Yes, I spoke to headway recently, I called them and the lady I spoke to just let me talk and talk for an hour, such a simple thing but I was so grateful for her time.
They said they'd send me some info by email but I haven't heard from them.


One of the things I wanted some advice about was in relation to working. Prior to the accident I was working in a managerial position which I did sort of try to return to, but I also knew I wouldn't be able to handle it. I tried my best but I was in way over my head, it was horrible, I felt so overwhelmed.

Having not worked for over 7 months, my financial situation is not great. I applied for job seekers allowance as I was not signed off work at the time, but i have now been signed off and am on Employment Support Allowance.
However, I was required to apply for jobs before and I've been offered an interview. I only applied for really low level stuff as I knew I couldn't handle what I'm qualified to do, but I have lost all confidence in my abilities, I'm really unsure of what I can and can't do now.

I feel like working, if I can do it, would help me get better as I'd be occupied so I'd feel happier, gain confidence, use my brain again (good idea or bad idea? Should I be 'exercising' my brain or letting it rest? How long do I rest it for?!) and have less financial pressure on me.
But, I'm scared I won't make it through the interview, or, even worse, I'm scared i might be offered the job!
The job is administrator in the disability section of a university.

Are you guys all working? If so, how well are you managing?

Oh also, I'm considering asking them to make 'reasonable adjustments' during the interview, such as providing the questions they're asking me written down, as I'm sure I'm going to forget the question immediately or have trouble processing what they're actually asking me.

Do you think this is reasonable? Is there anything else I could/should ask them to change/do?

Abbilee,

Welcome back. I think you should do the interview. Rather than ask for the questions to be written down, you may just ask that the questions be simplified. No complex questions with multiple concepts. Those complex questions can usually be broken down into a few separate questions. Often, our verbal recall is fine with a single subject but gets into trouble when the sentence gets more complex.

A disability department might just be the place for you.

It is important to remember that it is rare that our intelligence is effected by our injury. Memory and processing speed are the common problems. Plus, needing to work in a distraction free environment. We usually just have to learn to do things in a slower more methodical way.

Using our brains is important but getting involved in conversation with too many people can be fatiguing.

The important thing to remember is to limit the peaks of mental effort. Taking on a strenuous task with the idea of resting afterward is often a mistake.

Regarding your neck, often the residual injury is not symptomatic in a physical way. It can be very subtle and cause inflammation that interrupts blood flow and nerve signals to the brain. Being disciplined with head and neck posture can reduce the chance of this subtle inflammation.

Stay in touch.

My best to you.

Thanks Mark, I'm definitely going to do it, but from a suggestion from a friend I'm going to call HR and discuss adjustments that could be made to help me to manage the interview.
I think simpler questions would be ideal but I also feel a bit unsure of asking for that adjustment to be made, I'd feel like I was being awkward, you know?

Yes, if you can find an advocate that would be great. I am in Canada and I'll give my experience here in Ontario.

For about two years I played the medical system game: GP, Osteopath, Psychiatrist, Sleep study doctor. NONE could help with my TBI complaints.

I found the Ontario Brain Injury Association and they were able to get me in to see a Neurosurgeon who specializes in head injuries, especially sports related injuries. I had to wait three weeks! Nice.

He saw my brain scan, asked why i was doing so well, and put me on a rehab plan. The rehab includes daily meditation, daily exercise and daily vitamin/mineral supplements.

In summary, 42 years of waiting for someone to understand became three weeks. I now read everything i can absorb about the brain and TBI, and I have taken responsibility for my own knowledge. An advocate has proven to be very valuable for me.

Myth- Brain Damage is always permanent.

after more serious brain injury, such as stroke, research indicates that — especially with the help of therapy — the brain may be capable of developing new connections and “reroute” function through healthy areas.
BrainFacts.org

HR called me today and they're going to both simplify the questions and write them down for me they were really nice and said they'll repeat whatever I need them to.
I'm still really worried I can't do this job, but I'll see what comes of the interview and take it from there.

I've spoken to my GP and the hospital re my neurologist appointment and it seems they (the hospital) review the referral from my GP and then decide who I need to see within that department, so I'm to call in two weeks and then I should find out who I'm seeing, so that's something and hopefully it'll be a Neuropsych.
My GP also said if I can't get a cancellation so I can be seen quicker he'll write them a letter and try to push for an earlier appointment, so I'm feeling more positive about progress towards a diagnosis now

A neuropsych is not usually part of the referral system for a hospital unless you are working with the rehabilitation department. A neuro-psychologist is not an MD.

I think you should really try for this job in the disabilities department. If anybody is going to be able to understand your condition, they would. I doubt the pace of the job is fast. Those types of issues tend to move slowly.

I didn't get the job. I'm not exactly disappointed about not getting that job, but it's got me pretty down about my future employment.

I think I didn't get it because I didn't prepare as much as I should have but also didn't think it through very well (this is the PCS bit I think) and I prepared for an interview as I have always prepared for interviews in my sector.
But this wasn't the kind of job I would usually do, so my preparation wasn't really relevant and I was entirely unaware of this until after the interview.

This is almost what frustrates me the most, I'm confident I have always been pretty self-aware (friends and colleagues have also said this) and generally I know when I do well and when I don't and why.

I came away from the interview feeling that actually it went alright and it wasn't until they called and gave me feedback to say that my answers weren't really relevant to the job role (as it's more admin and I was focusing on customer service as I've always had a much more frontline role) that I realised I had fudged the whole thing basically.

I know this sort of thing happens to many people at interviews, but I was so unaware of how I had actually done and that's really unnerving.


It's not so much the finance, suffice to say I am lucky enough that I may not have financial concerns now, but I got such a huge amount out of my job, out of being in a position of authority, out of the success I had and my ability to problem solve etc.
Even if I had got that job, it wouldn't do that for me, I think I would be feeling so ***** at feeling like I'd basically been demoted and I'm not sure I would ever get over that.

Also, I couldn't even get a lowly admin job that I'm well over-qualified for, I have no idea what to try for now!

I thinking about doing some volunteer work for the time being, I'm hoping that might help lift me a bit

TBI can rob patients of self-awareness. Some, despite HUGE deficits and/or outlandish behaviours, can't even recognize that they are injured. I guess we can all be thankful not to be that bad.

I can relate to your interview story. Except for a couple areas, I thought I'd done really well on my neuro-psych exam. Wrong! Bombs away.

I think the volunteer work is a good idea. It will reduce your isolation, help rebuild your self-esteem and maybe even set you on a new career path. Just don't overdo it. Listen to your body and don't push past your limits.

Just thought I'd post a little update.

I got a letter from the hospital/neurology department which was also sent to my GP, basically saying 'oh your patient doesn't need to see us, she needs cognitive assessment, you need to re-refer her to this department'.

The original referral was made in August and after talking to people on here, I went back to my GP and said 'I think you're referring me to the wrong person, I need cognitive assessment'. He basically patted my hand and told me it was fine.
2 months later, oh look, I need to be re-referred!!!!

What a waste of 2 months.

Anyway, it looks like I'm on the right track now, just waiting for the letter for the re-referral and hoping I can get an appointment soon.
I spoke to the hospital appointment team and it seems the wait might be as short as 6 weeks, so I may well get seen sooner rather than later.

I applied to be a volunteer and have been going to training once a week for the last month, I should be starting soon.

Other than that, not a lot has changed.
Big sleep problems which are making my cognitive deficits worse, other than that I'm still just plodding along and waiting to be seen!

On the upside, the anti-depressants have made a big difference and I feel more stable now