[Mike (c4-5) & Lorena]

before

I worked on cars, cut grass, built a home with my dad, rehabed apartments, swam, played soccer, water polo, raced cars, and party

after / now

Sr. Quality Assurance Test Lead at Wachovia Securities - I insure that the inhouse software the the finacial consdults use works as intended. I have 8 people I manage. # in India, 3 in Chicago, 2 in St. Louis.

[Kwag_Myers]

I'm a Technical Writer for a software development firm. I'm very blessed to have been working for this company as they have been really good to me through this whole thing, good benefits, too. I do my PT right in the building.

Also, before my injury I was car pooling with a guy that lives just a few blocks away. Since my injury he's been picking me up every morning because I haven't started driving yet.

[Texaswheelz]

Texaswheelz, on Sep 6 2007, 06:44 PM, said:

Hmm, before my injury I mowed lawns(junior high), I had about 25 a week I did during the summer for 3 years). After that I worked on a ranch(high school), driving tractors, throwing hay bails, moving irrigation pipe and herding cattle(yes I road around on a horse). I was working in a sporting good store when I had my wreck.

Since injury I have worked at Wal-Mart in the electronics dept. at my college I worked for the campus police as night dispatcher, sold computers at Best Buy, Data Entry for the city court house small claims department, customer service for AOL, DirectTV and Spring Wireless Web. Then I spent some time as the City Secretary for a small town in the Texas panhandle, the job was great but the location was horrible.

Last week I started my new job, I now work for a medical supply company. It is owned by a para, the VP is a para and another sales rep is a para. The owner is very active in the community and supports several events(look at my post in the sports section), great guy to work for and wtih. So if you live in Dallas and you need a new wheelchair, a walker, bed, commode, seat cushion, urological supplies...etc. I can hook ya up. I've been on two evaluations so far to measure people up for new chairs. I think I have found my calling, I've been on the bad end of bad orders of med supplies, from a new wheelchair that didn't fit and wasn't anything like I wanted and the sales person wouldn't take back, to incorrect catheters. Now I get to make sure the people that I see and work with get exactly what the need and want. When a newly injured person is setting at rehab using some 50 lb hospital chair and then we show up with our 12 lb TiLites and start the process to get them in one also it is a great feeling. Or take a power chair to a elderly person who has been stuck at home for month's unable to get out and about any longer. I wish I would have thought of doing this job earlier in my life, but I'm still young enough that I can spend decades doing it.

Well that job didn't last as long as I liked. I loved the job and actually brought in quite a bit of business for the DME, but it was depressing for me. I had to spent all day every day going to hospitals, rehabs, nursing homes, retirement centers...etc. I'm sure like a lot of other people here, they hate going to those places, now imagine doing it all day, place after place. After 2 1/2 months of it I couldn't handle it any more, I dreaded going. I loved when I helped people and when we got to deliver something that made life easier, but I hated going through the doors.

I left there and started working at Borders, the bookstore and am currently still working there, but studying to become a personal trainer. I've always thought about it but never followed through with it. My wife started going to a gym 2 months ago and got 5 free sessions with a trainer, everything he told her was stuff I had already been telling her. He told her she was lucky, as most people that he saw had incorrect info being told to them at home by their spouse or friends. So I decided to look into it and become one. I decided that first I needed to get my own ass in shape before I could tell others what they need to do to get themselves in shape. So I have lost about 20 lbs in the last 2 months, dropped 2 sizes in jeans and am now studying the various things needed for the cert test. I am going to go to a 4 day training session with 15 different seminars and then take the test afterwards and hopefully by this summer I'll be a personal trainer. I feel that being in a chair yet being fit, in shape and staying active is a good as motivation as people are going to get from a personal trainer. If I enjoy it as much as I think I will them I'm also thinking of returning to college to get a degree in kinesiology, my wife graduated from Culinary school in December. So we might try to start a small business where I work there ass into shape and she cooks them healthy meals.

[Big Valley]

At 17 I was still in high school and worked fast food. Missed a little bit of school, but was back for the last 1/2 of the year. Took a year off then went to community college that was close.

Got hurt again but after close to 5 years I got that 2 year degree. Worked nights at a hotel doing light accounting and running the front desk for a year.

Moved on to a clerical office job with a warehouse tracking inventory and customer service work. Started night classes and got my 4 year degree and then started on a masters. But that job wasn't cooperating well with my school schedule and I was very unhappy their after close to 4 years. So I quit to devote full time to my masters pursuit and found i received almost the same money with social security disability that I made working the 40+ hours at the warehouse job. And I now had Medicare insurance. Awesome.

Got the masters degree and aggressively looked for related work in my field for almost 2 years. Wasn't easy. Education but no experience and then having someone give the wheelchair guy a chance to show he can do more then answer phones. Finally landed my current job with the same 2 year college I used to go to doing account billing, collections, and financial aid. Very nice job close to home, paid benefits, lots of vacation time, and challenging work. Been here a year now.

[E-DOG]

By the way E-DOG I though you were an assassin operating in a third world country, or is that restricted information that I shouldn't have disclosed. Sorry the lids off it now! LOL
[/quote]

Great, now I gotta kill you AND everyone who's read this post.
Where'd you say you lived?
E

[sean3282]

Glad to see that the CIA don't hold that sort of information on me :-) Unfortunately Apparelyzed does, so now I'm off to change my identity and maybe visit Holland for a Gender Realignment. Do you think I may be safe from the E-DOG Ultimatum???

This post has been edited by sean3282: 24 April 2008 - 09:24 PM

[Soryfam]

I was apharmacy tech at hospital. (Make Iv's. package meds, etc). Then I got the MRSA in my spine, and after 6 months they terminated me (it's a policy issue). My boss says he take me back if I can ever get back to being able to do what I was doing. ::Sigh:: the doctors don't know if that will happen or not.

I keep thinking I want to learn something else, just not sure what that's going to be.

Sandy

[Motor]

Soryfam, on Apr 24 2008, 07:08 PM, said:

I was apharmacy tech at hospital. (Make Iv's. package meds, etc). Then I got the MRSA in my spine, and after 6 months they terminated me (it's a policy issue). My boss says he take me back if I can ever get back to being able to do what I was doing. ::Sigh:: the doctors don't know if that will happen or not.

I keep thinking I want to learn something else, just not sure what that's going to be.

Sandy

Was a police officer for 19 years in NY. Got lung disease from working at Ground Zero after 9/11. Moved to Florida and had a motorcycle accident and wound up in chair! Now work part time at an Office Depot as a greeter! Living on SSI & pension!

Motor

[City Girl]

Pre-injury: Analyst...and high-end call girl.
Post-injury: Analyst...had to give up the high-end call girl thing. hehe.

[Kev-O]

City Girl, on Apr 25 2008, 06:16 AM, said:

Pre-injury: Analyst...and high-end call girl.
Post-injury: Analyst...had to give up the high-end call girl thing. hehe.

DAMN!!!! you are a very attractive looking lady

[E-DOG]

City Girl, on Apr 24 2008, 11:16 PM, said:

Pre-injury: Analyst...and high-end call girl.
Post-injury: Analyst...had to give up the high-end call girl thing. hehe.

Oh, babe, you could still be a call girl.
Just concentrate on
the
lower end.
e-dog

[mad]

be a madam

City Girl, on Apr 25 2008, 06:16 AM, said:

Pre-injury: Analyst...and high-end call girl.
Post-injury: Analyst...had to give up the high-end call girl thing. hehe.

be a madam.. run a call-girl service.

[dom]

before couch potato,now couch potato

[E-DOG]

dom, on May 4 2008, 03:52 PM, said:

before couch potato,now couch potato

Cool gig
Nice work if you can get it.
e

[bensinjury]

my son Ben actually was able to go back to his regular job as a laboror for a construction company

[pochyetnost11]

My friend worked in security before the injury.

Now it is just too soon to tell if he will go back to work and whether it will be the same (a desk job) or something different. He would like to go back.

[kimgilaby]

My husband was a tree trimmer and a landscaper since he was 16, now he watches tv

[Kwag_Myers]

pochyetnost11, on Jun 11 2008, 05:24 PM, said:

My friend worked in security before the injury.

Now it is just too soon to tell if he will go back to work and whether it will be the same (a desk job) or something different. He would like to go back.

A lot depends on the level of your friend's injury, but I'm sure if there's a desire, your friend will find a way to make it work.

I mention this often because I think it's inspiring - my Physiatrist is a quad, I'm guessing about a C5. From what I've been able to put together from our conversations, I think my Dr. was injured went he was about 21. So, he had to go through the better part of his schooling in a wheelchair.

It can be done!

[pochyetnost11]

Kwag_Myers, on Jun 16 2008, 05:32 AM, said:

pochyetnost11, on Jun 11 2008, 05:24 PM, said:

My friend worked in security before the injury.

Now it is just too soon to tell if he will go back to work and whether it will be the same (a desk job) or something different. He would like to go back.

A lot depends on the level of your friend's injury, but I'm sure if there's a desire, your friend will find a way to make it work.

I mention this often because I think it's inspiring - my Physiatrist is a quad, I'm guessing about a C5. From what I've been able to put together from our conversations, I think my Dr. was injured went he was about 21. So, he had to go through the better part of his schooling in a wheelchair.

It can be done!

He was injured, I believe, betwen the C5 and C6 range, but he was extremely active before the injury.

[koivu1313]

Before: college student and barista at a funky coffee shop.
Now: working on environmental affairs at a corporate headquarters
In between: many, many different successes and failures

[E-DOG]

koivu1313, on Jun 22 2008, 01:16 PM, said:

Before: college student and barista at a funky coffee shop.
Now: working on environmental affairs at a corporate headquarters
In between: many, many different successes and failures

Success teaches us not a thing, failures are what we learn from.
Edog

[hurbshankin]

Let's see, For the most part Carpentry has been a big part of my proffesional career. Started working as a carpenter in Jr. High, decks, additions, bathrooms, kitchens etc. During college summers I got on framing crews building custom homes. After college, B.S. in Anthropology, I was an environmental consultant. Then back to carpentry as a lead carpenter building custom homes. Back to school to get my Teacher certification so I could teach building trades at our local career and tech center. I taught there until a year ago. I've still been on the payroll as I had accrued so much sick time. I have a meeting tommorrow to se what capoacity I can return to work in. I may be able to get back in the classroom with an aide. We'll see.

Hurb

[mjtpopus]

I was only 17 when I was injured but I was a busy kid (my dad made me do all these jobs prior to injury)

Before:
Framed Houses with a contractor on week days during summer
Did groundswork for the local Catholic cemetary on weekends and weekday early evenings (when still light)
Referred Youth Soccer Games during the Fall on weekend mornings
Washed dishes at a local restaraunt during school year
Snow Removal for Catholic church and rectory during winter
Mowed Lawns with a guy when I had the time...lol

After:
Went to college
High School History Teacher

[Kwag_Myers]

History eh? I bet you're enjoying E-DOG's little history lessons in the Silly Sayings thread.

[E-DOG]

Kwag_Myers, on Jul 3 2008, 03:28 AM, said:

History eh? I bet you're enjoying E-DOG's little history lessons in the Silly Sayings thread.

True stuff, every bit of it!
E

[jane]

before - youth worker, after - youth worker.

[sits2much]

After my accident I can no longer partake in my previous occupation (mechanical engineer) so I have recently started back at school to get a degree in a field I CAN work easily in with being a para. So in like 6-7 years when I'm old and gray I will once again start out as a newbie in the work force....

[Zammo]

I was a software developer/database designer before I was ill. My company stood by me whilst I was off sick for a year. I eventually came back to the same job.

[Scribbler]

I was a pilot n the RAF, now I sit here and fly this computer..... Its real seat of the pants stuff...

[Travelling Blackbird]

Deja vu! I just answered this...

ESL teacher before the injury, ESL teacher now. I'm also a Polish-English translator and a proofreader, and I recently started a paid writing gig.

Scribbler, on Sep 11 2008, 05:52 PM, said:

I was a pilot n the RAF, now I sit here and fly this computer..... Its real seat of the pants stuff...

Now I have an image of your web browser looking like a flight simulator.

sits2much, on Aug 2 2008, 03:13 PM, said:

After my accident I can no longer partake in my previous occupation (mechanical engineer) so I have recently started back at school to get a degree in a field I CAN work easily in with being a para. So in like 6-7 years when I'm old and gray I will once again start out as a newbie in the work force....

What are you studying?