Post by Lαrα on Jun 1, 2014 4:39:16 GMT -8
Lets be honest the hardest thing about becoming injured is adjusting to the new way of life. Grieving for the old life and dealing with the complexities of Spinal Cord Injury and a new way of life.
Ive come across the most determined people with Spinal Cord Injuries and also some who are visibly 'broken'. More needs to be done to help people adjust.....If you cant find that inner strength then a life with SCI can be nothing short of a curse.
Ive talked to one or two guys who's lives seem on hold...and say they are waiting for a cure and wont be happy until they walk again. This is so so sad because their life is passing them by......
Many people with SCI just refuse to be 'beat' by it and find a positive way to move forward. When you are in rehab, the focus is getting you physically 'managed' and programmes put into place, meds, care and adaptions organized.
But something is still missing..what about the emotional and mental needs? A few sessions with a councilor at rehab and possibly some after leaving is not enough. I dint have the absolute answer but i do believe that 'life coaches' would be a great idea.
Individuals need to see he positive in life again and have the motivation to still follow their dreams and believe that all isn't lost. They just need to realize this....so in my opinion this should be such an important aspect of rehab and leaving rehab.
We have had some great tips on how to live with SCI from members here on the forum and one in particular stuck in my head. The member made reference to still enjoying experiences and activities but its just a case of finding new ways to do things and adaptions that assist.
Really..this is it in a nutshell!
Don't think you cant...think how you can!
I can remember the year i became injured i had been out of hospital for 4 months and i wanted to attend an annual horse show where i stayed on site at the show in my horse lorry for a week. I was so determined that i would still attend this show no matter what and stay in my lorry as usual. To be honest the only other option was a tent and that was a no no for many reasons lol
So i have a comfortable living area in my horsebox...i just needed to worry how to get in and out of it as it was 3 steps up into it. They were metal steps and in fact were the metal steps that i fell down on my back that caused my injury!
That week at the show was exhausting....but i did it. As an 'incomplete' i can stand with support so i had a rail put on the side of the box and then two guys would come help me in. One would be at the top of the steps waiting to pull me up and support under my arms and the other would guide and lift my feet one at a time on the steps. I was still pretty weak at this time.
At the top i needed a good push on my butt and i was in lol
I sure wasnt going to let my SCI stop me from being there...it has already affected my hobby enough and my horse riding...enough was enough! To be honest my mom was horrified that i was even attempting to go but as she knows me well..she also knows that i would do what i wanted ultimately..and that il find a way.
I even cathed travelling in the horsebox on the journey....whilst travelling at the back next to the horses! lol
So lets have a good motivational thread about what you we CAN and HAVE done against the odds! I'm planning on starting a thread soon where we can compile our experiences on how we have differentiated activities to meet our own needs so we can access things and enjoy them!
Lets be honest..where there is a will, there's a way!!
If you enjoyed this post then you may enjoy this one too! Does SCI make you Stronger!
