Urgent question for Concussion veterans

[sugarplumkitty]

How did you know when you were recovered enough to go back to work? My doctors have not been helpful with this.

I've had brain damage yet they expect me know know when I'm better? My judgement has been off so long, I don't trust it anymore.

Comments

[amusingmuse.livejournal.com]

whooof. I'm not sure. I've got instilled in me the poverty level terror that if I don't work, I'll lose my job, so I went back as soon as I could get someone to drive me too and from work. I wasn't up to snuff, but I did my best. I know I didn't drive my car back from work, 'cause yes, I went to work the day after the accident and fainted, for over a month.

Then, I also worked on a badly damaged knee, which now pops out on me. (that job DID threaten to fire me, despite damaging the knee on the job, if I didn't show up.) I worked with what turned out to be pneumonia and I felt like I was hacking up half a lung. I'm the worst person to ask.

[sugarplumkitty.livejournal.com]

Ok. Thanks. Your example reinforces what my mom and I discussed. If I'm unsure if I'm ready, I'm probably not ready. Call is in to my doctor and HR at my job. I'm extending until July 10th. The appointment I made for a cognitive workup is July 7th.

[amusingmuse.livejournal.com]

Try and do a problem solve at home, something akin to what you would do at work. You'll know then how you're doing. For me, it felt like ice cream headaches if I pushed my brain to think too hard. I couldn't multi-task at all, but thankfully no one complained at work that I was only doing one task at a time.

It took me a while and I mean months, to get back up to complete full cylinders. Of course 5 months later the dentist realized my front tooth had actually hit something and was damaged. After that the buzzing headache went away and I was able to focus on my work better.

But even now I've got two problems that never went away: a stutter and inability to access my full vocabulary as quickly.

[sugarplumkitty.livejournal.com]

I can do some problem solving but you're right that it brings on a headache if I try to work very long at it. I sure hope my brain mends before I lose my job.

[amusingmuse.livejournal.com]

You could do what I did, go back to work, but do the job slower, take more brain breaks, only focus on one thing at a time. A good boss will understand and know you're trying to get back in the groove. It will take a while, and they are right about months before the majority of the headaches are gone, but they still can come back, so it's a matter of learning to cope, as well.

Can you ask your doctor if asprin which is a blood thinner, might help the headaches? I took some heavy duty pain meds when they found out about the tooth and it made working easier. (Though with an addictive personality I don't know if that's a good thing.)

[sugarplumkitty.livejournal.com]

I'm on an antidepressant that has an anti-inflammatory effect and dulls the headache. But after a few days at this dosage, the headache and vertigo have crept back. From what I read about the med online, I'm on a low dose so it's entirely possible my doctor will have me move up in dosage. It works great at first. I probably just need to find my long-term effective level. What scares me a bit is the cognitive tests I mess up. It makes me worry that my job performance will be flawed.

[amusingmuse.livejournal.com]

err, that sounds like the medicine is addictive, if you're going to need a higher dose to get back to the way it was on a lower dose. Maybe you can ask the doc?

As for the job, job performance will be flawed. It's a given. That's why it's more important to slow down and double check after.

I wasn't at my top form and made mistakes something I hadn't done before then. It was humbling, but I stopped trying to multi-task and worked slowly on one issue at a time until I was able to move up to speed.

The question is you at half speed there might be better than you not there at any speed. Even at half speed you'll take some of the pressure and load off the other co-workers. A good manager will see that.

Sure it would be great to take off until completely healed, but I don't know many jobs which will wait that long. :(

[melleecat.livejournal.com]

I have never had the experience myself, but know someone who had to retire from their job due to a concussion. They tried to work for about a year after it happened, but they just weren't the same after that. He was a local talk show host here in Phoenix.
The concussion has totally disrupted his life. So, I hope it is better for you!!

[sugarplumkitty.livejournal.com]

They say I will recover but it may take 6 months. I don't have six months!

[melleecat.livejournal.com]

He worked part time for awhile. Maybe you can do that. My heart goes out to you as you heal!

[http://users.livejournal.com/-the-other-side/]

I understand your frustration. I know you feel like you don't have six months. But I am glad to hear that they are saying that you will recover.

[sugarplumkitty.livejournal.com]

If it takes more than 3 months, I won't have a job. I love my company and my job. In these times, losing a job is a very bad thing.

My 0.02

[yeoww.livejournal.com]

I've never gone through this, but in May 2009 I got a very bad flu, like nothing I've ever experienced. I was out for two weeks, came back to work and hung in there for a week. I could barely walk to the parking garage and was having trouble breathing, but yep, I was at work, Good Employee Me. We're undergoing layoffs too and I didn't want to be seen as expendable.

I developed a bad case of pneumonia - ambulance, hospital, yucky stuff. I was out for two more weeks. My lungs are now permanently scarred and will never be the same, I am told. If I'd not pushed it, the damage would not have been as severe. In the end, returning to work early caused me to miss lots more work than I would have if I'd simply stayed off that extra week and taken care of myself.

If you wreck your body by pushing yourself, you won't have a job anyway. Let your doctors and your body tell you when you're ready.

*hugs* Please take care of yourself.

Re: My 0.02

[sugarplumkitty.livejournal.com]

*hugs back* Thank you my friend. I am taking care of myself. If I've learned anything from this experience, it's to take good care of myself because if I don't, I'm flat on my back for a day or more.