When I was injured in 1990 and was in rehab at Santa Clara they said that they would expect my life expectancy to be shortened by 50-60 percent, but that has all changed due to better Medical Care and understanding SCI. When I was discharged from Santa Clara the leprechaun Dr. (very short and very Irish) reminded me that I was in charge of my SCI and needed to take responsibility of handling my care. I took that very seriously and as a C4 complete I have to depend on others. But I still feel that I am responsible and I make sure that things go the way we have decided and not at the wishes of an attendant or even a Dr. If I feel that they are not giving good advice.
Take care of yourself, search within to decide what will make you happy and then go for it! J Don’t wait for other people to find a solution for a problem that you are having, keep thinking about it and sometimes a very simple change will make an entire difference in how you function and feel. I wear a chin controller around my neck and always have pain in my shoulders and over the last few months we have noticed that I was tipping my head to the right side when I drive. In the middle of the night (get a lot of thinking and problem solving in bed at night by myself Ha-Ha) I wondered if my cord to my controller was pulling the controller to my right side. The next morning my attendant took a large safety pin, did not have to pay for a high priced medical equipment either, and pinned my cord to the back of my shirt on the left side, no more tipping and much less pain. That remedy only took 21 ½ years! I guess you can teach an old dog (old crip?) new things. Laugh a lot, enjoy yourself as much as possible, and expect that you will live a long and hopefully very fulfilling life. Joan
