On June 8th my daughter collided with a team mate at soccer practice. She suffered 5 fractures - 3 around her eye and 2 in the sinuses. She had a comotio (sp?) on her retina and her optic nerve was elevated.

The eye doctor says the comotio is gone and the optic nerve now looks fine. She does need glasses now though - which she did not wear previously (-1.5). I'm assuming at this point the bones are healed.

She still suffers from headaches and often has trouble falling asleep. She is seeing a doctor at children's memorial. She says to just keep resting and it will heal in time. She has advised that my daughter not go back to school full time (starts next week).

I was looking at this site this morning (won't let me post link)
University of Buffalo - University of Sports Medicine - Concussion Clinic

They use exercise to treat PCS. Does anyone here have any experience with it/them? This waiting and doing nothing is getting hard, and I'm not sure it is the right answer.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

Hello,

Although I haven't been there, and I certainly am not a doctor or specialist, they look pretty credible. I would be interested to see what sort of exercises they do to relieve pcs. There are also other therapies out there that have been proven effective for pcs.

These include:

-neurofeedback
-vision therapy
-Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
-Vitamins like B12 and B6
-cranial sacral therapy
-Diet therapy
-cognitive training

I would recommend Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, neurofeedback and/or vision therapy for her. With such a young and fertile brain, she should have no problem making a good recovery. The only caveat is that the insurance companies won't pay for neurofeedback and they only sometimes will pay for HBOT and vision therapy. However, if you can get your doctor to word it in the right way, then they may pay for either one of them. HBOT is approved by the FDA for trauma, and trauma related cases and I have known some insurance companies to pay for vision therapy if structural damage can be shown.

In the meantime, she should definitely change her diet. Dr. Daniel Amen talks about this on his website, so it may be worth looking at. Basically, she should eat lots and lots of protein and minimize her carb/simple sugar intake. She should also increase her consumption of the B vitamins, especially B12 and B6. Niacin is also a good one to take and also take Omega 3 supplements. Lastly, she should drink 30-40% more water than she usually does, assuming she drank enough to begin with.

Just google search all of these therapies and you'll find loads of information on them.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Wow, that was one heck of a collision!

The previous post was excellent. The only thing I would add is to be watchful for any personality changes (yes, I realize that can be difficult to recognize in young adults) that might be indicative of a more serious brain injury.

I’m not familiar with the clinic in question. However, I think that you are very wise to have her seen at a university facility: most family doctors lack the training to deal with head injuries.

When she returns to school, make sure that her instructors are made aware that she has sustained a concussion. At least for a time she may need some allowances to be made: extra time for assignments, quieter settings for tests, etc…

Wishing her a speedy recovery,
Hockey

Thanks Hockey, your post was also very excellent. I would just add that sometimes you need to get a neuropsych test done in order to get accommodation in school. For some reason, the schools won't allow accommodations without one. And you should also know, in case you don't, that federal law mandates that if her tests do show deficits, they are required to give her accommodations without disclosure to her teachers. The counselor will set everything up for you. However, like Hockey suggested, simply talking to the counselors and her teachers will sometimes suffice. If needed, she can also use this to get accommodations on the SAT and while in college.

I would also suggest that you take her to a doctor that specializes in
opthamalogist neurology.

I have been through physical therapy for this. It helped immensely.

Please keep us updated. By the way if you need help with school issues
let me know in Pm, I'm a parent advocate in Indiana and know the Federal
Law.

And there are two things to do :
1. Have the doctor write up the 1/2 day or what ever.
2. Also the other things he/she thinks.

Donna

Thank you all for you responses. You've given me some more avenues to look into.

Yesterday I was introduced to a chiropractor who works with boxers and karate students. He sees a lot of head injuries. I personally have not had great experience with chiropractors in the past but I did make an appointment to see him Monday.

I think I know of a place in Chicago for the oxygen therapy. I'll give them a call today.

What would diet therapy be? A little over three years ago I became a raw vegan - I have not had to use my asthma inhalers at all and I've not been sick (which is amazing, especially in the late fall when my allergies used to be horrible). My daughter eats well, but not great. We were just talking yesterday about a strict clean diet trial.

Thanks again for your help. I have so much to learn.