I had many times when I lost multi-step processing abilities and after some time, was able to rebuild it. Continuing to push yourself cognitively may prevent you from healing so you can retrain your cognitive abilities. Bones and muscle continue to heal under stress. The brain does not.

Nobody can say what your future holds. Every injury is different. All you can do is give your brain the rest it needs and go forward. If you have to cognitively strain to play these guys, you are pushing too hard.

Would it be counterproductive for the healing process to consume benzodiazepines like lorazepame right now? Because Ive been really nervous the last couple of weeks and they help me a lot.

So, have you already been taking benzos ? Why are you nervous ?

Benzos are not great but short term low dose use is not going to set you back much, if at all.

Have you tried anything else to relax ?

There are multiple reasons. One is that this isnt the first time I experience a damage. Almost 12 years ago I had an accident which left me unconscious for a brief period of time. Some people stomping my head while I was unconscious on the floor. I was at school back then and remember that my performance at school dropped subsequently. Now I feel the same happening again to a much lesser degree but still. I have an academic job and thanks to those guys from school I barely manage to fulfill its expectations. Im at the verge of being unable to perform my job. And that makes me very nervous. Im really considering to take that cerebrolysin bdnf right now. Dont want to lose any nerve cells anymore. Why cant the brain be like the ****ing liver and just regenerate everytime you lose something?

I know it sounds strange but Im really afraid right now.

It's totally normal to be afraid. Take the lorazepam if you can't calm down on your own. I have been taking 1mg twice a day and have seen recovery since my last head injury. It's important to get rid of the fear and anxiety if you ever want to heal. I wish that I didn't need the Benzos right now but I have kept the dose steady and it doesn't seem to be hurting me too much at the moment.

Rather than be afraid of everything, choose a plan of action so those risks are reduced. If you job is a struggle, learn ways to work-around your limitations.

It can be done. You can curse the darkness or you can light a candle.

Too many want to curse the darkness and be afraid of it.

I've said this many times before. I have dealt with these issues for 50 years. I did not understand much about how to find work-arounds and other accommodations until 15 years ago.

You guys have a wealth of help here to learn how to minimize the impact your PCS has on your daily lives. Use it, apply it and get on with your lives.

Nobody is going to fix anything for you. You have to make choices. For some, those choices may be difficult.

Obviously dealing with PCS is terrible for everyone, but I think it's especially hard on academic types who derive much of their self worth from their ability to function as a highly intelligent human being who enjoys being mentally challenged. While I agree that fear isn't really the most helpful way to meet the challenges associated with PCS, I think it's a perfectly understandable response.

It's hard, for me at least, to accept my current dysfunctions and try to move on as this new person as I don't like this new person, I don't feel like myself anymore, and the part of me that does feel like myself only does so because it can point to my current state and say "That's not me". And so, the fear of this going on indefinitely remains, as I just haven't been able to even understand what it would mean to accept this me as the new me. I just can't wrap my head around accepting this new identity that I don't like as much as the old one!

Not to hijack the thread, but you're not alone in being afraid here, even while knowing being afraid isn't really helpful.

I completely agree. fear is crippling. I ask myself everyday if I can accept the new me and a lot of weird thought s come to mind. I am not me, this PCS is not me. It has taken my core personality away from me and if I am not me then who am I and do I really care for this person that I have become. I have no passions, no job, no hope for a future, I am disabled and my doctors and society al large doesn't see or believe n my lack of ability. I am giving myself 5 years to a full recovery and if that does not happen my mind come sup with weird scenarios. I hope I can be strong enough to keep on keeping on. Life has become recovery instead of life. Laupaula I am with you as my accident happened in a very stupid manner and now it has stolen everything in my life that was once so good.

A rehabilitation specialist who addressed my brain injury support group stressed the need to accept our current condition and the person we have become. Then, we use that as our starting point. Then, we will be able to categorize little improvements as gains. Instead, many consider them as inadequate. "Oh, I did not accomplish what I used to be able to accomplish." is wrong thinking. It stimulates bad brain chemistry. When we claim any little improvement as a gain, we stimulate good brain chemistry.

We may need to reinvent ourselves into something we would never have recognized before.

Check out Drew Lynch. He is a young man who suffered a concussion that left him with a profound stutter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5nMb4_ghvg

http://drewlynch.com/

Or, check out http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/about-nick/bio/

He may not have a concussion issues but his life is full of challenges.

Is it tough ? H.... Yes it is. Can we do it ? Yes, we can.
Do we have times when we want to quit. Sure do.
Do we have times where, with the proper perspective we delight ourselves with a success? Yes we do.

Yes, brain struggles may be one of the worst disabilities, especially for intelligent minds. In fact, researchers show that the intelligent tend to suffer the worst. But, the intelligent also tend to accomplish more with less by finding ways around our dysfunctions.

I have pi... off doctors and other professionals with my ability to demonstrate a high intelligence (top 2 to 10% of the US population) while having horrible memory functions (bottom 5 to 12% of the US population). My processing speed is in the bottom 10% of the population. Many refuse to accept the memory dysfunctions as real. Yet, three different NeuroPsychs have tested me and found the same results.

My biggest gripe is quite simple. I DO NOT DRIVE. I can do anything else I want to do if I just have time to do it at my speed.

Very few of you have driving limitations. Be grateful.

Take inventory of what you can do. Take inventory of the environments where you can do it. Take inventory of the people in your life who still care. (Yes, I know some don't.)

Then, use that inventory to invent a new you that can move forward. Maybe there will be day where you get back to where you were before your injury. But, don't worry about that. You have no control over that issue.

Learn to pick your battles.

If anybody wants to go tit for tat and compare struggles because you think you have more than you can handle and than others have, PM me. I'll tell you if I have that struggle. When it became a problem in the past 50 years. And, what I have done about it.

I am nothing like I expected to be. But, I am 60 years old. Raised three successful kids as the sole income for my family in an expensive area (Silicon Valley, CA.).

I had planned on a career as a dentist since 8th grade. I wanted to specialize in orthodontics. But that changed my first year of college.

So, take inventory and reinvent yourself and move on.

We are here to help.