What to do?
 

I have had 3 concussions 1st playing rugby Oct 2010, 2nd snowboarding Jan 11 and then hit my head again snowboarding 2 weeks later and have been suffering from PCS ever since. I continued to go to school even though using a computer and watching tv have been a constant problem. Over the 1st 3 months headaches have went away for the most part but I do suffer from blurry vision from time to time. Most of the day I have no symptoms as long as I do not push myself. I am set to start an internship on June 7th and I am not quite sure what to do. I know that this will be a great experience but I am afraid that working 40 hours a week could be pushing my brain. The anxiety leading up to the internship is also not helping because if I do not complete the internship i will not have enough credits to graduate and attend Notre Dame for graduate school in the fall. I can not decide if it would be better for me to do nothing for the entire summer except rest or keep myself busy working. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, also should I explain my situation to the employer when I start?

Whoa! That is a lot of concussions. My first advice is to stop playing sports for a while!

It's tricky with employers because you don't want them to have a negative picture of you but you also may need them to realize what your limitations are. I'd suggest starting the internship and seeing how it goes for about 2 weeks. If you're having trouble then, talk to your boss. You may be able to have some accomodations (ie more breaks or decreased computer work, etc).

Good luck!
Jena

Stay or Go,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry for your reason for being here.

First, as jcastro said, stop playing sports. But I would suggest stopping ALL contact sport PERMANENTLY. It sounds like you have some academic/career goals that are high. Concussion does not allow high achievement without making some serious changes to lifestyle, like avoiding 'like the plague' any further jolts to the brain.

I suggest you start some kind of work with similar intensity levels and see how much effort your brain can handle. Try one, then two then three days of solid effort with a day off between. If you can remain symptom free for the whole day off, you may be able to tolerate the next level.

If not, you will need to rest your brain and slowly increase your work load at a later date. You are very late at considering the internship work effort.

Have you been checked out by a doctor? You need someone who has expertise with concussion. They are hard to find. Your vision and computer/TV issues are classic PCS.

Your school should have a Disabled Services department that can help you understand how to present your struggles to prospective employers and schools. There are rules and programs to help with your condition.

What graduate study are you pursuing?

If it is psychology, you will be well equipped to serve the Post Concussion community. Most who serve the PCS community are clueless about how it really affects the PCS sufferer.

btw, Don't start the internship with the employer in the dark. It can bite you hard if you have any problems. The accommodations you may need should be discussed before hand. Again, Disability Services at school should be able to help. You local brain Injury Association would also be a good resource.

My best to you.

Pcs
 

I have stopped playing all sports and will not do so for the remainder of my life. I already cant go a whole day symptom free doing nothing, there will
be some vision problem for a little and it will usually clear up.
I have seen the neurologist and had my head checked out with everything
coming back normal. My neurologist has just told me to rest and that I
can do almost anything just to stop if I get symptoms. Will it be worse for
me to push myself a little bit in order to complete this internship?
I will be pursuing graduate study in Accounting, thanks for the responses.

I have stopped playing all sports and will not do so for the remainder of my life. I already cant go a whole day symptom free doing nothing, there will
be some vision problem for a little and it will usually clear up.
I have seen the neurologist and had my head checked out with everything
coming back normal. My neurologist has just told me to rest and that I
can do almost anything just to stop if I get symptoms. Will it be worse for
me to push myself a little bit in order to complete this internship?
I will be pursuing graduate study in Accounting, thanks for the responses.

Accounting sounds like a intense work situation especially as a intern. Likely lots of computer screen time.

You really need to get some disability advice from your school office or state department of disability. You need to understand how to present your limitations without jeopardizing your studies or career.