come this far, and believe to go further in my state of recovery.

It's my dearest hope that if you read this, it lifts you in hope too.

Sincerely,

poetrymom

hi i have had a csf leak for 5 years and lucky have not contracted meningitis you can ask for a vaccine people who have had strep throat maybe at higher risk if your dura has not been opened the risk is very low