Great idea, Vini. I'm so grateful to now be in the position of giving hope and encouragement. You can check my previous posts, but the upshot is that my 17 year old daughter is now fully recovered after severe PCS. It took over 2 1/2 years and all kinds of treatments (Effexor, acupuncture, homeopathy, osteopathy) and she is now a fully functional high school junior looking forward to college and living a full, healthy life. This forum was a lifesaver for me during times of deepest despair. Hang in there.

Hi everyone,

I ran across this thread and thought I should throw in my two cents. If you, or anyone you know, has incurred a head injury and you/he/she is not recovering, I would encourage you to look into neurofeedback. You can just google it and find all kinds of information about it. If you live in a big city, you will probably have dozens of therapists in your town who specialize in this. If not, you can also do it remotely with specialists such as Dr. Victoria Ibric or Dr. Diane Roberts Stoler. My quick story is that I incurred 6 concussions while playing rugby in college. I have been doing neurofeedback for a couple of years to relieve symptoms and I have made great gains thus far. If you have any specific questions, just let me know.
Cheers,

Mike

Since having an all clear with the MRI and starting on Zoloft, I am starting to feel a bit more like myself again. I think that now that I have my stress and anxiety under control, I am allowing my mind and body to rest and recover. I have never been one to take prescription drugs easily, but I really do think that without the Zoloft I would have just spiraled into a very deep depression that I would not be able to get myself out of. At least now I have a bit of relief and a chance to recover.

Its been 3 & 1/2 months since my very minor head injury. I wish I started on this path 3 months ago!!

Cheers, Nikki

i very much appreciate all this hope and encouragement from all you guys. as a 17 year old and a sufferer of post concussion syndrome for almost two years it is giving me hope to just hang in there until it is all gone and better much thanks to you all!

-Kaylee

Hi All,

I normally wouldn't divulge something like this on a public thread, but since we visit this to find solutions/success stories, I thought this would be appropriate. My story is the same as all of yours...multiple concussions, pcs, vertigo, sensitive head to bumps, etc., etc.

I have tried a lot of different theraputic techinques and all of them have been beneficial in one area or the other with the exception of making my brain more resilient to light bumps on the head or slight whiplashes, etc.

So, after a lot of extensive research and a lot of consideration, I decided to travel to China to receive stem cell therapy, which is where I currently am. And, by the way, you'll have to excuse me if this post doesn't read well, they have me on prednisone to suppress my immune system. Prednisone, if you aren't aware, is notirious for turning "normal brains" into "fuzzy brains." Anyway, it is too early to tell if anything substantial has happened yet. The docs say it can take between 3-9 months to get the full benefit of the therapy because that is how long it usually takes for the implanted cells to take root and divide. The cells also contain growth factors that naturally induce your own stem cells to begin repairing brain tissue, which also takes about 3-9 months to happen. There have been some improvements, but I want to wait until the 3-9 month mark before I make a final verdict (plus I'm also on other medication the docs here prescribed for me).
So, I just thought that I would let you all know that this is another, albeit extremely expensive and very experimental, option for us in our roads to recovery.

Also, I have learned about a couple of drugs on the market that are used in Europe and Asia very consistently to treat head injuries. Loads of research has been done on them and the results look very promising. The drugs are: Oxiracetum and Cerebrolysin. Just run a simple google search and you'll find tons of info on them. The docs here put me on Oxiracetum for the first 3 weeks and I am currently on Cerebrolysin. The Oxiracetum made a huge improvement, and I'm still waiting to see what the Cerebrolysin does. However, take this with a grain of salt since it's hard to tell what is going on since I'm on the prednisone. Well, thought I would just let you know about the three new treatments I discovered. If anyone has any questions, let me know and I'll somehow get you my email backchannel.

Thanks,

Mike

After "lurking" on the board - and seeing all the negative information - I felt compelled to post. After a slip and fall at the airport 3 years ago, I struggled with horrible post-concussion syndrome for 13 months. After which - I made a FULL recovery. Six months ago, I banged my head on a radiator (freak accident) which again caused post-concussion syndrome. During both episodes, I visited the best doctors NYC has to offer to no avail. Time was the great healer - and I am again fully recovered. Folks who "get better" go off this board- but most do get better! I am happy, healthy, extremely high functioning married 36 year old woman with an MBA - and I got better - twice! There are obviously circumstances contrary to this, but to all newbies - you will recover.

Thanks for posting your positive outcome. Im wondering what type of symptoms you had and how severe your pcs was. I have it as well and it is not fun to say the least. Glad you had such a positive outcome. Hope mine is as well.

My friend Suzette Allen (google her) suffered a tramatic brain injury 21 years ago, as a result of an auto accident with a bull moose while driving in Alaska. Her head was crushed and the bones in her face were shattered and had to be wired back together...many surgeries to reconstruct her nose...but the worst part was brain damage. It took her 8 years total to completely retrain her brain to be able to do all her previouse activities and relearn emotional and cognitive functions. "It was a very long, dark road with much depression and confusion! But there is hope, no matter how bad things look, no matter how far you've slipped and how much damage you have done or has been done to you! Today I am completely whole and successful person and actually teach Photoshop for my living along with photography."
Suzette travels the world teaching and unless she tells you her story you would never know that she had to relearn almost everything or that she had huge issues that forever changed her life because of PCS. I am lucky to have her in my life and to be able to call her any time. Its nice to have some one who understands and tells you it will get better because they are living proof even when you cant believe it for youself.
And you really should Google her and look at her work its amazing - life after TBI!

Thanks for this post! I am also recovered from a major concussion (it took 6 months). I suffered everything from throbbing migraines to vetigo to depression. It is great to hear another positive story. I find it is easy to get lost in some of the negative posts on this board. There is hope and you will recover!

Carmell

Hey friends, I am new to this board. I have been going through PCS for almost a year now (March 3 will be the anniversary of the day I hit my head). I am a preacher so this has really shaken me and has utterly brought me to the depths of despair. It started a week after I hit my head. I would describe it as hell on Earth. I had extreme anxiety, depression, migrane headaches, OCD, confusion, no good feelings, and horrible thoughts. I had the words of Jeremiah the prophet,"Cursed is the day that I was born" in my heart. It got so bad that this past month I almost died. The doctor told me on February 1, 2012 that my body entered flight or fight mode, 24/7, even when I slept. He said that I had to literally reverse the chemicals in my brain, regenerate dead brain cells and neurotransmitters. However, he did say that I was going to live and talk about this one day. They wanted to put me on prozac, but, I did research on it and decided not to. I was at my wits end and last hope. I decided to do my healing the natural way. I stopped eating fast food, processed food and red meat. I started eating everything organic and researched brain super foods that brought healing to the brain. Within three days, I saw a significant difference. Then I added all natural raw milk to my diet. I read that raw milk is actually nature's perfect food and regenerates brain cells. You just have to find a farm that has a license to sell it. Just a few days after that I had everything get better. I also added working out to my regime. The brain needs blood flow to heal so working out helps alot. I also only drink Alkaline water. I am taking Beyond Omega-3 Better brain Vitamins from Garden of Life, B-complex and St. John's wort. I also take RAW Meal Supplement by Garden of Life. I am now on day 28 of actually doing something to get better and now everything is getting better. I am dealing with the OCD part of this still, although it has slowed down tremendously. I know that I am going to get fully healed in the next month. God is faithful. I thank Him for showing me the way to get healed.

Your diet has a huge role in your healing. Many of the processed foods have chemicals in them that alter and damage brain function. Stay away from things with MSG and high-fructose corn syrup. Really, anything artificial well not do well for your brain. Anyone who has an ear let them hear.

I am not a doctor. Just one who seeks the truth in everything and a fellow sufferer of the horrible post-concussion syndrome. May Christ be with you in the time of sufferings.