Hi Folks,
i seldom post these days but each year on my TM anniversay I like to say
hello to the TM world. Feb 4th was my 5th anniversary and I am pleased to
report that I am still vertical and , contrary to the two year window for
improvement rule, feel that I am still making gains.
I have some pain issues and still cannot run without exposing myself to
great danger but all in all I'm not complaining. Five years ago I was
paralyzed and today I am going strong. I take meds for my pain and took part
in a study in Boston dealing with SCI pain. I figured that being a lab rat
would help our cause long term and it was kind of interesting to spend five
weeks in hospital in another country.
To be very brief this year.....my simple advice for new TM'ers is to not
lose hope. Work hard at getting better because you are firmly in charge of
your own destiny. I could have just sat down and quit but I realized that we
don't arrive here with a warranty and sooner or later something is bound to
screw up. With me it was my spinal cord at T-5-6.....with my '77 Camaro it
was the transmission. The car was junked....I chose not to be.
Sometime after getting TM, probably after two years or so, it dawned on me
that worrying about how I got tm was a huge waste of time. If it was a
virus, mold, mercury, falling,George Bush or just bad luck I was driving
myself nuts trying to make it all make sense. The truth is that shit happens
and you just have to deal with it. Someone wins the lottery and someone buys
a seat on the wrong flight. I decided to play with the cards that were dealt
me and get on with life.
I've walked hundreds of miles over the past five years. For the first few
months I used some form of asistance and at times I fell. I got up and tried
again, then again. Now I look like anyone else walking along except for a
slight limp. I enjoy golf and play better than I did before I got TM. Mostly
because I know realize how unimportant golf is in the great scheme of
things!
It's been worth the fight to get back to where I am now....it really has. I
can walk again.....I am able to pee and turn it off and on which is a damned
exciting thing that only people such as us tm'ers can appreciate. I deal
with my residual pain and try not to inflict my bad days on others.
I also made some very good friends on this list who helped me through the
difficult times with their encouragement and support. I can never properly
thank them and although I have lost contact with some of them I will always
be thankful for them.
So.....no quitting ok! Try to wiggle that toe.....try to do a kegal......try
to lift that leg....try to deal with the banding and the weird sensations
and most importantly of all....try not to lose hope.
All the best,
Neil
(in NS)
_________________________________________________________________
Powerful Parental Controls Let your child discover the best the Internet has
to offer.
http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-ca&page=byoa/prem&xAPID=1994&DI=1034&SU=http://hotmail.com/enca&HL=Market_MSNIS_Taglines
Start enjoying all the benefits of MSN® Premium right now and get the
first two months FREE*.
