Should I stay in my apartment, or temporarily stay with my parents?
 

Hi all, I'm 39 years old and suffered a "mild" concussion 6 days ago after hitting the top of my head on a basement ceiling beam. Ouch! My real estate agent took me down to the ER, where an MD said I'd had a mild concussion.

I didn't black out, see stars, or feel like passing out. No bleeding, no real nausea and no vomiting. Mentally I seem to be pretty intact - I don't feel any less "with it" than I did before.

BUT I've been experiencing some dislocation/instability/dizziness when I overexert myself (which tends to happen pretty easily at the moment - for example, when I do household chores like laundry that require me to go up and down stairs). I have improved over the last six days, but it's been slow going.

I still have a headache, sort of a mild persistent ache below the top of my head - sometimes it recedes, sometimes it seems to shift around a bit. It really doesn't bother me, other than as a reminder that I'm in the aftermath of a concussion and that it might be an indication that I have a ways to go.

I've also been having mild-to-moderate night sweats every night, with my sheets and/or PJs becoming moist or damp.

Finally, I've been holding up pretty well psychologically, but I've had some moments of fear/anxiety where I worry that things are going to get worse or that I'm not going to get better.

I did manage to see a well-regarded concussion specialist a few days ago. He said the prognosis was good, but that these things take time - weeks or months, even. He encouraged me to get lots of physical and mental rest. The problem is that I live alone (on the second floor, up a flight of stairs) + need to do a fair bit just to keep my daily life going (showers, cooking, cleaning, laundry, emails and phone calls), so that I'm not exactly getting "total" rest.

My parents have offered to have me stay with them for a week or two to help the recovery process along. I wouldn't have to do any cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc, and could spend more time just sleeping or resting quietly. They are pretty well off and have a housekeeper and other resources, so it likely wouldn't be a huge burden on them.

Any thoughts on whether this is necessary or a good idea? I like my independence and am worried about reverting to some sort of childhood or adolescent state. Also, I'm afraid that if I don't improve, I'll be stuck there for months or longer. On the flip side, staying home alone for much longer will likely be mentally and emotionally difficult. My girlfriend has been very supportive but she lives on her own about 40 mins away (and works near where she lives).

Any suggestions (about living arrangements or healing generally) would be greatly appreciated...

GO to your parents house...this way you aren't tempted to do too much. Get as much rest as you can ...try it for a few days see if the symptoms get better.

As long as you are getting more rest there than home...I'd go.

I agree ... parents house is best
 

Parents house for sure!

It is very hard to go through PCS. I would accept their offer, I know for a fact that I wouldn't be where I am without help.

Later when you feel able to be alone safely, and can cook, clean, etc, you can move home.

Bottom line is that you want the place where you can have complete rest.

Good luck:)

Welcome to the club that no one wants to join. Sounds like a good opportunity to rest.

I hope you recover quickly.

I would recommend that you go home for a while - provided that you do get quiet time. If you are going to have to make conversation and constantly explain yourself it can make you really tired and irritable. I know that when I am tiired my patience with others is zero and myself control (of my mouth) is not a lot better.

Lynlee

Thanks
 

Thanks, everyone, for your responses. My amazing girlfriend spent Saturday night and Sunday with me at my apartment, then helped me pack up and drove me to my parents' place. I'm going to stay here for a little while - maybe a few days or a week, and see how I'm doing at that point.

So glad you have a girlfriend and parents who can help you!

That's great. If I could rewind the clock a bit, I would have gotten someone else more involved in taking care of me. I was way too out of my mind to simply care for myself the first month and did a lot of things that should have been obvioulsy wrong to another person. Best of luck.