If you have been affected by post-concussion syndrome, it is possible to drive again. It takes determination, help from others, and patience. 💪🏽🧠🌿

1. I can drive now (1-2 hours/day). I couldn’t before.
2. I believe, and my doctors believe, that I will continue to improve to the point where I can drive again without the limitations I have today.

A few days after the accident, I went with my sister to the beach. I had already rented a car, so we went in that. I drove to the beach. Funny enough, the full weight of the TBI didn’t hit me until a week after the accident… When we got to the beach, I was tired. At the time I thought the “little problems” I was experiencing were just a side effect of the COVID vaccine. (When they gave it to me, I passed out and that’s how the TBI happened…although at first they thought the symptoms were from the vaccine.)

At the time, I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but I felt really weird…at times. It wasn’t constant. Sometimes I could focus on the conversation and other times I couldn’t. Sometimes my eyes worked fine and sometimes I didn’t know why they didn’t focus on the field of view. But anyway, we got there okay. After spending an hour at the beach, we went to eat. During the meal, I told my sister that I felt really weird, that I didn’t know if I was okay. I asked her if we could be quiet for a while. Afterwards, at some point, I thought I was going to pass out, so I drank water and then went to the bathroom (maybe I was dehydrated or constipated?). When I got to the bathroom, I felt really dizzy and I hesitated on whether to lock the door or not because if I were to pass out, I wanted someone to find me. I spent about 5 minutes, felt a little better, and it was time to leave.

This trip was a special day together after my sister’s wedding, so I wanted to continue with the day’s plan. We made one more stop for shopping where we went as kids once a year on vacation with the family. We bought jeans, walked around the mall, and at some points, the feelings of being overwhelmed, disoriented, and dizzy came back to me. In the end I had to tell him I felt sick and ask him to drive me back home. We did this in silence and I rested in the passenger seat. Strangely, after that hour and a half of rest, I felt quite a bit better and went back – for half an hour – to socialize with the family when we got to my sister’s house.

There was one more day where I drove before I left him. After an afternoon at my parents’ house, I was going back to my sister’s house, where she was staying. One of my nephews was with me. We had sparkling water in the car. The nephew in question was about 11 or 12 years old and very talkative. He was telling me about school, about his friends, and he asked me a very nice and thoughtful question about what to do with a teacher who didn’t give him the respect he thought he deserved. I was very honored that he opened up to me. And I answered something, before I got into feelings similar to those I experienced in the restaurant bathroom and at the mall. But this time, I was driving. I was in charge of 2 lives.

So as not to cause trouble, I pulled over to the side of the road. Shaking, I opened my phone and told my nephew that if I passed out to call his mother (we were 5 minutes from her house). At every turn I feared I would pass out before I had my phone unlocked. I got out of the car, focused on breathing, and drank a sparkling water. Afterwards, I waited a few minutes until I felt “well” enough to continue and asked him not to talk for the rest of the trip. I kept whispering to myself, “I trust you, body. I trust you, mind.” And I put a hand on my chest to try to keep myself calm.

When we got home, I went straight to bed. And I didn’t touch the car again.

About 6 months later, I started driving a little bit. Going around the block was a challenge and I did it once a week, nothing more, because of the amount of anxiety and symptoms it caused me. Then, to the grocery store (2 minutes). After each trip I had to rest or close my eyes.

I understood that driving where I knew there was room to get out in case of emergency was necessary for me.

There are many skills – affected by a concussion – that are necessary for driving:

• blocking out unnecessary visual distractions
• using peripheral vision
• blocking out unnecessary auditory distractions
• changing the focus of your eyes constantly (even when going straight)
• looking to the sides and behind you using your eyes and neck
• coordinating visual, physical and auditory stimuli
• reacting quickly
• others…

Little by little, after a few months of treatments, I have been able to drive more. The most important treatments for this skill have been:

1. Syntonic phototherapy. This calms the ocular nervous system. It was a necessary treatment for a while. Now it is a one-time treatment when I notice my eyes are very tense.
2. Vision therapy. My eye posture has improved and so have my eye skills. It is now easier for me to relax my eyes, move them with coordination and also focus from point to point without fatigue.
3. Chiropractor specializing in C1, C2. (In North America, the association of these doctors is called NUCCA. Unbeknownst to us, along with TBI, we often also suffer from whiplash. With the help of this doctor, I have less pain in my neck and back, my vision has improved, and my sensitivity to sound has decreased as well.

I still use earplugs when driving because of hyperacusis, but I am now able to make 2-4 trips per day, up to 2 hours at times (if not all the time).

If post-concussion syndrome has affected you, it is possible to drive again. It requires determination, the help of others, and patience. 💪🏽🧠🌿