Hi everyone,

I've been a long time lurker on this forum, and have decided that perhaps it's time to ask for advice. But first, allow me to introduce my story...

I hit the back of my head on a cabinet during some renovations back in September 2013. I immediately had the worst headache in my life, so I popped a couple advil and went to bed for the evening. The next day was Monday, so I got up and biked into work like any other day, not thinking anything of the headache I had. By the time I got to work (5 minutes), I knew something was wrong. I called the doctor, who assured me i only needed some rest and would be fine in no time, then had someone drive me home, and took the week off from work. The next week, I worked from home a couple days, and then went back full time.

For 6 months, I kept working, and used Advil to get me through rough days, assuming the headaches would eventually go away. At one point in February, I think I was feeling pretty good, but it didn't last more than a week before I was spending every evening and weekend on the couch.

I saw the doctor on March 31st, and she put me on leave from work, and lots of rest. I did literally nothing for 10 days before I had no headache, and then I started attempting activities. I'm currently on week 7 and have noticed improvement; I made dinner once last week, did a little baking, I can walk around the block, and do a few minutes of yard work. I can read books for as long as I like, and use my 7 inch tablet for up to a half hour without a headache.

What I can't seem to improve is my sensitivity to sound, and most importantly, the ability to look at a larger screen for more than 5 minutes without getting a headache and feeling nauseous. This is what is preventing my return to work, which brings me to the topic of this post.

This morning, I was informed that my claim for short term disability has been denied. They say there is insufficient evidence to show that I cannot do my job (I'm a software developer - I have to look at a screen all day). They want objective evidence, which can not be based on self reported symptoms. I suspect that my choice to return to work before I was better hasn't helped my case, but I had no idea the beast I was dealing with when I first hit my head...

My doctor has run me through a SCAT2 test (used for return to play), and will be doing a test for dementia patients in a few days, which may or may not show anything.

Has anyone on the forum found anything that has helped their disability claims? I don't see how they can expect objective evidence for a head injury, but I guess they're looking for any excuse they can to not pay me.