Hi,

I did a bit of a search and still going through some material on this forum but I figured I would try a post.

I have PCS and on week 7, from some posts here it is much less severe than many of you. My concussion/PCS was caused but what they suspected were 2 nasty blows to the head within a couple of days. Likely did not help that I had a bad head cold during the peak period.

Over the last couple of weeks there has been significant improvement and am wondering about returning to work (had 4 near symptom free days if I was very careful in my activity, which was mostly resting and a bit of TV). I have seen Dr.'s but with limited to no help.

Currently, I have no headaches or if I do get them after some mild activity they are relatively mild. I do from time to time get the feeling of a bit of head pressure or tightness in the back of my head. I find driving or walking in a grocery store are the worst since it feels like my brain is shaking in my head and it bothers me after a while. No light sensitivity but noise sensitivity to higher pitched sharp noises but can tolerate them mostly.

I am curious about establishing limits to my work or just pushing through it? I have the ability to work from home for an easy back approach but after working a bit I either get a small headache or tightness in the back of my head. Although slight I don't want to aggrevate anything, any experience out there that could perhaps give me some advice? Being mostly staring at a PC monitor as part of my job should I just stop, give it more time or just take breaks and push through?

Any suggestions?

srgallan,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

I see from your other post that you work in IT. Maybe some light duty work from home will be OK. You never want to try to 'push through ' with PCS. You are still very early in your recovery.

The 4 near symptom free days only mean that you are getting good rest for your brain. The precautions you are taking appear to be appropriate.

When you can have a week or two of symptoms free days while doing more normal activities, that would mean your brain has recovered some ability to tolerate the stresses of daily life and possibly work.

The cognitive stresses are most important to consider. As an IT specialist, you likely have tasks with multiple steps on a regular basis. When you can routinely do these multi-step tasks without a return of symptoms, you are likely ready for a full work-load with some limits.

There is a difference between multi-step tasks and multi-tasking. Multi-tasking puts a detrimental load on your brain. It is the cause of many stress related symptoms. Multi-step tasks are just that, as single task that requires a linear progression of steps. First, A, then B then C. So, break your tasks into small bites. If you need to juggle multiple tasks, write them down. Then work on one at a time. Try to use written notes to simplify the load on your brain.

Just because you could do many different things at once before the PCS does not mean your brain is ready for the same load now.

You want to avoid relapses. They can undo the recovery you have already achieved. So, hold off on the multi-tasking for quite some time. Multi-tasking is grossly over-rated and research shows that it has negative impacts on the brain.

My best to you.

Thanks Mark, I did notice your invite to introduce myself and wanted to thank you.

So I do have some 6+ weeks of sick time still available to me should I just stay home with eyes closed? So far my ease back to date has mostly been just catching up on email but at some point project work will likely have to start again.

Any thoughts or guidance on recovery lenght as a baseline or is this very much case by case? Just asking since I have a young child at home and a pregnant wife so sometimes rest is not always an option and life is about to get busier.

I just hope this does not result going on disability since I am in my early 30's with a young family.

Today I worked for a couple of hours and now I have some mild (pre-nausea) and some tightness on the back of the head.

What about supplements (Omega 3, protein...) any help there? Massage therapy? I realize I am probably just fishing for an imaginary quick cure.

I guess I just tried responding but it did not go through. If I double post I apologize.

Thanks for your feedback, much appreciated. I have some questions for thoughts of forum members here.

1. So I have 6.5 weeks of sick time left should I use that up and stay quiet at home to get better?

2. What about supplements/vitamins to help recovery? (Omega 3, protein)?

3. Does massage therapy or other help?

Today I tried working for 2 hours from home doing email correspondance and now I have some mild (pre-nausea, tightness in the back of the head) and have to lower my voice and walk slowly. Some possible mild head pressure. Is this a sign to just break for the day or perhaps wait another couple of weeks before trying again?

It's a bit difficult to rest having a young child and a pregnant wife around the household but doing what I can. What about TV watching?

I agree with Mark's suggestions. You want to ease back into things slowly to avoid a relapse. You don't want to lose all the progress you've made so far.

I am just about at the 5 month mark of my injury. During month 3 I had a couple of really good weeks. My most debilitating symptoms of nausea and dizziness had almost completely disappeared. I still had the occasional mild headache and insomnia, but I was so happy to finally be able to function during the day without getting sick. Unfortunately, after my 2-3 great weeks, I somehow relapsed or had a set-back (whatever you want to call it) that took me back to square one (and possibly worse). I have no idea what triggered it except possibly running more errands since I felt pretty good. I'm a stay at home mom, so it's not like I was thrown back into a work situation. Everyone's experience is different, and I hope you are close to recovery, but I just wanted to chime in and stress how important it is to not push through pcs. It can be such a rollercoaster ride.

Thanks for the responses, I tried working for 2+ hours of working from home and started getting nausea and mild vertigo. So going to sit tight for another few days and perhaps try again.

Thanks, I am going to keep going through some of these posts. I never knew PCS or had heard of it until now, not something I would wish upon to anyone.

Lagr, it sounds like your still experiencing symptons so I hope you feel better soon.

Ideally you want to be symptom-free for a good stretch before returning to work. Concussion symptoms can linger, so it's best to do as much recovering as possible before encountering the stresses of the workplace and the hurly-burly of everyday life. Recovery often takes much longer than people initially estimate. Taking it very easy and staying "sub-threshold" of symptoms in the short- and medium-term will pay big dividends in the long term.

IMO, you are *not* doing yourself a service by rushing back as soon as you feel sort-of OK. It's all about striking the right balance. Returning to work is good, but it needs to be sustainable. You should plan on returning only when you're ready to do so, and even then gradually and backing off if you have problems.

srgallan,

As others have alluded to, recovery is not counted in days. It takes weeks and months. It is not like having the flu. The brain takes weeks, months, even years to overcome a concussion. You want to see trends of improvement. Recovery is a marathon, not a sprint.

The nutritional regimen I recommend is a B-100 complex, some additional B-12 and B-6, Vit D, Vit E, Vit C, all of the anti-oxidants, a broad spectrum of minerals, Omega 3's. meat protein (pork is good), no or minimal caffeine, no MSG, no alcohol (maybe one serving per day)

You may try working from home in 15 minute sessions. Then rest for a hour or more before trying again. The concussed brain can have a very short tolerance for work effort. As soon as you find your eyes wandering or struggling to focus on the screen, walk away and rest. Any kind of challenge in reading or understanding a sentence or paragraph means your brain is over doing it. There is no 'push through' ability to the injured brain. No pain, no gain is for muscles, not the brain.

So, rest, enjoy your family, and rest some more.

My best to you.

srgallan -

Thank you. Things are better than they were a month ago. I think I got back on track. Days are good, but still working on getting sleep at night and getting my body to stop vibrating. Good luck in your recovery.

Thanks all. I found little information or guidance from any Dr's around here so the only resource I have is the internet in small intervals.

One questions about symptoms. I am in my 7th week, I am significantly in better shape than I was in the first 3 but still have some effects. One that's most consistent is walking.

It almost feels like my brain is "shaking" inside my head with each step and over time I start feeling poorly but recover after laying down for an hour with no noise or visual stimulation.

Is this "brain shake" something that tends to hang around for a while? I find I can avoid it mostly but it looks like I am walking like a ballerina.

Mark, thanks for the info. I started taking strong Fish/Omega3, meat with Whey protein isolate in the morning and a B-50 complex. I also bought a brita pitcher and increased my water intake.

Thanks again to all, I wish you all a speedy recovery.