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The Cognitive FX Blog

Your source for everything you need to know about traumatic brain injury and concussions.

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Patient Stories

How This Family of Eight Overcame Long COVID Symptoms

How This Family of Eight Overcame Long COVID Symptoms

Image of Alex Reis
Alex Reis

You’d think a family of eight with the foresight to pull their children out of school earlier than the rest of the nation would be safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, seven out of the eight family members contracted the coronavirus at the very beginning of the pandemic, back when testing was frustratingly difficult to obtain, and our knowledge about the disease was limited.

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How 14 Years of Unexplained Chronic Illness Turned Out to Be Concussion-Related: A Former Figure Skater’s Story

Olivia Seitz

I started figure skating competitively when I was eight years old. I loved the feeling of flying across the ice, the “wind” racing across my skin, vaulting into the air and sailing through a landing. Like many, I dreamed of the Olympics, and I poured every ounce of energy into training.

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From Wrestling Concussions to Rock n’ Roll: How This Guitarist Found Healing from Post-Concussion Syndrome

Olivia Seitz

Chris Nicastro’s head was pounding. He opened his eyes, wincing at the bright lights from the bathroom vanity. It took a few moments for him to remember where he was: sprawled on the floor after fainting out of the blue. As he realized he hit his head — now for the fourth time — his heart sank. Another concussion.

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Vision Problems After a Concussion: Symptoms & Treatment

Vision Problems After a Concussion: Symptoms & Treatment

Image of Dr. Alina Fong Ph. D.
Dr. Alina Fong Ph. D.

Many people who have a concussion suffer from some kind of vision problem as a result of the concussion. However, except for “blurry vision” or “sensitivity to light,” the vision problems people often experience after head trauma are not usually listed among the most common concussion-related symptoms. These symptoms are often overlooked and left untreated, or they are not treated as effectively as possible. 

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soccer-concussion-symptoms

After Five Years of Failed Treatment, This Former Player Overcame Her Soccer Concussion Symptoms — Here’s How

Olivia Seitz

When Sam Pembleton arrived at Cognitive FX for post-concussion syndrome treatment, she was shaking. Her nerves were so bad that she couldn’t speak to the other people in the waiting room. When they put her in the MRI machine, she panicked. It took several tries just to get through the scan.

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A Bike Accident Took Her Voice Away — Here’s How She Got It Back

Olivia Seitz

Quirien Willemsen is a happy, busy mother to three young girls in Loenen aan de Vecht, The Netherlands. She works as a legal counsel for a bank, loves going skiing on holiday, and embraces life to the fullest. But just six months prior to this interview, it seemed like that lifestyle was lost forever.

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33 Years After a Traumatic Brain Injury TBI This Businessman Reclaimed His Life

33 Years After a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), This Businessman Reclaimed His Life

Olivia Seitz

Samuel Gray spent his entire life trying to push past an invisible wall. His symptoms — things like brain fog, noise sensitivity, short-term memory loss, anxiety, and depression — made every day a challenge. And for most of the thirty-three years he suffered, he had no idea that his challenges stemmed from a childhood traumatic brain injury.

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13 years after a concussion from skiing, this mother made the recovery doctors said was impossible

13 Years After a Concussion From Skiing, This Mother Made the Recovery Doctors Said Was Impossible

Olivia Seitz

In her youth, Myrthe van Boon loved playing sports and being outside. On breaks from school, she loved going sailing or teaching others how to sail. Her favorite holiday destination was going to the mountains to hit the slopes. But that life disappeared in an instant when she fell during a skiing trip at age 22.

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EPIC Concussion Treatment – Aimee’s Day to Day Experience at CFX

EPIC Concussion Treatment – Aimee’s Day to Day Experience at CFX

Guest Author - Aimee Mortensen

Everyone’s experience is different. Anyone experiencing a concussion or TBI has a different story, different outlook on life, and different symptoms, their experience of EPIC Treatment is going to be different as well. With that said, here’s my experience. I was injured 17 years before I received treatment, and you can read more about how I got my injury in another post here if you are interested. Hopefully, my story validates some of your experience, gives hope, and provides direction.

To begin with, I was surprised my schedule wasn’t more packed with activities. I questioned if this would work. I received over 25 hours of treatment during the week when I was expecting a 40 hour week. By the end of the week, I appreciated that I didn’t have a 40-hour schedule because I don’t think my brain could have handled it.

Day One:

I walked into the office on Monday morning. I was handed the check-in questionnaire. I filled out the Post Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) check-in and check-out questionnaire each day of treatment. CFX uses the questionnaires to monitor symptoms throughout the week, and is used as a measurement in their research. 

As I sat down to complete the simple form, I started to cry. I’m not against crying, but it takes a lot to push me to tears. I wasn’t sure what was going on. I called my husband. He said a quick “Focus, give it your best, and I love you.” Then I met Porter. Porter is one of the Patient Care Coordinators and I really felt support from him while I was at Cognitive FX. I didn’t have any idea what to expect. I was nervous. He gave me a tour, and we got started.

*Sometimes you might also have an fNCI on your first day. I got my first scan done before I started treatment for my brain injury. 

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How Writing Can Help You During Concussion Recovery

How Writing Can Help You During Concussion Recovery

Image of Cognitive FX Team
Cognitive FX Team

Past patient, Anna Empey shares her experiences in a series of blog posts including "Perspective After a Brain Injury," "10 Things I Wish I had Know Before my Brain Injury," and here in this post.  

When I first was recovering, I felt like I couldn’t find words to write about my experience. I couldn’t explain either written or vocally how I was feeling or what I was going through. Over time, writing became something that helped me learn how to gather my thoughts and express myself. I focused more on the act of writing something down rather than if it was written perfectly or exactly accurate. Continually writing helped me find ways to get better at it.

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