To work or not to work?
 

I've just found this site having gone it alone for the last 7 months!

It has been very s l o w, but I am improving.

My employer is not keen for me to be back at work until I am 100%

I know everyone is different but I would appreciate your views-Has anyone else gone back to work too early or 'to just give it a try'?

Glad you found the site....It has really helped me face/deal with my issues - though I didn't find it until this spring and my concussion was 2 1/2 almost three years ago.

If you are able NOT to go back to work i.e. financial etc. then I strongly suggest that you take your time. I went back to work after 1 month....obviously not enough time to heal but had to in order to pay my bills and keep a roof over my head and the fact that my neurologist did not mention it could be a possible problem (I have changed neurologist since then)....I've continued to have problems that doctors are classifying as being permanent - maybe just maybe if I had not gone back to work so soon would the issues have been temporary? I'll never know now. I have vestibular issues, loss of short term memory, balance, processing information. I just had my 2nd MRI and the damage to the back of my head in the grey matter has not healed, not gotten worse but not gotten better either. Still trying to work, though my work has become very frustrated with me and my lack of performance....

Talk it over with your doctors...and choose your path wisely.

Melek

I think many of us have dealt with this question. My experience was initially returning after 6 weeks. I burned out after about 2 months. Then I took a month off and have returned part-time 3-4 hrs/day. Even this much is hard some weeks. I am working with an agency (Canadian) that is now recommending 3 hrs, 3 days per week and then gradually building up.

I think it really depends on the person. I am better to do a little, but keep the routine of going to work and mixing with people. If I stay home too long, I get introverted and lose my confidence. It's a personal thing for sure.

Good luck

Well after I posted this my Doc said no to me going back anyway!

It is taking until now for me to realise I am not getting better over night there is not a magic pill! I have kept on thinking that I'll be right in a couple of weeks for ages now.

Thank you all again for the input!

:)

Well I am still not at work but I cannot help but feel that people just look at me as if I am being lazy.

I am lucky that I do not live alone since I have needed the help around the house but this means I do not qualify for any financial help. Although this accident has brought us closer together, I am used to being independent and relying on somebody else to support me is hard. It has been suggested that I fill envelopes from home to help out while I am off of work....does anybody know a real company in the UK that actually pays for this or are they all scams?

Thanks :)

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.

Thank you neuro angle... and sorry for the delay in my reply.

....Well I have not gone back to work yet. To be honest I feel so depressed just now it's not even on my to do list yet. They have said I can go back on a phased return when I go back.


...I would willingly give these sweet words of advice to someone else in this situation but I am finding it hard to be so soft on myself when it's in relation to me! Thank you and please do not take that as me being ungrateful!

x

going back to work
 

hi I went back to work and my employer got rid of me so take care I am now on incapacity benefit and cant pay the bills
kind regards vini

I have found that it is very hard to manage on IB...it does not even half cover my bills, just adding to the stress of this whole situation :(

Your story is a tough one to read, I do hope that everything starts to progress for you soon.

All the best :)

headway good saurce of info & support in uk
 

hello mr bump

headway as you may know , is a charitable trust that works within the NHS in the UK, IB system dos ant seem to to help us or other people with medical conditions ,I wanted to pick up a prescription the other day and had to pay , I have a prescription for glasses to correct my double vision but cant afford to get them, on the work front I have had to turn jobs away because I would only be setting my self up to fail with my symptoms as they are My employer was paying me on full pay, so I felt obligated plus they kept phoning, but when they could see I was not up to it, they set me up for the sack, not hard when you have a TBI. The various benefit forms we have to fill out would make a person without a TBI get an head ache!! we are both in the UK so keep in touch mate anytime kind regards Vini