I survived the crash but I don't recognize my life anymore — anyone else feel this way?

Yes. A thousand times yes. For me it hit around month three when everyone around me had basically "moved on" and assumed I was fine because I wasn't in a cast anymore. The grief of losing your old self is real, and it doesn't fit neatly into a medical chart. You're not being dramatic. This is exactly what surviving a serious crash feels like and nobody warns you about it.

What you're describing — the delayed emotional crash, the hypervigilance in cars, the physical exhaustion that doesn't match what people expect to see — is incredibly common after polytrauma. Your nervous system has been running on stress hormones for months and now it's trying to recalibrate. The panic response in the car sounds like it could be PTSD symptoms, which are just as real and treatable as a broken bone. Please mention it to your doctor if you haven't. There are targeted therapies (EMDR is one) that specifically help with accident trauma. You're not broken — you're healing in a part people don't always see.

I just want to say I'm really glad you posted this instead of keeping it inside. It sounds like you've been holding so much together for everyone else's sake. You don't have to perform "okay" here.

Not trying to minimize any of what you're going through — because it's a LOT — but the fact that you fought through PT and are asking these questions and reaching out tells me you're still in there. The person you were didn't disappear. She's just buried under a lot of trauma right now. That wall you hit? A lot of people say hitting it is actually the beginning of real healing, not the end of it.

I hope you're documenting all of this — the panic attacks, the limitations at home, everything. Insurance companies love to use time against you. The longer it's been since the accident, the more they'll try to argue your ongoing issues aren't related. A journal with dates and specific symptoms is more valuable than people realize.

I used to work claims and I'll be honest — the emotional and psychological side of an injury almost never gets captured properly unless someone is actively tracking it. Adjusters are trained to look at medical bills and discharge summaries. They're not reading between the lines about how you can't ride in a car without panicking or how you can't hold your dog. If there's any claim involved here, make sure whoever is representing you understands the full picture of your daily life, not just the surgical notes.

Just a heads up — what you're describing (loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, inability to do daily activities you used to do) are actually categories that factor into personal injury claims, sometimes called "pain and suffering" or "non-economic damages." I'm not saying you need to lawyer up right now, but if there's any open claim, it's worth knowing that these things have legal weight. Keep notes. Dates, what you couldn't do, how you felt. It matters more than people think.

Get a therapist who specializes in trauma. Not a general one — specifically someone with accident or trauma experience. PT fixed your body as much as it can right now; your mind needs the same targeted attention. That's not weakness, that's just finishing the job.

Are you getting any mental health support at all right now, or just physical rehab? I ask because everything you're describing sounds like it needs both tracks running at the same time, and a lot of people get discharged from the hospital with a PT plan and zero psych follow-up. Curious what your care team has actually set up for you.