Hello!

So I had a minor concussion about a month ago. My symptoms went away and have relapsed a bit. I've had problems in the past with really crappy doctors being dismissive.

I also have anxiety and other issues that were present before the PCS...

SO I was wondering in your opinion what is the best doctor for me to see?
I realize a Neuro won't be able to do much but I just need help clearing the fogginess, dealing with pain, and sleep problems.
I want to get back to being as functional as possible but right now my old life patterns are not possible to maintain.

Sometimes a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation can be helpful. Sometimes they are called physiatrists. There is usually a section under physiciansi in the yellow pages. Look under Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Good luck to you.

A neuro would be your best bet when it comes to dealing with symptoms. neuro docs are trained to care for psych issues, but just know neuro docs focus on treating symptoms with meds and not necessarily behavioral changes--which is often the major contrast with psychologists. you should see multiple specialists (including speech therapists, MH providers )to help develop an overall gameplan: because PCS involves so many symptoms

You could also see a neurotherapist. They specialize in administering neuorfeedback for brain injury rehabilitation. Make sure they have experience treating brain injuries. Also, stay away from neurologists/neurosurgeons. They only do what they were taught in medical school: prescribe drugs. Most, but not all, have no idea how to treat an injured brain without using medication. A neuropsychatrist might be worth looking into though.

QUOTE=MdotDdot;534566]A neuro would be your best bet when it comes to dealing with symptoms. neuro docs are trained to care for psych issues, but just know neuro docs focus on treating symptoms with meds and not necessarily behavioral changes--which is often the major contrast with psychologists. you should see multiple specialists (including speech therapists, MH providers )to help develop an overall gameplan: because PCS involves so many symptoms[/QUOTE]

^I agree, most neurologists don't think about the long term management of your symptoms without resorting to meds. so it is important to speak to a neurologist who is adept at treating PCS with varied techniques. unfortunately, most neurologists do not get compensated for discussing behavioral and non-med techniques so they cannot afford to spend the time to discuss this with patients. neurosurgeons just cut and should not be consulted. neurophysiatrist is a great idea!

MdotDdot,

Where do you get the idea that neuros are trained to deal with psych issues? That is not the case. Just because they are board certified as neurologists by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology does not mean they are psych trained. The ABPN has a specialty for each discipline.

Most neurologists are limited in their diagnostic and treatment skills to only those ailments that they can image by MRI, CT, EEG, AEP, VEP, EMG. They are almost useless for concussion and other non-imageable ailments. They tend to either dismiss concussion symptoms or refer the patient to a psych for evaluation.

Unfortunately, concussion issues go widely unresolved by our health care industry. Even neuro-psychs tend to put causation on issues other than concussion.

Part of the problem with good diagnostics is that concussions are rarely treatable. The natural healing that the brain does after a concussion is expected for almost all concussions.

If the doctor can't treat it, it does not exist. If the drug companies can't sell a medication for it, it does not exist. That is the case for concussion.

The only treatment that sounds worthwhile is progesterone. The clinical trials are still ongoing but so far, an intravenous infusion of progesterone within hours of the injury has very good results. It is not effective at a later time. Other than that, all that can be done is treat the symptoms such a head ache, depression, insomnia, etc.