BRAIN INJURY COULD RUIN MY CAREER

My wife and I were involved in a terrible car accident towards the end of last year. Fortunately she wasn’t seriously hurt but I had serious physical injuries and a moderate concussive head injury.

I took the rest of the year off from work to recuperate. But I’ve found I still have concentration, attention and memory problems, and I can’t seem to get my energy back.

I’m a veterinary surgeon and my profession is important to me. I feel as if my life will be over if I have to abandon my career. Ever since I was a small boy I’ve lived for animals and to make their lives better. What can I do? Barry, email Research indicates it takes about two years after a brain injury to reach the maximum rehabilitation potential. But in my work with brain-injured patients I’ve also seen people recover even further after this period and I’m always amazed at the resilience of the human spirit.

Your rehabilitation period is far from over. It would be worth your while to consult a psychologist trained in neuropsychology so they can do some cognitive rehabilitation with you. You have to be kind to your brain and work with it instead of against it.

You have to learn to work around any cognitive problems you might have if you want to pursue your career. You might need to make adjustments but your career doesn’t have to be over. You and the neuropsychologist will have to figure out in which areas of your work you can still function well and make a difference.

The psychologist can also help you to work on a strategy that allows you to slowly enter into the world of work again without getting what’s called cognitive overload (where your brain is given too much to deal with and becomes tired).