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]

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. :(