Hi Almost,

Sorry to hear your having these struggles. Like you, I was involved in a car accident 2 years ago and continue to face the unfriendly daily battles against PCS.

As an aside, one of the acitivities that takes the worst toll on me is going to a hockey rink to watch either my daughter or son play hockey (soccer is similar, but not quite as bad). If I choose to do this, I'm face with a recovery time of at least 7 days of intensified symptoms, anger, frustration, and a miserable attitude. Needless to say, I don't do this very often, unfortunately... this is one of my favourite things in the world to do, and I haven't been able to do it.

Recently, though, I've tried to find a way to be more involved with my kids. For example, I now will go see my kids play a sport occasionally... I have to drive myself (kids in the car with me is not a good combo), I wear ear plugs at the arena, I avoid most of my friends so that I don't get talking too much (they know my condition), and I only go for a period or most of a half. This still brings on some symptoms, but they're more manageable. More importantly, the kids actually see me watching them : )

For everything else, learning to recognise your warning signs and stop doing things before you're overwhelmed is key. Take frequent breaks and let your brain slow down... easy to say, hard to do. This is the only way we can do even the simple things. It's very frustrating but it's the situation we're challenged with.

I hope things get better for you.