Anger and Emotional Management Post Spinal Cord Injury!

hobo, thank you for sharing what has given you strength. I cannot imagine dealing with SCI before the information/support sharing that the internet has provided. What you have posted lately in this and other threads has been most helpful to me!

Wow, this is a thread that I have been needing the past few days. I am that guy that has let the depression and anger take me to the lowest of lows. I've turned to over indulging in alcohol and drugs to hide the pain. I am thankful that I am not dead after those years. My wife came into my life after my SCI and for that I am thankful. However I didn't always act like I was. Thankfully she saw past that person and loved me for who I am stuck with me during those dark days/months/years.

She finally convinced me to talk to a doctor regarding my depression. I had agreed many times but for some reason I always "rescheduled" the appointment. Finally i made it. I did agree to Cymbalta because some people had found some Neuro relief with it. So I wasn't doing it because I was crazy, it was to help my feet and legs. Well the feet and legs aren't getting much relief but my mind has. The past several months, for the most part, have been depression free. I have my days but it is much easier to pull out of the funk now. Before I would isolate myself from everyone. I never contemplated suicide but I will admit I didn't care if I lived or died. I just did not care.

It surprised me when the doctor said I had a form of PTSD. I can see it now and after 19 years of living like this I would love to help others that are new to SCI. I had no one that understood. I had no one that could relate to what I was feeling and of course, NOT feeling. Nothing will ever make me feel better about a bowel accident or blasting a big fart out in the middle of Wal Mart. But I am me and my time on earth may end tomorrow, we never know, but if it is NO ONE can say that Jeff didn't live life to the fullest regardless of his limitations.

It certainly isnt the easy road is it! Threads like this and you guys sharing, makes such a difference to someone else who is going through the same.

Especially those who are newly injured.

Lαrα, I started my degree soon after my wreck. I "strayed" in my ways and learning wasn't high on my priority list lol. Working full time and school full time definitely doesn't give me much time to get into trouble anymore LOL

tonka and jeff1967, thank you for sharing the dark times and how you got through. Your experience grappling with SCI, the normal crap of life, and now aging is valuable for all to read. You are both blessed with wonderful partners in life, definitely a big plus! And you both are tough men, not afraid to face what stands before you. There is no shame in taking med for emotional support, same as taking pain med or other med to help us cope with other aspects of medical challenges. Long-term depression is a medical condition, with chemical changes to the brain and other parts of body. That is why meds are needed, sometimes just to set things right again and other times to maintain the fix. Cymbalta seems to be a med that is multipurpose, helping stabilize emotions and manage pain.