[claritan]

I went back to work April 14th of this year. i first got my concussion on Febuary 3rd then reinjured myself on March 30th.

over the course of my PCS i have made a ton of strides in the right direction but i still have lingering symptoms and my head is still sore to touch where i initially hit my head

i never gave myself a chance to get back to normal and im wondering if im doing long term damage by making my brain slowly heal rather than sit out of work and let it heal totally.

is it possible to recover working 40 hours a week? im thinking since it has been 8 months and im still not 100% that i might ask for a layoff soon and try do the final push to get back to normal. i work construction so it can be tough on my pics

[Mark in Idaho]

You may have some symptoms that will stay with you for a long time. A try at taking time for quiet rest may help. Working during recovery will not make things worse beyond taking you back to square one.

What symptoms are you still struggling with?

[Chris4329]

I am trying to work through my recovery. I try not to overwork myself. I don't really believe that I could slip back into my original state by doing this. I consider myself 75% better than I was originally (I'm at 3.5 months).

EDIT:
However I did take 3 weeks off originally...

[Sam]

Claritan,
head injuries can take a long time to heal. Work can be helpful emotionally, making you feel like you are functional even with lingering symptoms. Sometimes you just have to follow your instincts. If working a 40 hour week is draining you completely, cutting back a bit may help give you a bit more healing time. If work doesn't seem to be making things worse, and your Dr. has cleared you to go back, its probably ok.

The other thing is to consider what kind of work you are doing. If the symptoms you still have are likely to cause injury to yourself or your co-workers, (for instance poor coordination in a job that requires dextarity or using large equipment), then you need to re-think your decision to go back.

Hang in there.

Sam

[claritan]

Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho

You may have some symptoms that will stay with you for a long time. A try at taking time for quiet rest may help. Working during recovery will not make things worse beyond taking you back to square one.

What symptoms are you still struggling with?

my vision is still horrible with seeing double and light flashes. im better with the sensitivity now i think though.

i still get some pinpoint head aches at the point of impact im actually afraid it may be a CSF leak

i get weird balance sensations. like the whole right side of my body feels alittle weaker like when i walk. my right foot feels lighter like i wanna lean towards my right more

general fatigue. ive learned to push through it but its still there.

overall im a ton better but more and more i realize that i havent kicked this thing yet and it seems like i still have a long way to go. im not being paranoid i just know im not right i feel it all day. the rollarcoaster isnt as bad. ill have a couple good days with a couple bad days but the bad days dont seem to be nearly as bad as 6 months ago

i see a Nuero ophthalmologist on monday regarding my vision. do you think he will order a lumbar puncture or MRI to see whats wrong with my brain. they said the appointment is 2-4 hours i wonder what test they do