Alysse: The first emotion I experienced was
devastation that I couldn't feel
anything below my rib cage and what that
might mean for the future of my
relationship or intimacy with my husband.
That was probably the first and hardest.
Wayne: The initial thing is like everybody
is traumatized. They go from seeing you
walking and talking to basically being
like just like a statue. That's how I was
that first cut. I couldn't breathe. I was
on life support. And I could just see it
in their eyes.
I could just see it in their eyes
and hear it in their voice. Jennifer: When something like
that happens to you you're you're angry
at yourself. What could you have done different.
You're angry at the world, you
know. And it doesn't help you
know when you're in pain. Danny: Someone always
told me and I always knew it, but going
through it now, they always told me God
would never give something so bad and so
horrible to someone that can't handle it
So that helped me out a lot. Narrator:Anger, confusion,
sadness, shock, frustration, all completely
normal reactions you may have following
a spinal cord injury. You may also
experience changes in your appetite,
sleep patterns and other bodily
functions. Nutkowski: It is important to realize
that even though you're feeling
depressed and angry and and that your
whole world is falling apart in the
moment that that is not going to be
what's gonna happen forever. That things
are gonna eventually get better. As you
enter rehab that actually is very
reinforcing that you can see that you
can regain a lot of those abilities and
that ultimately has a very positive
impact on a person's mood. Duckett: Some days are
better than others.
You might sometimes experience dark
places or have feelings of happiness
that you've made some progress in your
recovery, but it's always important to
really identify what keeps you at that
happy level and and also you know how to
bounce back from that low level
because it's temporary it's not gonna
last forever. Narrator: Your emotions and your body
may have changed but it's important to
remember that a spinal cord injury does
not define who you are. Focusing on the
positives and the strengths you still
have and learning to manage your own
health will help you adjust to your new
physical condition. Danny: You just got nobody
to learn about it. Don't be ignorant
about it because you're not gonna help yourself out,
not knowing anything about it and
letting other people take care of you.
Be aware of yourself and
your own body. This is my body, it's my
own body.
Alysse: Day by day, when you start to regain your
physical strength, your emotional
strength starts to come back, that one
triumph builds on another and it's a
very powerful incentive. You get really
hooked on that first big accomplishment
like learning to transfer without a
transfer board was huge for me. Going
grocery shopping the first time by
yourself. Driving. Learning how to drive.
Narrator: MossRehab will always be here to
support you in your recovery. We offer
many types of assistance, including
support groups and psychotherapy for you
and your family. Most clinicians are here
to help you cope with your injuries now
and in the future. Nutkowski: Support groups are
invaluable because as providers of service,
as caregivers, as professionals, we can
only do so much to say, "hey this is what
you're going to be going through." We
understand how you feel. We can't
possibly completely understand how a
person's feeling with a spinal cord
injury. It's really only until they
experience through the support group
that they hear other patients talk about
their experiences and
hear them say, "hey you know it's
demoralizing when I have to have someone
wipe my bottom. It's upsetting to me
that I have to have my husband take over
the bills or take care of the children."
Those types of things that only they're
able to relate to. I think that
really opens the door to their open
communication about how they're
experiencing the spinal cord injury.
Duckett:Family and friends of a person with a
new spinal cord injury can be very
important in their recovery.
It's very pivotal for them to just be
there, offer support, help them with
anything that they might need. Even just
listening to them and really
understanding that this is a new
situation that they're going through and
they might not know how they're gonna
get through it, but just knowing that
they have family and friends that are
there for them really is a big help for
them to overcome some of the hurdles
that might come with a new injury. Allyse: The
best way to help yourself is to help
someone else. It sounds cliche and
people say it to you when you're newly
injured and but until you do it and you
maybe mentor somebody for the first time
and see that you really made a
difference in their life you don't know
how good it feels. And then one thing
sort of builds on the other and before
you know it you're back in life and a
little surprised. It's not where I thought
my life was gonna go but it's
very satisfying and fulfilling.
Wayne: I put my feelings inside a song, put it
to a beat and make it sound good. What
you know about waking up in intensive
care.
There's docs around your bed, even they looking
down at you scared.
There's four docs wearing gloves and
sterilized gowns, told me I've been shot,
paralyzed from the neck down. Then it hit
me, this really is a game changer. Hour
later I flatlined, now I got a pacemaker.
They shipped me out now I'm cleared to
go to therapy.
They classify me quadriplegic and
scaring me. Please Lord show me a sign,
I need some clarity. Then it happened one
day out of thin air, I move my foot,
smiling from ear to ear. Narrator: Listening,
learning, asking questions and following
up with your rehabilitation doctor and
the rehab team will provide you with the
best education and recommendations to
assure you stay healthy as someone
living with an SCI.