Advice? Difficulty returning to work and pushing through. Harmful?
 

I suffered a concussion as a result of an assault 2 months ago. Symptoms improved fully after two weeks, after which I hit my head a week after that (not too hard, but hard enough) on a door frame while unloading a van and everything came back full force. Since, things have been up and down, but not consistently normal. My current symptoms include dizziness and lightheadedness, disorganization, brain fog, mild headaches, "slow" thinking, pressure feeling in head, anxiety/panic attacks with physical symptoms including heart palpitations, very mild tremor in hands and jaw, low energy, and intolerance to alcohol, caffeine, and heat, also patterns (i.e. checkered floors in large spaces like the mall or airport make me feel dizzy/weird, etc... anyone experienced that one?? never heard of it..) Initial symptoms of severe headache, (one) hallucination, and numbness/tingling in random areas have subsided. Have had one CAT scan immediately after the incident (normal) and was recommended another, which was also normal, a little over a month after as a follow-up due to jaw tremor symptoms (seizure suspicion, everything was fine though.) Since the beginning have been on a supplement regimen of fish oil, magnesium, turmeric, b vitamins, resveratrol, green tea extract. Was prescribed lorazepam for panic attack symptoms. (never have been on psych meds before). Improved a week before my seasonal job started, which is as a field botanist in the Great Basin in Nevada. Involves lots of camping and hiking in hot desert conditions for 4-8 days at a time.
I have since returned to work last week and I love my job. But, my symptoms are raging and are making it very difficult to be here. I offroad a lot in the work truck and the jostling is really hard to handle. makes me feel like my head is full of pressure and it just hurts. I am not able to adjust to the heat as I have in the past and have gotten dizzy and out of it very easily which is un-nerving out in the wilderness. My co-worker told me the first time it happened I got very pale (to be fair,that was the first day we were out and I think I really needed to be drinking more water..) I lay down to sleep at night in my tent and it feels like my head immediately swells and I have to struggle to sleep.
I really don't want to quit my job. It's awesome. And I feel terrible that I flew out here from across the country and I may have to quit after only one week. Is it harmful to push through these symptoms? Will my body adjust?
This has been a weird and long road, it feels like, although from reading this forum I know a lot of you have been dealing with this for much longer and I hope to not offend you by saying that. I would really like to e-mail someone as a mentor about some of these issues if anyone is up for it and has some hope they would like to share. yesterday i just broke down and cried after returning from my stint in the desert. I haven't had the energy to cry up until this point. I feel defeated but I don't want to give up on this job that is so important to me.

I've been at this TBI thing for over 3 years now. I have not returned to work, but I am taking graduate classes. (My doctors feel if I finish my degree, I have less of a chance re-injury, due to the nature of my job).

Anyway, are you doing harm by pushing through? Technically no. However, your brain is only going to let you push so hard for so long before you are dealing with really severe symptoms. (I've done this a few times and ended up in bed for like a month). The long and short of it is, each time you over do it (i.e. your symptoms increase), you are adding on to your recovery time.

Believe me, I know how horrible it is to not be able to do the job you love. (I've dealt with huge depression over this since my accident.) My hope is that as I continue to take care of myself with various therapies, that when I finish my degree my brain and body will be ready for me to go back to what I love.

For the dizziness from patterns that you mentioned, I too have issues with this. It triggers seizures in me :( Have you had your vestibular system's function and your vision checked since this started? Both can really play a part in causing dizziness and disorientation caused by seeing such patterns.

shortcircuit,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear about your struggles.

What you are experiencing is not uncommon. You will not likely cause further injury by pushing but you will delay your recovery. Your symptoms may even become worse from your over-extending yourself.

I wish I had more advice for you. Heat can be tough. Getting plenty of water will be important. The off-roading can be a big issue. It can help when the road get rough to sit forward with your back off the back of the seat. This posture allows your spine to flex more and absorb more of the bumps.

I think you biggest challenge will be the rough ride.

You can help us out by putting a double space every 5 or 6 lines. Many of us have vision struggles that make it hard to follow from the end of one line to the start of the next. Short paragraphs make this much easier. I struggled but was finally able to read your post.

My best to you.

Unfortunately I had to read others posts because I can not read the original... like Mark said I am one that struggles with visual stuff...

I have tried to have the push through and while it may not be detrimental to my brain it can have ill effects in that I get dizzy and run into things or fall down.

I am sorry you are struggling, and welcome! You are in great company! There are several of people who have lots of knowledge, I am still very new to all this and ask lots of questions myself.

edited post with double-spacing- thanks Mark!
 

I suffered a concussion as a result of an assault 2 months ago. Symptoms improved fully after two weeks, after which I hit my head a week after that (not too hard, but hard enough) on a door frame while unloading a van and everything came back full force.


Since, things have been up and down, but not consistently normal. My current symptoms include dizziness and lightheadedness, disorganization, brain fog, mild headaches, "slow" thinking, pressure feeling in head, anxiety/panic attacks with physical symptoms including heart palpitations, very mild tremor in hands and jaw, low energy, and intolerance to alcohol, caffeine, and heat, also patterns (i.e. checkered floors in large spaces like the mall or airport make me feel dizzy/weird, etc... anyone experienced that one?? never heard of it..)


Initial symptoms of severe headache, (one) hallucination, and numbness/tingling in random areas have subsided. Have had one CAT scan immediately after the incident (normal) and was recommended another, which was also normal, a little over a month after as a follow-up due to jaw tremor symptoms (seizure suspicion, everything was fine though.)


Since the beginning have been on a supplement regimen of fish oil, magnesium, turmeric, b vitamins, resveratrol, green tea extract. Was prescribed lorazepam for panic attack symptoms. (never have been on psych meds before). Improved a week before my seasonal job started, which is as a field botanist in the Great Basin in Nevada. Involves lots of camping and hiking in hot desert conditions for 4-8 days at a time.


I have since returned to work last week and I love my job. But, my symptoms are raging and are making it very difficult to be here. I offroad a lot in the work truck and the jostling is really hard to handle. makes me feel like my head is full of pressure and it just hurts.


I am not able to adjust to the heat as I have in the past and have gotten dizzy and out of it very easily which is un-nerving out in the wilderness. My co-worker told me the first time it happened I got very pale (to be fair,that was the first day we were out and I think I really needed to be drinking more water..) I lay down to sleep at night in my tent and it feels like my head immediately swells and I have to struggle to sleep.


I really don't want to quit my job. It's awesome. And I feel terrible that I flew out here from across the country and I may have to quit after only one week. Is it harmful to push through these symptoms? Will my body adjust?


This has been a weird and long road, it feels like, although from reading this forum I know a lot of you have been dealing with this for much longer and I hope to not offend you by saying that. I would really like to e-mail someone as a mentor about some of these issues if anyone is up for it and has some hope they would like to share. yesterday i just broke down and cried after returning from my stint in the desert. I haven't had the energy to cry up until this point. I feel defeated but I don't want to give up on this job that is so important to me.

SmilinEyes: I'm so sorry to hear that you have had to leave your job. Wishing you the best in returning. It is good that you were able to put your "down" time to good use though. I have been thinking about hunkering down and going back to school a lot the past week.


I have not tried vision/vestibular assessment but I have noticed a movement and "squishing" in one of my ears since the concussion. neurologist says "that's normal" but from reading this forum it seems like that may be a sign of something potentially fixable?


smilineyes, sarah and mark: the advice you gave me makes sense. I think I am going to try some symptom management before I make the decision to quit.


(i.e. pillows on the seat and good posture when off-roading, tons of water/electrolytes, and resuming some anti-inflammatory supplements/heavier b-vitamin dosage and possible some Traumeel as well- have you tried that? My dog was prescribed it for arthritis and I tried some on a bad day and it seemed to help...)


I can't help but to feel spiteful toward the concussion- like it's an enemy that I don't want to let run my life. thank you for the thoughtful responses and I'm sorry my post was so hard to read- hopefully the edited version I posted underneath helps :)


Good luck to everyone in their recovery.

Actually, you want bad posture when riding off-road. Your shoulders should be forward so you back is arched forward. This allows for back flexing to help absorb the bumps.

Traumeel is a homeopathic remedy. They do not state the dilution but arnica montana is usually diluted into oblivion. It is unlikely that a single dose has any molecules of the "active ingredients" in it.

Hello!
 

Hi There

So sorry to hear you are struggling with PCS. This is a very good place.

Mark gave you good advice. if there is any way you can leave your job and put recovery first, you will get better faster. That requires leading a dull life for awhile.

If you have to work with this, and some do, then see if you can take mental breaks from work. As for the heat,i don't know what to say. Heat can bother me too even now.

Anyhow, keep asking questions and people will weigh in to try and help you. Just know that your symptoms are real and we can understand what you are going through.

Sincerely,

poetrymom

Hi,

Those are some long paragraphs and today I just can't do them. So I'm going off your title only.

I can not work. Boy if I could count how many times I've over-done it just trying to live life. It's my crutch of denial...I feel decent and think hey I'm improving and it may not hit me immediately but later on...BAM!

It's a knock out punch. Too much Monday put me down Tues and Wed. Too much Thurs put me out for 17 1/2 hours.

What I've noticed is I'm not getting worse in the sense of my PCS and other issues. It just takes me time to recuperate and then I'm back where I was before over doing it.

ThursDay I knew I was over doing and I knew the consequences ahead of time but it was worth it to watch parts of my daughters game, and talk to past student and parents of mine.

I had a choice. I made it.

Good luck to you and be good to yourself.

Jace

quitting.
 

well i have only gotten progressively worse on my days off, when i had hoped i'd get better.

headaches, vertigo, dizziness, vision problems, nausea.

worsening even as i lay in bed constantly.

i'm going to quit the only job i've ever loved tomorrow morning.

really, really sad.

thanks for the advice everyone. i hope this will disappear someday..

You may want to re-think quitting for legal reasons. If you have a brain injury, that is a disability and your employer is required to accommodate you.

If they aren't able to accommodate you and they have to medically terminate you, that may be a stronger case for disability than you just quitting.

Disability/Unemployment
 

That is a really good point, thank you. Sometimes it is hard to think about logistics when my brain feels upside down like this.

I wonder how that works being that I am a seasonal employee? I have only been back at work one week, since last season. (last year)

How does one go about discussing this with an employer? Describe the disability, then ask to get fired?

I feel like they will just ask me if I can do the job, and if not, will ask something along the lines of "are you quitting then?".. not sure how this works.

I was considering asking to get laid off/terminated, so I could at least resume my unemployment benefits for the time being.

I foresee it being not that simple, as I came back to work "fine", and all of a sudden a week later I am suddenly "disabled". I think this would sound fishy to anyone, even me and it's my brain.

Ugh. Any thoughts?

You did not return to work fine. You returned with Post Concussion Syndrome. You had been living a low stress life and your symptoms were manageable. Now, with work stresses, your symptoms are no longer manageable. It sounds like you tolerated the stresses last summer so your PCS is a disability. Ask to speak to Human Resources/Personnel or an ADA specialist (Americans with Disabilities Act). Explain that you love your job and want to keep it but the heat and rough roads are too much for your PCS brain.

Is the job directly with the government or are you employed by an outside contractor ? Direct employment should give you more rights.

Thank you Mark, I have looked up some #s for some ADA specialists that I will call tomorrow morning when they open. great advice.

I work for a small non-profit that does government contract work.

Track record on human resources issues with them:

Had to file a worker's comp last year for an x-ray and the whole office went nuts trying to figure it out and eventually too much time lapsed and they had to pay out-of-pocket.

so..not confident they will know how to handle this.

also, i am dreading going in there. i don't want them to see me as weak, or trying to "get something" from them, or a hypochondriac.

hard to accept that there are bigger problems now than how i end up seeming to other people. but the pride issue is there.

Hang in there!
 

Hey Short Circut

Keep us posted about how you are. Your brain can heal. Believe it. It takes time though.

Good luck

poetrymom

I got a lot better in many ways this last month and I'm pushing myself a lot now, so pushing yourself does help, and indeed may be necessary, BUT...

I took so long to get better because I might have pushed myself too early. I think what really let me get to where I was able to push myself was giving myself 3 lucky weeks or so where I was able to do nothing all day and sleep as long as I wanted, whenever I wanted, while just managing the house.

I think that you'll realize when its time to push yourself, and I hope you'll rest as much as you can before that!

Side note, I also couldn't read the original post until it was rewritten. I'm glad I wasn't the only one, I felt bad!

Just be careful. I went back to work part time (I have a very physical hard labor outdoor job) for 4 hours a day after a little under 5 months. Bad bad idea. Now granted I did push myself about a month after the injury, but very slowly and progessively. Thats why the dr and I both felt confident in returning. But, in the end I lasted a week. Symptoms (now 6 month tomorrow from the injury) are worse than ever. Anything physical completely wrecks me, even walking a mile. Just be careful. When I went back to work, being a vehicle and being on the rough surfaces we drive hurt, shoveling hurt, raking hurt, lifting stuff hurt, the loud noises hurt.

Now I find myself seeing lightning flashes, quickly blacking out, losing balance and falling. Everyones different, you just have to be very very careful. I felt fairly confident this weekend, and got a little cocky. I decided by my front door that the mulch needed to be weeded. A job that takes maybe 20 minutes tops. Well I did it, but it was bad. My head was throbbing. I decided to go lay down. Then my wifes family decided to show up and spend 4 hours over. Well that added onto the headache. I couldnt tolerate nothing and it hurt to much to even try to nap. Still today (this was Saturday) and I feel like ive been hit by a dump truck. Oh, and in that misery that was Saturday, I fell again and bumped my head.

Tomorrow is also my 6-month anniversary of the day I was injured.

I agree with what everybody else has told you. Take it easy for now, and don't "push through". I pushed through at first, and that's probably why I'm still such a mess 6 months later.