14 months post concussion and back to zero
 

Hello Group,

i was doing remarkably well in recovery. i began a new job in january of this year and from them till now, i am back to zero. my hed fels as it did right after the initial injury. I blame it on my new work environment being busy with activity and noisy and fluorescen lighting and needing to stay focused for longs hours at a time ineracting with patients and doctors. I have reduced my hours last week and this week. symptoms seem to be lessening. Is this something any of you have experienced to be a permanent issue. Will I never be able to work in an environment such as this ever?

i notice as i re read my speelig. mental fatigue is the worst, folowed by not able to think, put thought together, eyes hurt, headache. i also lost 5-6 pounds since starting the job as being able to care for myself has ben impossible. short erm memory sucks. i can not follow direction to weel.

just want to be normal again as i was before i started the job.

Sorry u are having a hard time!
 

I'm lucky that I haven't had to go back to work. I know that I would be a much much worse if I had to. The way my eyes are, I know that there is no way I can work in flourescent lighting right now. I'm hoping and praying it gets better.

If you absolutely must work, I think all you can do is try to reduce your hours and wear sunglasses at work. I wore sunglasses at work for about a year before I went on medical leave. My boss made fun of me, and I'm sure some people thought I was weird, but it was worth it. I still had headaches, I'm not going to lie, but it would've been much worse without them.

If there is any way to not work, that's the best thing to do. I worked with postconcussion syndrome for many months before I took medical leave, and my cognitive symptoms didn't resolve until after not working for almost six months. I still have vision related issues I'm addressing with therapy. That said, other ideas I had for dealing with work after the fact:

If you can get away and go to your car or another quiet place for a few minutes several times during the day or just over lunch, to shut your eyes and relax, do it. I persisted in going to lunch with coworkers and I shouldn't have. I couldn't enjoy myself or participate in the conversation, so there was no point in me being there anyway!

Institute failsafe measures, if you can, to stop yourself from making errors. I was too out of it to figure this out for myself, but it would've been pretty easy to do. Everyone's job is different, so you might not be able to do this, but do it if you can.

If you have a trusted coworker/friend, ask them to keep an eye out for you. I had a friend like this, and it was helpful. I asked for her help when I was feeling confused and asked for her view on things when I was unsure of myself. She was a good friend to me. At that point, I didn't even realize what was wrong with me, so she was being a good friend even without me having a diagnosis.

Good luck to you!

I Feel For You
 

I am very sorry to hear you are going threw this.I am not working but I was before with PCS and I was not even diagnosed yet.I got my diagnosis when my brain basically shut down completely could not remember how to get places,spell,work a computer,could not see every symptom there was is!I hope this is a short thing and your brain will jump back after a little time off and then maybe go to part time so you can take care of yourself and still get the relaxing brain time.
Hope you get some relief...pleas keep us posted:grouphug:

aldora,

The stress from your new job is likely over-stressing your brain. Your lack of a good diet makes it worse. You may need to become very disciplined with vitamins, supplements, diet and work environment. You should be able to find a balance between the work load and other accommodations and work-arounds.

Check the thread Vitamins. It have lots of information besides vitamins. The injured brain is in far more need of good nutrition. It also needs minimal caffeine, alcohol, etc.

The sun glasses can help plus ear plugs to reduce the background noise. You will be surprised how you can still here those talking to you with foam ear plugs.

Please tell us more about your symptoms and job requirements. We may be able to help you understand how to get through your day.

My best to you.

Thank you all for your suggestions and experience. Yes, I do need to work, for those who asked. This job was to supplement my income as an independent contractor as a Myotherapist and Massage Therapist. I am basically self employed but do not make enough money to make a living in that field so I sought out a part time job (28 hrs week). I also have my own treatment room I acquired in December and use on occasion but have not marketed myself much at all to get that up and running.

My job is running the rehab portion of a chiropractic/medical practice. I can have up to 6 patients at one time in addition to having the doctors (2), offfice manager and billing lady giving me direction at the same time as well as managing patient flow of those waiting to be seen and those who need to see the CRNP, in addition to distributing medical equipment. I interact with patients constantly to make sure they are ok while doing their rehab and answering questions for them. I juggle alot at 1 time. The noise is from the IST table and a machine that is used for weightless (looks like a treadmill) plus the buzz of all the talking. Theres constant movement in this office. I never get to sit unless we are slow, honestly, the slowness/boredom of those moments is just as painful since thats when I would handle administrative things that require focus and concentration and detail. I do not get a break, I now its the law I get one. Yesterday I worked 5 hrs straight non stop 8:30am to 1:45pm. It ruined me for the remainder of the day. This week I worked only 4-5 hrs on 2 days. Still exhausted afterward.

I was told if I can't perform the duties of my job, then i can't have the job. I do not like plugs in my ears, they always hurt. I must be able to hear patients, esp if they are on the decompression table. If i wore sunglasses they would need to be prescriptive. In this setting dimming my vision would be a safety hazard. This practice is growing and looking to add on and be bigger and busier.......not in the cards for me.

As for the nutrition side, I have many food allergies. intolerances. I MUST prepare my foods, all whole foods. I do not have the so called "luxury" of the drive thru to get my calories. Gluten free (gluten sends me to ER), diary free, sugar free, colors/additives free. My doctor just eliminated meat and chicken to help ease the inflammation in my neck and swelling on my head.

just typing this exhausted me and I felt good prior to starting.
Thank you all for your replies and guidance. Much appreciated