Wow...you sound a lot like me.

I'm 25 years old and I'm going on my 4th year of PCS with some PTSD and blackout seizures to boot. I too have been told by multiple doctors that I should learn how to cope, because these problems are here for the long haul.
I cannot drive because of my anxiety to it and seizures. I feel like a burden to my loved ones as well. I think that's a very normal feeling though. They constantly tell me that I'm not, but it's hard to believe that when you have to be so dependent on them. It's difficult to not feel bad when you cannot help more, and take care of things on your own. I was SO independent before all of this happened, the rock for everyone else, and now I need help for the littlest things.

The legal stuff is a mess. My accident actually happened in Michigan. When it comes to something like PCS that seems like it's invisible to the public, I feel that we will never get what we need. People in general do not understand, and often think that we make this stuff up. It's frustrating but true. It really sucks and is disappointing that one doctor's diagnosis can ruin things for you. I'm still dealing with the legal stuff from my accident and it only adds to the stress of everything. I know that it weighs a lot on the future, but I have found that for me, not thinking about it unless I have to is better. I pick my days when I want to focus on future stuff, because otherwise it all gets overwhelming very fast.

I don't know about everyone else here, but feel free to vent. Venting is necessary, and venting to someone who understands what you're going through helps a lot. It's terrible when you vent to someone who doesn't get it for an hour or so, and their response is something like, "Oh yeah, I forget things all the time. Just the other day I went from the living room to the kitchen and forgot what I went to the kitchen for." It's not the same as what we're going through but they don't get that.

From my time with this I've discovered that I've always held onto doctors promises. "In 3 months you'll be good as new." I waited eagerly for that date to come only to see no improvement. Then they would give a new date or prediction. When I finally had a doctor say that I was stuck with all of this I was kind of relieved. It was oddly nice, like it was finally okay. Now it's just about coping with it all and finding me again.

haha Isn't it great how people say that like it's SO easy to do? I don't know about you but I've lost my composure, and I miss it. I work daily on getting it back. The perception of who I am is not accurate. It makes me very sad. It’s easy to tell someone that their improved performance is a great thing, but to someone who used to be able to do it with no problem, it sure as heck doesn’t feel that way. I feel like I've lost parts of myself that I have long relied on. Trying to figure out new ways to do everything is exhausting and a monumental challenge.

In order to get back in the game, we have to figure out different ways of doing things that really work, instead of the old ways that were dependent on the old wiring. I don't really have much advice on how to do that yet. I've found phrases that I can say to my husband to notify him easily that I'm over-stressed, or cannot handle what's currently going on.

I'm really sorry that this happened to you too. I wish that I could say that it gets easier, but I have my bad days and I have my good. My dad called me the other day and we talked for awhile on web-cam. He made a point to make note of the little improvements I have made with coping. I didn't see them, but it was nice to see that they did in fact exist.

Just keep trying and make note of the little improvements. Make lists, and a list of what in particular you want to learn to cope with at this point in time and work on it. For me it's my mood swings and inability to tolerate stressful situations. It bothers the heck out of me.

I'm sorry if I typed too much, and I hope that some of it helps. For me it helps a little just knowing that I'm not alone in all of this.