I can type again... kinda :) - Page 3

Saintlysins · 06-18-09, 11:27

G-Damn ... I guess I was away too long and missed wishing you luck going into the surgery. Enough on the missed past, I wish you all the best and hope you're back, better than ever, and the surgery gives you a whole new perspective on how great life is without the constant pain you've been dealing with all these years!

Back in '89, I was in a nasty car accident, I had twisted several vertebrae in my lower back and broke my neck in 3 places. Diagnosis; Mild paralysis on left side with permanent leg disabilities (limp), and motor-skills in my left arm and hand would be quite limited and painful. I was miserable for the first few months, and it affected me and everyone around me. The limitations of mobility were worse than the pain.
A new therapist entered the picture. This was a no B.S. nurse/therapist, rough, gruff, yet also funny. If you've ever seen "2 And A Half Men" she could play the part of the housekeeper in a second.
She explained that doubling my efforts in therapy would double my chances of a better recovery. Tripling the efforts would triple the recovery. She also said 95% of patients do only enough to get out of therapy - and that was their demise and why most spinal damaged patients never get anywhere near as healed or healthy as they could. So I busted my butt to work the therapies for all they were worth. I was invigorated to try harder. And it F'ing sucked. But I somehow "reprogrammed" my natural tendency to quickly get through the therapy sessions as if they were part of the problem and pain ... and embraced the therapies, pushing the limits of both pain and abilities while in each session, and when I got home, to do two or three times the assigned home-therapies each day.
Some how something inside me changed and I was pushing the stretching, rebuilding and strengthening of the muscles to the limit. Within 2 months I had lost 30 lbs, was up to a 100 sit-ups a day.

After 18 months I was able to walk again barely using the crutches or cane. My Dad found this book by Dr. John Sarno called "Healing Back Pain, The Mind-Body Prescription" (or something like that, sorry, I can't find the book, but if I do I'll send it to you) ... with that book I believed I could make a change in my life and life-style and with permission from the doctors and physical therapist ... I started working out in the gym. Lots of cardio, (cycling, recumbent bikes and ellipticals, no running) and added light training weights for another 6 months twice a day for an hour a day. 24 months from my accident the Doctors said it was an amazing recovery and I could throw my canes away. To this day, I still 'suspend' upside-down by the ankles about 3 times a week, sometimes for just a few minutes, sometimes I'll fall asleep for hours on end. As weird as that is, I'm just under 50, and have no back or neck pain.

I shared all this with you in hopes it will motivate you to do "more than required" in therapy for you recovery. If a wuss like me can do it ... so can you! Don't get caught up in all you can't do with all this free time, but in all you can do to get rehabilitated. The time you have now should be considered too little to get yourself back into the best shape of your life.
There's a LOT of subscribers/contributors on this forum, few have the positive intent and good-nature that you have brought to these threads. Besides, I've been to SLC, and they need good WORKING detailers, so you've just got to get a great recovery and back out there for paint's sake!
I wish you the best in your recovery and hope you kick butt in therapy and exceed everyones expectations ... including your own!

Be strong SuperBee364! Speedy recovery!

SuperBee364 · 06-19-09, 09:54

Sheesh guys... the show of support... I'm speechless, and you know *that* doesn't happen very often!

Saintlysins, I really needed to hear that. *Really* needed to hear that. I still have a couple more surgeries to get through, but in between I'll take your advice for sure. Besides, I have to be able to keep up with a 7 year old boy and 2 year old girl!

The fact that you don't have any back or neck pain is extremely encouraging. The amount of pain I have now is waaaaaaay down from where it was before surgery. I remember waking up to the typical post-surgery pain and breathing a huge sigh of relief, cause it was so much better than before. The Doc says I have permanently lost quite a bit of use of my left tricep, and my left index finger has yet to come to life, but compared to how it *could* have been, I'm extremely happy with the outcome. My quality of life has more than doubled since the surgery, and it hasn't even been a week yet!

Ya know, a PC doesn't way *that* much.....

Thanks again for the support everyone. We really have a great group here.

SuperBee364 · 06-19-09, 10:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heatgain

ACF....been there, done that. You in a halo? If you are, like I was, forget detailing 8 weeks from now.
BTW, the titanium doesn't set off alarms at the airport.

Luckily, no halo, cause I'm having the discs done one level at a time over the course of several surgeries. This was just C6-7.

Some G rated pictures.

Even Setec should be able to handle those.

Saintlysins · 06-21-09, 01:55

Take it slow, but do the therapy hard!

All my best!