Dear NeuroTalk Forum,

I am going back to work tomorrow after a year off work due to whiplash and, primarily, concussion / PCS.

What should I expect???

I had an accident on my bike (push bike) a year ago where I got whiplash and concussion. I have been reading a lot of really useful advice in the NeuroTalk Forum in the time I have been off work, but this is my first post :-) The whiplash went after about 5 months but the concussion / PCS is still very much here :-(

I have not been progressing in my rehabilitation since the summer. It has not gotten worse, but no improvement either. Also, my symptoms have been stable. So my doctors (they agreed - concussion specialist and neurologist) that it might make sense for me to return to work, even though I still suffer from the concussion / PCS. Current symptoms include:
- Almost constant headaches, often with a stabbing feeling (taking 3,000-4,000 mg of paracetamol per day - 4,000 is max daily dose)
- Dizziness, especially if I move fast
- Problems with my concentration and short term memory
- Fatigue
- Sleep problems (on sleep medication)
- Light tinnitus in one ear
- Depressed (on prozac - believe mainly due to not knowing when I will recover / be able to go back to my "normal" life/work)
- Vision problem (have similar blind spot on both eyes)

I agreed and encouraged my doctors to "allow" me to go back to work as I was getting very frustrated and depressed of not working. Also, being with my wife 24/7 was not improving our marriage... I work as a financial analyst, so lot of computer work, long reports to read or write, long hours, long meetings... But my boss has agreed that I can start part time for up to 3 months and that he will keep me away from stressful projects.

So fingers crossed. Very anxious, but also excited, about tomorrow...

BA,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. It sounds like you have been lurking. What is a push bike?

My biggest concern about you returning to work is the long reports. Have you done anything to determine if you can do the multi-step processing. You may need to learn some new ways of working with the information.

The organizational process of writing long reports may be a challenge. I did it by using multiple computer screens and pasting between my notes and the final documents. You will need to find a way to seal with your short term memory limits to get the reports done.

The beauty of writing reports on a computer is the ability to cut and paste to organize information.

Let us know what kind of struggles you have. Maybe someone here will have a work-around for that task.

My best to you.

I wish you well. Try not to overdo it. I will be saying prayers for you

When I first went back to work, I sent this booklet around to my boss and colleagues so they could have a general understanding of brain injury, and then I talked to them about specific issues I knew I was having: http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/mayo/re...-employers.cfm

I pre-arranged a place I could go to lie down if I got a headache or got overwhelmed. I also made sure I had an ice pack and headache medication ready. We talked about fatigue and the idea that I might need to take more frequent breaks or go home early.

If you are using any modifications at home for your computer, be sure to have those set up. Might not hurt to have an ergonomic review of your workstation?

It also doesn't hurt to have your doctor document your issues and what types of accommodations you might need in case somebody wants to get pushy about it.

Good luck!

Good for you and good luck! Take lots of breaks away from the computer. Every 30 minutes or less if possible. Go to the water cooler and chug that H20. Stay hydrated. Also, print out those (TPS )reports instead of reading them from the screen.

Dear all,
Thanks for the positive comments and good advice :-)
Had quite a few coffee and tea brakes today catching up with people.
Talked to my boss and my work for the first couple of months will be light work, with nothing really long etc - so that is good news.
Absolutely shattered when got home, but I made it through the first day!!
The booklet looks great. Have started reading it, but not got through it yet - but will do tomorrow - and pass it on to my boss.
Mark in Idaho, a push bike is a bicycle - funny European name :-)
Thx again for all the comments.
BA

You made it through a day. Good for you.

I hope your coffee and tea breaks were caffeine free. Caffeine is contra-indicated for PCS. Limiting caffeine to a single serving per day is best.

I was thinking about report writing and came up with a process I will try the next time I need to put together a complex document.

I am going to try using a two column table within MSWord. All of the different bits of information go in individual cells in one column. Once I get all of the information in place, I will then start ordering each cell of information by putting an number in the empty column cell. I can even add a decimal point to allow ordering between whole numbers. Then, a sort column by number will put the rows in proper order. Delete the number column then merge the text rows.

I think this will be a very interesting way to combine information into an ordered state.

A little bit of additional editing for proper grammatical flow and such and voila', a report is written.

In the past, I did lots of cut and pasted between documents and within documents. This sounds easier.

If anybody tries this, I would be eager to hear how it worked out.

I also returned to work after a year of not working due to the brain injury I sustained.

I've been working part time since I returned on Aug 1, 2011. I started at 12 hours a week and now I'm up to 20 hours a week.

Everyone I work with has been super supportive. The people who are uncomfortable with my impairments seem to avoid me since my return. That's one thing you should be aware of, that if someone avoids you a little or a lot, don't take it personally, it's their issues that they are dealing with (probably fear of something like that happening to them or someone close to them...) Of course, I don't know what kind of impairments you are dealing with, but the change for me between who I was before the accident and who I am now is apparent and seems significant to someone who knew me before the accident and that can be scary to some people.

Also, if you can't do something and you weren't able to prepare to know that, just let your supervisor know ASAP. I'm sure they would be willing to make some accommodation for you.

Keep in mind that while you work, not to overdo it, and that the added cognitive demands *might* actually help some of those neural pathways reconnect...!

And just try to have a positive attitude. But that helps at work whether you are recovering from a tbi or not.