How do I know when I am REALLY able to work
 

I am a 62 year old female who had a MVA on Feb 9, 2014 hitting my forehead and the top of the right side of my head. This was a second accident with the first being June17, 2013 when I was sideswiped and had a side to side (hit on left side) whiplash. I work as a psychologist so my duties are highly cognitive. One doctor (neuropsychologist) said my visual memory was ok ( she did not test my auditory memory which is bad and headaches are unpredictable and bad) so I should be able to work part-time. Another doctor (neuropsychiatrist) said I had too many post concussive symptoms to be able to work for some time. I know my age is a factor- and there is no easy answer to this- but what is the average amount of time before someone with PCS and over 50 needs to recover before taking on work duties again?

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

We have a saying here. If you have seen one concussion, you have seen ONE concussion. They are all different. There is no way to predict recovery time. There is also no way to compare symptoms with intensity of impact.

You don't say what symptoms you currently experience except for the head aches and poor auditory memory.

Other than the distraction of head aches, you could try working with a slower pace and lighter case load. Take plenty of notes in place of relying on your auditory memory. You should be able to tell how you are receiving information. Without a more in-depth NeuroPsych Assessment, it is hard for anyone to predict your fitness to work.

Feel free to tell us about your symptoms and other struggles.

My best to you.

Hi and welcome. As Mark mentions an "average" is really not meaningful as recovery times vary greatly. I was 56 when I had my TBI and was off work for 6 months.

Since you work as a psychologist and have seen a neuropsychiatrist I'm a little surprised they haven't done a formal neuropsychological assessment to test for cognitive, visuospatial, auditory and other deficits. I'd suggest asking about one go get a qualitative evaluation of your readiness.