Feeling better I guess....
 

So, I am feeling so much better than last week... I had overdone it on the weekend and spent the entire week paying for it... This weekend, I obviously scaled back, and I've spent a mosly quiet week at home doing nothing, or very little... I do find I can do things here and there, which is nice.

I watch myself so much more closely, and can tell when I am overexerting. I hate that I have to watch myself so closely, but I guess that is life with PCS... I see a lot of people here who, years later, still suffer the effects of PCS, but is there anyone who would consider themselves fully recovered??? I'm terrified that this battle will be for naught, and that in the end, I'm not going to have much luck or really improve much more than I have. I seem to be stuck in the same place of recovery for the better part of six weeks, which doesn't sound like a lot, but its an eternity to me.

I do think that the thyroid meds are helping though. I feel a bit more energized during the day, and definitely not so apathetic. I now see all the things on my need to do list that I've ignored and feel pretty panicky about them!!! Oh, and as part of TTC, I am now on progesterone, which Mark said has a protective effect on the brain, so I hope that is helping as well!

Anyways, Just wanted to update, and see who would consider themselves recovered... Just feel like I need a bit of hope here!

I would say i consider myself recovered at this point. I just hit 1 year. But i am a very Type A personality and did a lot of pushing through in the beginning which set me back multiple times. The thing is....we all test our limits and when we have energy suddenly, we go and try and run as many errands as we can and do as much as we can....and then we pay for it for weeks. Even if you get these bursts of energy....rest!!!!

Accepting our limitations and following through on good nutrition and rest are the best pieces of advice i can give you. Accepting is the big part because its hard to look at ourselves different than how we were before our TBIs. But once you accept that this is the new you, its easier to follow through with treating our bodies kindly and giving it the rest it needs to heal. Good luck to you!

Thank you nightnurse.... It's hard, but I really am starting to take it much easier on myself... I truly watch how I feel and take cues from the smallest of things... I am at the point where if I am just sitting on the couch I am pretty much ok... except for intense reading... but any kind of activity tends to start bringing on a headache, it's just a matter of how much activity I can handle before the headache gets bad.... and sometimes, it doesn't even show up till the next day!

Anyways, I am glad to hear that you feel recovered... It really gives hope to me.

I've been told by numerous professionals (and I've read the same thing in many articles) that the people who are "Type-A Personalities", stubborn, very motivated and/or over-achievers have the BEST recoveries. Just try to stick through it as best you can and hang onto that hope.

Just the other day, I spoke to a researcher who's worked with more than 500 TBI patients in the last three years and he said that the people who tell themselves, "this is unacceptable" make the best recoveries.

I think the same thing that makes us overdo it, is what pushes us toward our eventual successes.

Don't worry when you get down in the dumps or scared... it's completely natural. Something might be wrong with you if you didn't experience those things. ;) But pick yourself up from that as soon as you can and keep on truckin'!

Camyam, I totally hear you on this. I think we had our injuries around the same time, mine was Feb 19, 2012.

I have similar issues with overdoing it the minute I feel a tiny bit ok, or at least not wretched and then pay for it in the days that follow. But at the same time, if I don't push myself a bit, how will I know what I can / can't do?

Just wanted you to know you're not alone and I can really empathize with your posts. Hang in there.

Starr

thanks Starr... seems we are both in Ontario too (barrie here)...

It's pretty tough to know how far to be able to push.... I certainly don't want a repeat of last week, or any other weeks where I had a resurgence of symptoms... but I get antsy sitting around doing nothing (which is the only thing guaranteed not to aggravate)....

Hopefully we will both find a way through.

I'm just west of Ottawa, but know the Barrie area very well. Used to vacation up that way.

I know for me, my doing "nothing" is still a fair bit. I have to drive my family members to and from the bus, make meals and clean up after (no dishwasher), look after my 2 dogs (I've not been able to walk them since the accident, but we have a large yard and my husband walks them when he's around in daylight hours) and keep my 3 goats fed and cleaned up after.

So on top of that, I try to only do one thing a day. If I need to go to the doctor, that's my one thing. If we need groceries or the truck needs to go in for servicing, that's it for the day. I also try to make Fridays and Mondays fairly easy days as I know I typically will overdo it on the weekend. (I find it difficult to nap when my family is home).

If I stick to my "one thing a day" plan, I do ok. I try to make time each day to nap, like get into bed and sleep, not just doze in a chair. Some days I'm ok with an hour, some days its 3 hours I need in order to keep going.

Its been not too stressful to limit, but as the weather improves, its harder, as I have many things I need and want to do. I was supposed to get 50 laying hens this spring, but I've put that on hold, just to limit my day to day obligations. I have fencing to install, etc etc. Difficult to be patient when so much awaits on our hobby farm.

I'm also on the fence about horse back riding, something I've done all my life and is my passion. I'm debating whether its worth the risk to start up again. That decision will wait until I'm healed, but in many ways, I'm already antsy to saddle up and get on with my life.

I agree with the people that say that the type A people tend to make better recoveries, because we're driven. But I can also see how a type A person's recovery could be a bit slower because we're always pushing the limits.

I'm starting to reach the point that I realize I have to forget who I WAS and don't worry about who I will be tomorrow, just deal with what I have right now and make the best of it. I wouldn't say its resignation... maybe acceptance?

Its certainly tricky stuff. Sorry to be so rambly. My whole point is that by pushing too far (and paying for it) is just the process of learning what we can and can't do. Testing our boundaries, I suppose.

Best of luck to you. It helps me to remember I'm not alone and you are not either. :hug:

Starr

Hey camyam

I was really desperate to hear of full recoveries when I was in the thick of PCS.... the funny thing is I just popped onto neurotalk to offer something positive and hopeful - so i am delighted to tell you and others that I believe I'm COMPLETELY back to normal now :)

Have hope - you will recover - and you will probably be a better person because of what you've been through with PCS.
I know i have screeds more patience, appreciate the little things in life sooo much more and generally look after myself much better than pre-injury

Sending good vibes your way

annamoore - thank you so much! I think stories of complete recovery are harder to find, since eventually, those who are recovered move on, and away from these types of boards... I am incredibly grateful that you did pop in... I like to think of myself as a hopeful person, and this simply bolsters those thoughts...

Starr - Hoping you see my reply here, since I'm also following your thread on the rash... I really think you should hit a walk in, and get a referral from there. Tell them that you've let your Pdoc go because his knowledge of concussions isn't up to date. LEt them know that this issue has been going on for far too long... the longer you wait for a referral the longer the wait is, since even for me, (and my referral happened a few weeks ago) I have to wait another three months!

I too try to do the "one thing a day" idea... For me it is hard... I'm starting a lawsuit against the school where I fell, and my work is only about a five minute drive from my home... I always feel like if I go out, that my work will think I am faking, or if the school hires a detective that my doing my single errand for the day will be negatively construed.... I rarely leave my house without my husband in general, unless its for doctors appointments... Which is fine, since I am not really overly comfortable driving to begin with...

Anyways, just wanted to let you know that I understand where you are coming from, and I love that we both have such positive attitudes.... with any luck we will both recover sooner rather than later...

Wow, that's a brutal addition of stress when there's already so much physical and emotional stress. I can't imagine what that must add. :hug:

I know about a week after my fall, my husband asked me if we were going to sue the owners of the property and owners of the horse that I was riding and I told him there was no way I could even consider that, the stress, the thinking, etc that would come with doing that. I still couldn't.

Besides, in my case, #1, I signed a waiver (which doesn't mean much, I know) and #2, I'm friends with the property/horse owner and #3, horses will be horses and it was a series of flukes from start to finish that ended with me on my head and my helmet smashed. (Not that I remember, I lost about 3 hours of memories, 1 hour before the fall and 2 after.)

I suppose I'm lucky, my life is generally setup around being home (my husband works in town and I run the hobby farm) so I've not had that change in routine... just have scaled back dramatically what gets done. I'm normally hermit- like ;)

Starr

The thinking has been pretty hard... I received papers from workers comp about three weeks after the injury, plus some horrible paper work from my job saying the season was over and I was no longer needed (I am a photographer so the work is seasonal)... I needed to read stuff for workers comp and just simply could not! I nearly just signed the waiver (meant I would get WC and not be able to sue the school where I fell)... until I got the letter form my work... It meant I wouldn't have a job, and WC wouldn't cover the hours that I missed, which meant I wouldn't even qualify for EI (I was about 100 hours short).... I hired a lawyer, but it's not exactly a straight forward process... Still so much to do, and sometimes, I just don't have it in me to do any of it...