Work with your HR folks if your work has that. That helped me. I would not rush back to work- I did and I think it delayed the healing and could have potentially cost my job too.

I was back at work the next day after my fall and carried on like that for a month- but I slept from the time I got home everynight and all weekend, couldn't get energy to cook or even go for groceries. After a month of that I took one week off- because the doctor told me just give it time and it will be fine-so I didn't know that brain injuries require a lot of sleep. After that I went back alternate days for another 6 weeks and that didn't help at all because I was not getting enough rest and trying to cram in a full week in 3 days. Then I took off 6 full weeks and that helped a lot- mostly I slept.

When I came back it was half days for about 6 weeks. I looked normal- brain injuries are not visible and so people thought I was ok. I still was trying to do full time job in half the hours ( my employer by the way never hired someone to do the other half of the job the whole 8 months of this). There were lots of things I could do but lots that took so much more effort because the brain was still healing. I didn't pace my energy levels and didn't factor in the overstimulation of being at work and how that would further drain me.

I had a wake up call in the middle of a meeting one day about a month after my return (still working half days) when I had a panic attack from all the voices and stimulation. They found in in pile of tears in the staff room. Then I wanted to quit because I didn't think I could do the job anymore. What I needed was some job coaching to ease me back in slowly. At that point my supervisor who didn't really understand the brain injury or the impact on me got human resources involved and then we mapped out a plan. I still worked way more than I needed to- bad habit of emailing at night from home to keep caught up- but we had plan and I was told to keep computer time to minimum at work, take hourly breaks, take walks at home- not give into reading or computer or music or tv or anything else cognitively draining during my half days at home. Most importantly not to sleep- because I was only ever sleeping at home and that did not help depression part of all of this- not 6 months later- in the beginning I needed to sleep more but now less.

We did that for 2 months then reevaluated and then into the third month I came back full time. I still have to monitor fatigue and overstimulation and those first few weeks back I came home and slept for a bit every afternoon after work. It creeps up on you. When I had to add commute on top of that- it was another factor. I just watch my crabbiness levels and each time I want to quit I know I have pushed myself too far.

Don't rush back but when you do go-pace yourself and expect delays and regressions- everytime you change routines your brain will regress in symptoms,but being back to work is good too to rebuild routine and rebuild social aspect. Just be gentle with yourself and expect one step forward and one backward from time to time.