I know enough from my own reading to know that a lot of people find relief from headaches post-concussion by using anti-depressants. I keep hearing people here refer to Cymbalta. Is Cymbalta more popular among pcs patients than other anti depressants? It's actually one of few drugs I can get fairly affordably on my crappy insurance, so if that's the case I'm tempted to call my doctor and see if she will prescribe it for me.

To those of you who do take it, do you have to take it regularly, as you would if you were taking it for depression? How long did it take before you started to notice improvement?

I'm actually pretty depressed now too, in addition to the headache issues, but I'm not sure if what I'm feeling would be true "depression" or if I'm just discouraged because I'm learning just how much of an impact these headaches are going to have on the rest of my life. Not only am I struggling with finding a balance for my workouts so I can keep my weight down, but on top of that it finally hit me that, as an underemployed English teacher, I am probably royally screwed even when I find a job, because I may not be able to read enough at a time to be able to grade essays anymore... this issue stresses me out beyond possible description. Add to that the fact that I'm already depressed about not having a full-time job, the fact that my husband and I were going to try to get pregnant (and then I lost my damn job, so no progression on that front after I have waited 8 long years to get to the point where we were ready to try), and a few other issues... yep. Life sucks right now.

Sorry to be such a downer. I can't keep venting to my husband; he's already sick of my moods, and I can't really text these feelings to my friends without him going back and reading my messages, so I basically have nowhere private to vent right now. Thanks for bearing with me.

Other than your head aches, you can change some direction and make your life look far more hopeful. I mentioned tutoring. It can be in a serene environment. It can also be very rewarding as you help students who need a simpler learning environment.

And.... Ask your doctor about your symptoms of depression. I was started on Celexa 2 weeks ago. The change has been unbelievable. My frustration levels were extreme. Now, I have hope again. My mind is creative again.

When I was in college, I was a pre-dentistry major. I crashed academically my second semester. My faculty adviser suggested I look critically at my chances to complete my major and get admitted to Dental School. I chose to find a new direction. I am glad I did. I would have been over-stressed as a dentist.

My best to you.

As usual, you are right, Mark. I guess a part of me just isn't ready to give up on being back in a classroom full time, because that's where I feel like I'm home. I got burnt out on my last teaching job due to some unrealistic expectations that were being put on our shoulders as teachers and a rapidly dropping morale, but I haven't lost my passion for education. I am doing some tutoring in the afternoons right now in the system where I sub. It's just that it's exhausting to do that after subbing all day... makes my work day 7 am to 6 pm, and this form of tutoring is not one-on-one... it's working with a group of at-risk 6th graders who are tired and sick of school, since they have been in classrooms all day. So from 7 am to 3 pm I'm dealing with a situation where I hardly ever know what to expect from one period to the next (especially since I tend to have to crack down to force the kids to not treat me the way they tend to treat subs) and then go into the tutoring thing... it's not ideal for healing, but I have no sick time, since neither job is full time, and neither one pays enough to where I can quit the other. Even if I do both every day, we barely scrape by, and either way I'm ready to pass out by the time I get home at 6:30. If I could break away from the subbing long enough to build my tutoring clientele enough to make ends meet, I'd be game... not sure that would happen though.

I had problems with depression even before my concussion. In fact, the night the concussion happened, it only happened because I drank too much (not something I'm proud of nor something I do very often... usually I only drink on special occasions, and even then it's only one or two drinks, but that night I just needed a release from my dark emotions revolving around everything else and had a perfect excuse since I was at a party).

It's going to be hard to let go of the idea of teaching again anyway... I did that for seven years before my job got cut at my old school. On one hand, I'm fearful that I would fall victim to the same type of treatment again, but on the other hand, I want so badly to make a full comeback from the royal screwing that I felt like I got in that situation, and now this head injury may keep that from happening. It's just a bit hard to swallow.

You have a big task ahead. You need to forget your past and focus on your future. No getting back to your old dream job. That is gone. Times have changed even without your concussion. Many have had to make drastic career changes due to the economy and other factors.

Here in Idaho, teachers are quitting because they are not in agreement with new curriculum that is being forced on them. First, No Child Left with a Mind now Common Core. The high achiever students are floundering under Common Core.

So, life changes. Find a way to let go and go on. Broaden your search. Reinvent yourself and your dreams.

I have had to make drastic changes in direction in the past. It can be done and can be an unexpected improvement.

My best to you.

Thanks... easier said than done, but definitely lots to think about.

With Thanksgiving and Winter Break coming up, maybe I'll have time to think about some of this, since I can't work those days anyway. Thanks again for everything!

Mark,

I just wanted to send a quick update. Before your response to my post, I was strictly looking for work that would land me back in a classroom, primarily because, when you have been teaching for seven years, the rest of the world doesn't seem to think you can do much besides teach. The fact that I just got my master's in English Education back in April doesn't help either.

After pondering your advice, I have decided to pursue other jobs in education that I am qualified to fulfill. I was avoiding things like "Instructional Specialist" and "Literacy Coach" because there is absolutely no job security in those positions, especially in the state of Georgia, but then I got to thinking: what security do I have now? The answer was a sobering "none." It breaks my heart to think that you might be right, that I may never be an English teacher again, but this business of being treated like a pee-on as a substitute, and getting paid next to nothing, when I'm qualified to do so much more is getting to be a bit much. Hopefully taking your advice and branching out a little will help me find my next career move. I haven't completely jumped ship on education yet, as you suggested, but this is a huge step for me. Thanks again for offering your continued sound advice. Happy Thanksgiving!