Back to Work

[wcrimi]

Thanks all.  Have a great holiday.   

[wcrimi]

I drove to work using the Grand Central Pkwy, Long Island Expressway, and Queens Blvd today (the most direct approach).    I also drove at night for the first time (though I took the simpler and longer route).  I was very comfortable with the experience. One more small step towards normalcy. 

[MAlegant]

Go get 'em Wayne!   

[cindyj]

That's great, Wayne!  Glad to hear it!  I still haven't driven on the exressway or at night...but now that you've lead the way, perhaps I'll give it a try

Cindy

[wcrimi]

Cindy,

It's hard for me to know what's best for someone else, but I seem to be more comfortable driving than walking around.  My dizziness is very noticeable when I walk (the faster I walk the worse it is) and at times when I move my head from side to side (that comes and goes on different days).  Sometimes I almost feel totally normal when I'm driving until I hit a big bump or something and then I get a split second of dizziness. On the worst days, I only feel dizzy for a split second when I look left or right quickly.

I've learned to get into one lane and stay there, drive slowly, keep plenty of room between my car and other cars, not make turns until I am more than 100% sure it's OK etc.... So I feel safe for myself and others. I think you'll know when you are ready to try night driving or highway driving.  I didn't notice much difference, but then again, I notice large differences between walking slow and walking fast. So maybe my issues are different that for other people. 

I had a couple of very good days this weekend and got very encouraged that I was finally on my way to feeling really well, but I'm back to Wayne the Wonky today. 

I hope you are feeling better.  I feel encouraged when others get better. 

Wayne

 

[HeadCase2]

Wayne,
  If you can drive in NY traffic, then you're doing great.   
  We all want to be fully back up to speed when we return to work.  But it takes a while, you'll get there.
Regards,
  Rob

[Jim Scott]

Wayne:

I grew up in central Long Island (West Islip) and commuted regularly on the Long Island Expressway, Grand Central Parkway and Queens Boulevard, as well as into Manhattan, some days.  It was always a chore.  That was over 40 years ago.  I'm positive that the traffic is much heavier, now.  As Rob ('Headcase') stated, if you can safely drive in New York traffic you're probably doing better than you think. 

I would suggest doing as much walking - fast and slow - as feasible (it is winter).  I did that in my first few weeks post-surgery and found it helped me regain my ability to balance and walk normally.  Just a thought.  Meanwhile, hang in there and try to see the gains you've made and not focus too much on what you can't do as well as you want to.  AN recovery takes time and although I believe we can certainly help ourselves by working at whatever deficit we need to overcome, I also realize that we are only human and cannot simply will ourselves back to normalcy just because we want it.  You'll get there - and I expect that one day soon you'll be encouraging others with your recovery story. 

Jim