Needing friends that can relate

Hello Bre, what do you mean you haven’t progressed since that? Are you not stronger at walking now? I was not in really any pain either until the last 1 1/2 yrs.

Hi Lthorne and welcome to the group. I'm a C5/6 walker without aides, I broke my neck almost 20years ago. I had terrible pain while messages were trying to get back through my spinal cord. That last for several months but went away. I'm one of the lucky ones who doesnt suffer from neurological pain now, only pain in my back due to a poor walking gait.
I also have found little help from the experts....I had problems a few years ago with increased tone in my legs which stopped me from sleeping, I got no help from the system at all so had to resort to my own methods.....because I have almost full feeling, I bought an acupuncture mat which I laid on (bare skin) at night when my legs wouldnt relax, it worked, it tricked my brain into thinking about the pain in my back from laying on the mat and not my legs.
I think what the others have said are all good ideas which you should try, in the end you should (hopefully) find something which works for you, its a matter of experimenting and trying things. For 18years I suffered from constipation and lo and behold I found that eating a handful of cashew nuts each day loosens my stool better than any drugs! Self stim is a rarity nowadays which used to be a constant.
Do you have full sensation or is it muted from your level of injury down? How bad are the spasms? Some have had botox therapy to help for that and to help with walking. I asked about it several years ago (hoping to improve my walking) but was told I wouldnt be able to walk because my increased tone helps me walk and the botox would counter that.

I do eat cashews. Love them. I get them roasted in a can, when I feel like spending the money. Other times, I get mixed nuts that have cashews, but they always skimp on the cashews and overdo the almonds. I used to buy raw cashews, back before my accident when I could get to Whole Foods. But back then, I didn’t pay much attention to the cashew’s effect on my bowel regularity,...didn’t need to. So, I’ll keep going with the roasted cashews and consider it a “good investment” in my health. Whenever we can eat delicious food rather than taking laxative, that’s a good investment.

I don't eat a lot of nuts either anymore, not a low cost food. when I was AB and employed I ate a lot of almonds, and I was very regular. I believe nuts are just an all around nutritious food and very good for the body and so to some helps evacuate the bowels.