Suzanne,

SOOOO sorry to hear your story. Don't worry; you have found the place where people really understand!!

From my experience, yes, you do have to take it easy -- rest and no stress. I am a teacher and parent, and I pushed myself through the first week after my injury. Even after I stayed home to rest physically, I was still checking work email, sending in lesson plans, etc. I didn't REALLY start to rest my brain until almost a month after the accident.

Basically, what I had to think about (and push my family and co-workers to think about) was how they would do things if I were dead. I could help them a little bit (for example, I sat with my husband while he paid bills so I could answer questions), but really I could not do ANYTHING right at that time except very minor verbal support. We had to pull in a lot of support from family, church members, etc. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP.

I am currently nine months post-concussion and have improved a lot compared to the early days. I'm back to work part time in a low-stimulus environment but still get headaches if I overdo it. It does get better, but really it can only start to get better when you REST. Do that as soon and as much as you can.

Take care, and stick around. There is a ton of great info on this board.