Originally Posted by Lucy

I have been meaning to respond to you for sometime but have not been feeling too good.

I had a car accident 30 years ago - when I was 21, fractured jaw unconcious for a day but recovered. Over the years I continued to knock my head and was ok, like did things like running into a ranch slider, slipped on floor tiles and landed on my head etc etc. Then when I was 45 (6 and half years ago) I hit my head on a hanging basket, was concussed - bad headaches etc and 6 weeks after that hit my head on the door frame when getting into a taxi.

I had headaches virtually immediately, memory problems - all the usual. I kept going back to the ER and was told "I devasted - had problems reading and was trying to work full time. I am a legal executive and do property conveyancing, subdivisions, tax and estate planning etc. Like I need my brain to be able to do my job. It was a nightmare, I could hardly read, my head felt like it wanted to explode.

Eventually I saw a neurologist - then she died of a heart attack. Since then I have battled with my insurer and had alll the usual about 6 months - you should be better, then told by a psychiatrist - 2 years is it you should be better.

I have managed to knock myself out again - 3 years ago - when I am tired I lose my balance and literally fall over - I landed on an umbrella urn and was k/od - stitches on the side of my eye - hospital.

At one stage I did get up to working 6 hours but was continually exhasuted and I know that quality of my work was not good and that worried me.

After the k/o my hours were reduced to 3 hours per day and I have been at that since.

I have to have a half hour rest in the morning 11.30 - 12.00 to avoid the tired yucky kind of headache and in the afternoon I have an hours sleep - if I actually manage to go to sleep I sleep well at night. Unfortunately I have been like this for the entire 6 years. My psychiatrist when asked admitted that this is as good as it gets. I am still hopeful on my good days and on my bad days I despair (which I am having a bout of now)

I would dearly love to change my jobs, but this is what I am qualified in and have been for 20 years. I believe that I now have a problem learning new information. It is ok if it is building on something I already know or is repetitive, but total new is very hard work and it is hard to keep up with changing laws.

I firmly believe and you may have read that I have said it before on this site that how you are treated in the early stages has a huge effect on the final outcome. I believe for certain that if I had stopped working immediately post accident I would be a lot better now and if I hadn't been pushed to work by the insurers specialists I would not have had the last bad injury.

You will find that you will pass the neuropsch testing well - I was told that my scores were all well above average and that the average person would be more than happy with the scores - I tried to explain that was never average or near average, I was a very high achiever and was it normal to be exhausted after the tests - all fell on deaf ears as the saying goes.

I think that you should totally avoid becoming too tired - being tired brings on headaches and pcs symptons and to remember to be kind to your self - I have had to have training in that as I have always believed (well used to believe)in mind over matter. I have really only learnt to make allowances for myself.

You did not say how old you were. I have been told that recovery is not so good over 40 and for high achievers. Do you suffer from fatigue? that is my biggest problem, if I avoid being tired I can avoid the worse of the headaches. Though if I am stressing about something or feel pressured it is instant headache.

I am sorry if I have waffled or repeated my self - don't give up hope - maybe 60-70% functioning is equal to the average persons effort - is that possible? I know that is not a nice thing to say - but it could be true!

take care
Lynlee