How can I help my mom heal?
Sorry this is a long post:
Eight days ago my mom was in a rear end car accident. She never lost consciousness but sustained whiplash and a concussion. She’s on a blood thinner and she’s got good results from her CT (no bleeding or swelling). I really just wanted to know what are the best ways I can help her heal. My mom is a small business owner, working on her PHD and is an adjunct professor. The thought of not returning to how she was before for months is stressful and overwhelming for her. She knows she’s needs to prioritize her recovery and healing, but hearing month’s recovery is a lot to take in.
She saw her PCP this week and they said it could be a few months before she feels back to a normal and also discussed post concussion syndrome with her.
The earliest she was able to get into a concussion specialist is early August.
Symptoms she’s still having 1 week out: sensitivity to light and loud sounds(no pain but just sensitive), feeling whoozy standing too long, head still feels kinda full. Mornings are rough but afternoon/evenings seem to be when she feels good. Waking up at least once in the middle of the night. Feeling anxiety about getting hurt again, how to continue to make a living, and long recovery.
Here’s what we’ve been doing so far:
-short distance car rides (don’t worry she’s not driving) & sitting outside
-letting light back into the house
-So far she does 10 minutes on mahjong on her phone wearing red light glasses.
-we’ve done no tv and no computer time since day 2 (1st day we were just told whiplash so she did unfortunately watch tv the first night). I’ve been working her emails. We are going to try 30 minutes of a short show today.
-she is getting up and moving around the house (light chores, etc).
-she’s combating boredom with small activities like reading physical books, coloring, card games.
I am open to any advice, recommendations, activities, or things we should try to just help my mom. We know she will get better but this is just something new for all of us to navigate ❤️ we are calling it a pivot for us.