Thanks for your reply. I hope I get better soon as well. The hardest thing for me is having someone understand what I'm going through. I feel like I'm being treated like a concussion is just something people take lightly. It's not... it's so life changing. The thing that's also really hard for me is I'm a receptionist, I am so stressed out at work because so many people call begging for their pain killers, they cuss us out, they threaten to kill themselves, I have to stare at a computer for 8.5 hours a day, make appt's for people. I can't afford to take off work and I feel like it's horrible for my recovery.

QUOTE=mouse1;968370]Dbg1,

I hope you get better soon, you need to bear in mind that you are still very early on, and most people recover in 3-6 months. Get plenty of quiet rest, use ear plugs and white noise for noise sensitivity. Use sunglasses and hat for light sensitivity. Get migraine meds for the headaches, and if your mood is affected an antidepressant if need be. Avoid noisy and busy places, too much TV, radio and computers. Listen to your body, if it is telling you to rest, rest. I am coming upto 5 months PCS, but am recovering now by doing these things and have been cleared to go back to work now. It is a waiting game, but try not to worry about the symptoms because this only makes them worse.[/QUOTE]

It sounds like a tough situation your in, have you spoke to your employer about it or do you have an occupational health department? I knew after returning to work for a week and a half that I wasn't capable of being there and I had a very supportive doctor who signed me off for nearly 5 months.


[/QUOTE]

dbg1,

Contrary to some previous comments, there is not normal recovery time. 85% recover spontaneously in the first few weeks. The rest can take a wide range of recovery time.

Rather than jumping into medications, you first priority should be to get the quiet rest your brain needs. If you have head aches and insomnia, amitriptyline (Elavil) in small doses (10 to 20 mgs) is the usually first medication effort. Effexor is odd as the first med.

Handling phones with confrontational patients is very counter to recovery. Try to get your employer to move you to a less stressful position while you take time to recover. Otherwise, you may become unable to tolerate the office environment.

For many, white noise is not a solution. Quiet environments allow the brain to relax. White noise still requires audio processing. Instead, you may find a music genre or even a limited number of tracks that allow your brain to focus on the known lyrics and melody and relax. It should have a quiet beat and soft lyrics. Think of soothing and maybe boring music.

When you get home, try to take time in a quiet dark room to let your brain get a rest. It will help if you can take times like this during the day.

Read the Vitamins thread . It has good information and some useful links at the bottom.

You should take ibuprofen or enteric aspirin instead of Tylenol. Tylenol can be tough on the brain. If working out causes head aches, you should reduce the intensity of that.

What med did your neuro prescribe for before your workout ?