Looking for advice:I got a concussion two weeks ago and work is giving me a hard time
 

Hey Everyone, new member here. I got a concussion on 8/3 and my life hasn't been the same since. I went to my normal doctor on 8/4 and he said that I might have a slight concussion based on my symptoms (light sensitive, sensitive to noise, headache, confusion) so he stated I should take that day and the next day off to get some rest. I went back on 8/6 and one hour into work I started bawling my eyes out uncontrollably. I was so overwhelmed with everything that I just broke down. My brain couldn't process anything and I just lost it. I took my two hour commute back home and went right to the ER.

I got a CAT scan and it came out fine so that was good, and once again they told me i had a mild concussion and to get some rest. At this point I got a note from the doctor stating I should be out the rest of the week and to see a neurologist on Monday.

Monday the 11th comes and I got to my neurologist. He diagnosed me with having PCS and once again I got a doctors note stating that I should rest the 11th-13th, start by working from home very limited on the 14th, and then go back to work on the 18th. This just wasn't good enough for my bosses. They stated I HAD to work on the 11th from home, and I must go in on the 13th to resume working full time. I'm having an extremely hard time focusing and getting my job done, anything that involves using critical thinking I'm pretty much useless in, and my productivity has gone way down. It being a sales environment I have quotas so I have a fear that I'm going to lose my job.

Any advice will help. Thank you!

First of all.. Welcome

How did you get injured?

What kind of work do you do? Do you have FMLA at your office? If so, if you have a doctors note, they can not force you to go back. Do you have short term disability? Same thing as above.

Please rest! You are just a few weeks in... there are people on here that are up to 15 years in to this... I am personally 7 months in... today I am going to a neurologist that specializes in physical medicine and neurorehabilatation

I look forward to getting to know more about you!

Hey Sarah! Thank you for the response. I'm a sales director in the financial services industry. I run a team of reps in the field, do financial analysis on statements, and all that fun stuff. I'm not sure about the FMLA, I'll inquire about that and short term disability. I can't even imagine living with this for months, let alone years.

I actually got it while playing volleyball lol. I dove and hit my head on the ground. As soon as I did it, I knew something was wrong. Lets hope I can sneak in some rest in the upcoming days and I'll take a look on here for some vitamins and medication that seems to work best for everyone.

maristgrad,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

Are you in the US ? What state do you live in ?

Have you tried finding a concussion clinic for some better support ? Many colleges and high schools use them for their sports teams.

It is not uncommon for a concussion to take 6 weeks to resolve.

I can't imagine a 2 hour commute leaving you with any ability to work. You have a lot of challenges to overcome to work. I suggest you take it very slow.

My best to you.

You job and mine seem very similar... I have reps that I oversee in 3 states for a commercial roofing company that is also has a tire division... I field about 500 emails a day and about 40 calls.. at this point I have still not been released to go back... now i say that to say this... EVERY HEAD INJURY IS DIFFERENT!!! I can not express that enough... as Mark will say... if you have seen one concussion, you have seen one...

If your organization has over 50 people and you are in the US you have FMLA... now, with FMLA you do not get paid, it just saves your job for 12 weeks... pay is where STD comes in... at some companies you have to exhaust all your sick and vacation time before you can apply.. check with you HR!

Please listen to your doctor and not your bosses!

Thanks Mark! I live in Long Island, NY and I work in Manhattan. I haven't looked for a clinic because honestly work really won't let me take any more days off. I don't have any more sick days left and I'm not anywhere near my quota. I leave my house at 6:45am and I get home at 8:00pm the earliest so I don't have time to really do anything.

I really like the president of my company and I would put them in a very tough spot if I left (FMLA or Short term disability) because I am the most senior employee here. In the end I feel like I have to do what is best for me.

This forum is awesome by the way.

Hey sarah, in regards to the Short term disability, i'm pretty sure after doing some research that in NY every company has to offer it. Also, which would be better for me, doing FMLA or Short term disability?

You do them at the same time... FMLA just secures you job... STD is what pays you while you are out... it is at a much lower rate but it does give you some kind of income... are you salary or commission? are you a W-2 or 1099?

what quota?

Oh my, 6:45am to 8pm is a lot for an injured brain!

The mom in me is really going to come out and for that I am sorry BUT.... If you do not rest now, you will not be there in 6 months because you have potential to make a lot of mistakes and they will fire you if that is the case... you NEED to rest... You NEED to heal... please, please, please dear take this time for you!!!

As a software professional, I used to work mainly for financial services companies.

With your injury, you aren't doing any favors for your career or your company by not taking the time to allow your brain to recover fully. Right now rest is the best thing you can do.

Hoping all goes well and it works out for you.

Hi Everyone, it's been a while since I've been on here. I returned to work full time on Aug 18th i believe. Had a pretty crappy month production wise but that's no surprise. So now it's September and my boss pretty much said that if I didn't hit my quota that I would be fired. It's pretty unfair that they made me come into work when I had a doctors note stating that I shouldn't return yet, but I guess that's life.

The only symptoms I still have are the inability to sleep. I was prescribed elavil in a small dose and that would make me really tired but I would get very bad hot flashes as soon as I was about to fall asleep so I wouldn't actually fall asleep. Next I tried Ambien. TERRIBLE idea. My vision would get blurry, and I would black out at night. I would wake up not knowing where I was, really confused, and to my surprise I had called/texted people without any recollection.

I missed a doctors appointment and my boss said I can't miss one minute of work because I put him in a bad situation last month with my production. I'm not sure when I can get to the neuro next but I really need to go since I literally sleep about an hour per night. Any slight noise and i wake up. If there is a constant noise and it goes silent, I wake up. It's awful. If anyone has any ideas on sleep medicine that won't cause me to call people in the middle of the night I would be open to anything. Thanks in advance!

I am sorry you are going through this but you need to go to HR and you boss needs to take a hike... your health is much more important!

I take gabapentin to help my mind and body relax. Without it, I will not get a continuous sleep. I will sleep in short fits. I also use foam ear plugs when there are sounds that disturb me.

Melatonin really helps me sleep.

A combination of Ambien and Flexeril finally worked for me after years. But I guess that is pretty strong for most.

yes, talk to HR for sure...your boss is out of line.

melatonin seems to really help me, makes me sorta deliciously tired instead of groggy tired like ambien does. sometimes i mix them if i'm desperate.

Sucks about ur job, I'm glad that I can get notes to bring to school from the doc saying everything why I missed