I'm a hairstylist -- eager to go back to work ..but not ready

When I first started back at work, I thought I could handle a full day. I tried doing that for a week or so and I ended up feeling awful.

So, with my doctor's advice I started off working 3 hrs; an amount I thought I could handle without completing wiping myself out. I was able to gradually increase my hours over the course of my work term and ended up around 6.5 hours per day. If possible, I would suggest the best thing to do is work the minimum amount of hours so you aren't coming home at the end of the day with headaches. And slowly increase.

I am a student, so I am back to school now. I am taking a reduced course-load as a still don't feel able to handle a full course load. I find it odd, because I almost am feeling worse lately now that I am back to school. My last shift at work was 6.5 hrs long but in a school day now I am finding I will get a headache after only 2 hours of class! It worries me because I feel like I am getting worse but perhaps its the change in environment (busy, noisy classroom) thats bringing on my symptoms.

where and what did you do at work?

I'm not sure I could take the loud music and chatting with customers all day...or even for a few hours. I had an hour lunch with a friend (after going to the chiropractor for an hour) and was wiped out and felt awful the other day.

My friend still works at one of the salons -- and I can go sit with her for an hour on mondays (not so busy for her) and maybe just being in the environment might give me an idea of what I can handle.

I work 12 hour night shifts as an ICU nurse. 36 hours a week. I started back to work 14 weeks after my accident. Ive been back for 2 months now and my symptoms are just getting worse and worse. My headaches are pretty much constant and i have no energy to do anything on my days off. Unfortunately, i gotta keep going and feel like crap every day or there will be no job and no health insurance. I deal with the most extreme form of stress on a daily basis at my job...trying to save someones life.

Self employed. Have my own website design business. For the past 14 months doctors have limited me to 10 hours a week (split up between at least 5 days). I can't even do 10 hours a week; 3-4 hours a week allows me to still function throughout the week.

99% of my job is working alone at home when I am at my best. Occasionally I have to actually meet a client in person.

Before the "m"TBI I was doing two jobs from home from 6:30 AM to 9 PM or even later. Nannying (between 4 1/2 to 6 hours a day), and game art/animation (as many hours til bed at 10PM or so).

After, not much has changed, though I take many weekends off.

My boss is my housemate. He knows I have a TBI, but has cursed me out, threatened and insulted me for occassional mistakes.

We are both Christian & end an intense discussion on a good note.

My only symptom from my TBI is pain, increased by stress or additional injury.

I was in debt from the ER/MRI bill, am not any more thanks to a finished project, but am living off savings & have no insurance.

I take on tasks as often as I can. I need to be able to walk away from the task when I notice brain fatigue. My wife notices that I am slower and working more deliberately. I do this because if I work to fast or impulsively, my brain will fart and mess things up.

I am a high school English teacher. I missed an entire semester last year after my concussion.

I am currently working 5 hours per day, and I am not in a whole-group instruction setting. I'm working in a program where I work one-to-one with kids. I still get headaches if I have to sit through a day of meetings with the whole staff, so I'm pretty sure whole-group instruction would still be too much sensory input.

But the current arrangement seems to be working out well. I'm grateful to have an option that allows me to ease back in slowly.

4 hours desk work each weekday, which most days I can barely manage and some days I don't get much useful done at all (though some days I do).

This was supposed to be a transition plan for me on returning to work 2 months ago, but I have been unable to increase my hours as I haven't improved as expected.

Really sorry to hear about this nightnurse, sounds horrible.

So what happens in the USA if someone gets too sick to work and isn't rich enough to live without working? You just get left to starve?