hi, i was a victim of a diving accident and id like to hear from others of how it happened, how you could of avoided it,level of injury and how you now cope

thanks mitch

My spouse dived into a "sponge pit" 10 months ago. He is now a C5/6. Avoiding an accident is like trying to predict the future. You can never truly avoid anything unless you live in a bubble. We cope with honesty, humor, and hope. We allow ourselves to feel down. We say what we feel even if it's hard to say/ hear. We hope that we will find this gets easier with time. Best of all we laugh all the time. What else can you do. I always say that we technically won the lottery of bad karma... what are the odds? It does suck at times but it also makes you appreciate so much more than ever before.

Lotta folks here are "victims" of not having been sure of what they were getting er diving into.

You really wanna know how you could have prevented it? Dwell on what life woulda' shoulda' coulda' been like had you not made the supreme boo boo of a life time?

Great idea mitch.

Myself? I was gonna be the world's greatest Tango dancer. Struck down in my prime by unimaginable stupidity, I now sit here, an empty shell of a human being in front of a computer keyboard huffing paint (gold's the best) tapping out meaningless gibberish.

Ah, but I'm not bitter. Apparently this is my lot in life.

E

My husband dove into a pool on labor day weekend at a bbq at some friends house. he said he could of prevented by drinking more beer. He is a c-4. and each day is a new challenge. I have to agree with the other spouse. we still have our humor. He has never lost it and i think the kids help out too. Its not easy because we have a 7 and 4 year old and I am in the army. but each day we also see new improvements that give you some hope. cause without hope then you will never recover.

Incomplete back flip in a bounce house, landed me a complete C6/7. The weird part is that I was conscious through out the whole ordeal.

Yeah, I was a Varsity diver in high school . . . . . 20+ years ago!!
Shoulda left well enough alone.

Now, I certainly don't do any more dives. But, the skies the limit on most other activities. You can't let this stop you from living a normal, healthy life.

Hindsight is 20/20 my friend. I wouldn't advise dwelling too much on the "what if I had just _____" scenario......cuz that was then & this is now; so if I would suggest anything I'd suggest finding out how others cope & "moved on".

I don't know the official percentages but all the diving SCI 'victims' I've met are C4-5-6's and so far all complete too - not sure if that is more likely they were injured a long time ago or just the nature of the fall.

Dives I think must include anything headfirst, whether it be into lakes, swimming pools, sea, trampolines and bouncy castles!

According to this poll, about 75% of the members here were injured in an auto accident.

edit: I just realized this says DIVING and not DRIVING. Time for new reading glasses.

I'm sorry that you believe you're a victim. For myself, I made a conscious, though foolish decision to launch myself from my patio roof to an above ground pool ten feet away. An accident, no. It was a calculated risk that turned ugly. I consider it an injury, no one else had any input with my dive. When I impacted the water, my chin and neck snapped backwards and I drown.
Abstinence would be the only way to avoid the sitch. But, my personality type has been to shock others with stupid human tricks, I wiegh the odds, then do it anyway. Worked the first 43 yrs. As far as the level, C5/6 anterior incomplete, with all the bells and whistles. I've got a suprapubic catheter and a colostomy bag, had flap surgery, technically dead 2-3 times.
Because I can't put the blame on anyone but me, I have learn to be the most comfortable within the skin I'm in. I've learned by others not to be so demanding unless it's health urgency. If I want or need something, obtain it at their convenience and to to ask politely. Oh there are days I want to be left alone or just want to lean forward and step out the chair, but if the seating is good, it makes it easier. I don't post much but do report here quite often, mostly to learn from others. I also beleive it's not how you got in the chair, but what you've done since.

Respectfully, Mark

I fell off a trampoline and a week later was paralyzed. I was 13 at the time and am 24 now. I think my best method of coping comes from the support and love of my family (and my new friends here), laughing at the situation, and trying to be as independent and unusual as possible. I don't think my injury could have been avoided, and 11 years later, I can now look back at it and be somewhat grateful. I know this isn't the case with everyone, and it's not easy, but I came out of a really bad scenario and I was better off because of it.

When I was 13 I was a hell monster. I had started drugs, already gotten myself into an abusive relationship, and failing 8th grade. I found out who my real friends were very quickly after my accident, and I had the chance to watch bad behavior, but not take part in it. In my senior year of high school, my formerly best friend (during my walking days) had died, and my other "friends" were hospitalized, pregnant or otherwise in a bad place. I'm glad I wasn't part of that, and I think it was a mixed blessing my injury happened because I would, surely, have been a part of it.

It really sucks at times too, but there are a lot of good things still out there, and there is always hope that someday we're all going to beat this, too.

i injured myself muff diving once buts thats not why im in a chair

my accident would have been avoided if a nosy sil would have keeped her nose out of our business

a nose in a business is never good, its not cost effective, comes quite usefull for smelling things tho

I know for a fact that ALL the DIVES performed ended up INCOMPLETE.-lol

As far as the DIVERS, well it's a mixed bag.

I dove into a surfboard. C7 complete.

Hi Mitch

I was delivering some Airline tickets to a business customer at 10am, back in 1984. A drunk driver T boned me, caved in all the drivers side of the van, ans I ended up with 5 displced discs. Had two years of intense physio to rectify the problems caused.
In april 2001 I herniated L4 L5, had a discectomy, but discs re-split 4 weeks later. Had to wait till October for the second op, and gained scaring on the cord.
The following 8 years were sheer hell, increasingly chronic pain and ever decreasing mobility and balance. From Dec 2008 the pain got very intense, and at times very unbarable. In july 09 my blader stoped working, followed by my bowels, and then my legs. I am now paraplegic, and majority of the pain has gone too.
Considering the past years, I recon I cope very well. I'm four months into being a para, but wouldn't swap it for the past 8 years. Still got alot of learning to do, bowels and bladder management to establish correctly. Apart from that, Its the best I have felt in years.

I was a swimmer and broke my neck during practice when I was 13. When you swim competatively, you dive into the pool at the shallow end from a racing block. You are supposed to dive very shallow, but I was goofing around and dove too deep and hit the bottom. Don't remember impact, I was knocked out. Do remember waking up face down in water with a mouth full of water, but that kind of thing is little hard ot forget. I'm a C6/7 incomplete. like the others said, don't think there's much to be said about avoiding. Everyone has done stupid stuff and nothing happens. Sometimes, something happens and you can't really predict it. Sometimes you're not doing anything stupid and stuff happens. Again, hindsight is 20/20. As far as coping, humor is essential. Also, don't be afraid of life. Get yourself out there and live your life. Don't punish yourself out of fear. Lastly nd most importantly, build a support system. Wether it's your family, friends, an online forum, a support group, people from your rehab program, you're going to need support. I was very lucky to have my family; without them I probably would have been lost.

Bugger, just re-read post and realised it was diving, not driving.........Think I need new glasses LOL !!

sorry guys.

I 'dived' into a concrete pavement! i suppose i should've done it when they were laying it and it would've been softer!

i had a wakeboarding accident, caught a rail of the board, it dug into the water, didn't let go of the tow rope in time, head hit the water, chin hit my chest.. broke c5 c6 face.. down in the water for 45secs to a minute and my mate jumped in and rolled me over to breathe. luckily i didn't swallow any water.
happy to be alive everyday

I did the same thing.

My Physiologist is a C5 from a diving accident. He got hurt when he was 21, so he had to finish med school as a quad.

my 'him indoors' was dumped on the sea bed by a huge wave...no alcohol, no messing around, just a freak accident... (although he says it was because he was being vain and trying to protect his pretty face, and tucked his head under!! )
left him C4/5 complete...was concious all the time, during helichopper ride to hosptial etc, but was then sedated.
He knew from begining what had happened...dont know if it makes it better somehow that you dont wake up with the shock of finding out??? who knows!
cope by getting on with life and making the most of what we have...so he cant walk, big deal.....hes still an awesome guy!
no point in dwelling on what might have been...you could say that about anything in life!

On Easter Sunday, 1978, I dove off a 70'-high cliff and was fine, Then I dove into a shallow pool from about 6-7' and hit the sand on the bottom fracturing my spine at c5-6. Not one of my more elegant performances or one of my better days.

I grew up by the lake of my hometown and been bathing in it my whole life, and knew not to jump into water where I didn't know the depth..
Age 31 I'm playing at a festival 25 miles away - and hey they got a lake too! - been playing there and swimming there for many years too - but this night me, my GF and one of her friends decides to take a swim from another bridge than the one I normally swim from.
It's a long bridge so I take a head dive from the end of it - not a steep one, not even jumping.. just leaning into the water.
50 centimeters of water to be exact.

''Not one of my more elegant performances or one of my better days.''

Is a good way to put it.