PostConcussionSyndromeAwarenessUk.com is More About Post Concussion Syndrome & Our Mission Today…
Bringing Awareness, Education & Support for PCS (by David Bottomley) More About Post Concussion Syndrome & Our Mission Today…
“Sometimes Important people appear in your life, you hope they will stay for longer yet they often have another destiny. MTBI alters so much within you that often you become unrecognisable, even to yourself. I was compelled to build a network of websites & support groups because of the injuries that befell me, firstly 6 years ago, then again 4 years ago. If you read to the end of this page you’ll have a better idea about Post Concussion Syndrome, you will also see how much more positive the outcome has been & even what is yet to come!”- David B
“Barely anyone in the UK’s public or health services are seriously taking notice of, or ready to tackle the hidden epidemic that is Post Concussion syndrome. Instead charities & private organizations like Headway are the only points of help & support for brain injury survivors. Over 75% of MTBI cases are misdiagnosed, only 1 in 10 Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries (MTBIs) receive hospital treatment or follow-up, this puts them at significantly greater risk of developing Post Concussion Syndrome. Treatment is only available privately at considerable financial cost to the sufferer who may not be able to meet the price; as we know most MTBI victims are in the majority younger males of lower social standing.
We need to change something soon about this situation! Together we can spread awareness & get action for the forgotten sufferers of this ‘Hidden Illness’ & regain our dignity in the face of misunderstanding, discrimination & denial of basic human rights.
Retrograde, Anterograde & Post Traumatic Amnesia, Depression, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic/Breakthrough Bodily Pain, Anxiety & Panic Attacks, Severe Headaches, Mood Swings, Insomnia & other sleep problems, Personality changes, Irritability, Loss of Co-ordination & Concentration, Emotional Lability, Nausea, Confusion, Hallucinations, Fatigue, Social Behavioral Problems, Partial/Temporary Bodily Paralysis, Vision & Speech Problems & more besides are ALL symptoms of P.C.S & P.P.C.S which are not medically treatable (only some symptoms are). Imagine several of those symptoms at any one time throughout your day & at random? This is partially what has led to Society brushing this complaint under the carpet or labeling sufferers as Fake!
For nearly 200 years this serious & life altering disability has been generally completely misunderstood or ignored by health services, medical science, media & the majority of the public. It is however a serious disability from which sufferers encounter extremes of discrimination from all directions.
P.C.S & P.P.C.S (Prolonged/Persistent Post Concussion Syndrome) were formerly known as ‘Erichsen’s Disease’, ‘Railroad Spine’ & ‘Shell-shock’ in the past, but now research has widened in progressive countries into ways of treating this previously untreatable condition. However in the UK most GPs, Doctors, Specialists, Psychiatrists & Psychologists etc have NO idea of what P.C.S & P.P.C.S are let alone how to treat a patient who has suffered 1 or more mild concussions (MTBIs). In fact many are still in the dark ages & believe that PCS is an imaginary illness.
P.C.S & P.P.C.S can end careers & alter lives drastically within seconds & last anything from 3-6 months to a lifetime! Professional sports people will tell you about friends & team mates whose entire careers were wiped out with one blow to the head, never to return. Until recently treatment was thought to be non-existent & is still generally unavailable (especially in the UK). However holistic & physical methods such as Bowen Technique Therapy, Cranial Release Therapy & Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment etc are being used successfully in more progressive countries such as the USA. The standard NHS approach to P.C.S is to ply patients with increasingly high doses of class ‘A’ pharmaceuticals & leave them uninformed on long waiting lists for therapies such as CBT etc that are of minimal use to someone who suffers the many serious symptoms. As the old saying goes “When the only tool you have is a hammer, then everything starts to look like a nail!”.
