Out of desperation I found this group. I am a 52 year old busy busy escrow officer. While running late to a meeting, a fell running up some stairs. I must have missed a stair but I don't really know. I ended up flying like superman and landing directly on the underside of my chin. There were not any other bruises or bumps anywhere on my body. The underside of my chin bore the entire brunt of the fall. I landed on very hard ground (cement covered with a thin layer of industrial carpet). I was very bruised.

After feeling extremely dizzy, I went to my family doctor the next day and was diagnosed with a concussion. I had to go to a workers comp doctor. He did not believe that I had a concussion. He told me that since I did not lose consciousness, I did not suffer a concussion. I told him he was wrong and asked him if he watched the NFL to see fully conscious players leave the game with concussions. It was not a good relationship. I ended up being diagnosed with whiplash (my neck was curving the wrong way in my x-rays) and concussion symptoms. He wanted me to go back to work the next day, but I fought for the week off. The visit traumatized me. I knew he didn't believe me so I spent the next week reading like crazy trying to get ready to go to work. I answered emails from home. I did housework. I pushed through the exhaustion, headaches, dizziness, etc. because I knew he was going to make me go to work. Needless to say, when I saw him the next time I felt really really bad. The dizziness was horrible. I was feeling sick from it. The headaches were relentless. I was exhausted but couldn't sleep at night. I took my husband with me so he could see how this idiot acted. Once again, he didn't even care about my symptoms and told me that just because I was dizzy, didn't mean I couldn't work. Well I lost it, I told him off (this is so not like me) and walked out on him slamming the door. I left my poor husband there. I was furious and just couldn't take one more second of his voice. That was the first week of October.

My HR sent me to another clinic. These doctors were fantastic and completely understood and believed me. I have been off of work ever since. I misunderstood the whole resting thing for the majority of my recovery. I was resting for me, but not really resting. I had a headache all day (even at night) every day for 7 weeks. Finally one of the doctors expressed the resting in a way I could understand. My brain is a muscle and I was running around on my injured muscle. I got that and totally resting. Headaches went away. The dizziness lessened but never really went away. It mainly happens when I track right with my eyes. Lots of noise still bothers me. Bright lights bother me. Computer monitors bother me. I have trouble thinking deeply if that makes sense. I do figures all day long. Balance files. I couldn't do that yet. If I do too much, I get a headache.

I was released for full time work on Monday. I tried but it didn't go well. I had a horrible headache by the end of the day Monday. I went to sleep i tears. Tuesday was better. I left at 4:00 to avoid driving in the dark and at rush hour (I commute almost an hour each way). Wednesday I woke up with a headache but I went in. By the middle of the day I was dizzy. I left at 4:00 and came home and slept for two hours. The dizziness was still there when I woke up. Thursday was horrible. I was very dizzy from the second I got out of bed. I went to work but left early and was back at the doctor. Due to insurance issues, I need to be at work but I now I have been released for 2 hours a day. I am taking a few sick days and then I will try it again. The doctor wanted to send me in for all kinds of additional tests but I said no. I want to see how I do with a restricted schedule. I have researched PCS enough to know that it takes time to get better. If I can't handle 2 hours a day and feel this bad, then I will consider it, but honestly, I am in the workers comp system and I just don't want to deal with another doctor.

I am just so frustrated. I feel like a complete wimp. I am strong and athletic. I am used to working 11 hours days and problem solving all day long. I look fine and healed. My chin isn't bruised but is still tender in that one spot. I look normal (except yesterday where I looked pale), but I don't feel normal. I just don't fee like myself. I have dark circles under my eyes (I've never had that problem before). These symptoms seem to return if I do too much but doing too much seems to be so little to me right now. Will this ever get better? Does anyone understand what I am saying? I just want to know I'm not going crazy and to feel like I am not alone. Thanks for letting me write this. I am quite literally at the end of my rope on this and starting to feel depressed. Thanks again.