The Next Test

[stoneaxe]

Good news that has me nervous. I've been out of work since last October...originally economy related and of course extended by my recent summer vacation. My old boss called and asked if I was interested in coming back. The company has undergone a metamorphosis...new owner, lots of changes. I like what I hear and the opportunity is good for other reasons. A chance to learn some new software in depth.

I'm a little concerned that the scatter brained me will be less capable than I used to be. I've always been a bit of a software wiz but for some reason this has me nervous. I'm ecstatic about my recovery and I'm hoping to see a return to pre-AN levels of productivity. The headaches, dizziness and wonky head don't make for a productive worker. One concern post-op is I have noticed a slight tendency to ADD and while I wouldn't call it fatigued I do get more tired.

I feel like I need to rebuild myself and I guess prove myself again...at least to me. Going to be an interesting test.

[lori67]

I'll bet once you get back into the swing of things, you'll be great!  You'll probably find you feel less scatter brained when you have something specific to focus on - much like paddle-boarding, I'd imagine.  You have to be able to stay focused for that,so maybe once you have your work to focus on, that scatter brain feeling will lessen.

One step at a time!  You can do this!   

Lori

[nancyann]

Bob:  Congratulations - you must be a great worker or your boss wouldn't have asked you to come back.    I was very worried when I returned to work 2 months post op.  My job is all mental & new things are being added all the time.   At first it was difficult, tiring, but it got easier & easier with time.  I was harder on myself then I needed to be - isn't that always the case ?
I'm sure you'll do great.
Always good thoughts,  Nancy

ps:  Donnalynn:  Thank you for the AOR/medication info (& the balance article Sue posted) !

[tenai98]

Bob
being a driving instructor  I as well was scared of returning to work...Inclass was ok..I took the plung and went back to incar and it is no different then before but I am exhausted once I am home....Being busy seems to take care of the wonky head for me as well as the headaches...I'd say go for it...At least give it a fair trial....I'm a firm believer in keeping our brains active.....
JO

[moe]

Bob,
You can do it! See if you can start out slow though. The fatigue is real. May take up to a year or longer to get used to the "new you." Once your brain gets used to thinking the way it did before, I would imagine you'd be fine, maybe even BETTER.
(I always needed rest periods prior to my AN  discovery so it is not that much different for me post op!)
Cheers,
Maureen

[Jim Scott]

Bob ~

Great news, indeed!  Being productive (and paid) is always 'good medicine'.  I think your concerns about handling a new job are perfectly valid but you don't seem to be the type that allows his fears to make his decisions.  I can speculate that you'll definitely feel tired at the end of a workday and you may have to scale back your hours to stay at your peak, so I hope you'll be able to start part-time or at least not be expected to be at 100% on Day One.  After all, you did have brain surgery.  You've obviously recovered but it will take a little time to come back to where you were, pre-surgery.  That should be obvious.  Still, I like your intrepid attitude and of course, I applaud your willingness to take hold of this job opening.  I think you'll be able to handle this and besides that, you'll have lots of folks cheering you on, including me.

Jim    

[stoneaxe]

Thanks all. I'm just a bit nervous about screwing this up. It is a part time thing to start which is good. The technical difficulty is still there though. I'm a bit concerned about my learning ability not being like it used to be. Just have to work harder I guess.

I'm going to be sure to get plenty of sleep to help fight the tiredness.

[4cm in Pacific Northwest]

Bob,

Is the work environment going to be quiet or noisy? Assessing this can help you devise some coping strategies.

DHM

[sgerrard]

Bob,

I have a technically demanding job as an engineering software developer. What I found during the first six months was that I could do the challenging work, but only for shorter periods of time. There might have been 3 good hours in a typical day. Fortunately two things help that: you are aware of when you are sharp and when you are not; and most jobs involve some routine non-demanding tasks as well, such as reading emails from the HR department. So I was able to work on the difficult stuff for a few  hours, then recognize when I had lost the edge, and spend that time on all the other stuff. I had to organize my time a little more than usual, and sometimes put problem X off till tomorrow's "sharp period," but I managed to be productive during those months despite it all. By now I am back to a more regular pattern, although I still do that sometimes.

The new rule could be "put off till tomorrow that which you can do better tomorrow than you can today."

Steve

[moe]

Bob,

I have a technically demanding job as an engineering software developer.

Wow, Steve can knit hats and he's extremely intelligent too!!!!
Way to go Steve

[stoneaxe]

Sounds like sage advice Steve. I should be able to structure my day that way.

[leapyrtwins]

You'll do great, Bob.

Good luck - and keep us posted!

Jan

[ppearl214]

Bob

You're gonna do great... you know my mantra... "day by day, inch by inch..." and that applies to new (old) jobs as well!

Phyl

[Vivian B.]

Hi Bob,

It's good to see that you recovered well. I say go for it! Once your back you will get into the swing of things and it's great that it's part-time at first so it will give you a good indication of whether or not you can handle it full time. Although I am sure you can!

Vivian

[Kaybo]

Bob~
Just reading this but wanted to add my 2 cents from someone who has been dealing with this for a long time.  Yes, it is a bit daunting, especially the tiredness, but i have found that the skills & knowledge that you have used for a long time come right back (like Steve said - & my Dr's - you do have a "sharper period" - usually in the morning when you are fresh) and the new skills that RELATE to what you already know seem to be OK too.  I didn't notice much trouble until this summer when I was trying to comprehend a TOTALLY new concept (all in the COMPLETELY new & different field of photography - my hat is off to those that learned on a film camera and didn't learn on the new ones that can do everything for you) - of course, it could be that I am just dingy or getting old!!

I know that you will do great - when do you start?

K