13 replies to this topic

[Somebody]

I was flipping through the polls
tryng to find out about everyone.
I'd read one & try to remember it.
Go to another & couldn't remember the last one.
I thought if it was all on one poll I could know you better.
For those that want to, here goes.



Female, 55 y/o, single, live alone next to my sister

Triplegic, I think that's what it's called.

I can't move anything below my chest.
But I can move my arms, wrists, but no finger movement.
My children said my fingers were working,
but after waiting 3 days, then surgery, they stopped working.
I use a tenadicious (msp) splint on my right hand, arm.
So I can type, eat, do anything light with it.

I live in a 1 room studio by my sister,
and function enough to be alone.
I have health care attendents morning & night every day.
There's a handicapped van that runs 6 days a week.
So I do get to go out & do things by myself.
I've been in the Nursing Home 3 times, totally 4 yrs out of 17 yrs.

I don't work.
Except taking care of me.
Keeping me healthy, no breakdowns, no uti's, bowels moving.
That's a full time job. lol

I had a car wreck.
I've driven & been drunk, high, many times.
I've had wrecks before, little & big.
It was just waiting to happen.
I had a big one a few years before.
My 8 yr old daughter was laying in the back seat asleep.
Neither of us were hurt.
God spared us & I thought I was doing things right.

I didn't drink & drive for awhile.
My 17 y/o daughter sang in a country band.
I would go and drink water and watch after her.
Then of course in time I started drinking again,
but my daughter always drove.
Then I met a guy and he took over the driving.
My daughter met a christian guy & she stopped singing.
My boyfriend & I met there after work.
When it was over I went home w/him,
and left my car there overnight.

I asked him to never let me drive drinking.
To be my designated driver, in my daughter's place.
He agreed he would.
We lived on opposite directions from the bar we went to.
So we always just met there.
Next morning he'd drop me off, and we'd both go home.

One night he said he was ready to go,
and I had family meet us there,
that I hadn't seen in a long time.
I said not yet they just got there.
I was already drunk and don't remember any of this.
He left with my keys laying on the table, as usual.
My family said they looked up
& saw me going out the door a few minutes later.
I can only guess I noticied he wasn't there.
We never went alone.

His house was 15-20 miles out in the country.
I almost made it there, short 3-4 miles.
I made it on the interstate 70 miles an hour.
I was turning a 35 mph corner, with my seat belt on,
and hit some gravel in the road and went in the bar ditch.
I was in a hatch back with a donut tire loose in the back.
When I hit the ditch,
it flew forward & hit me in the back of my neck.
No one else involved Thank God.

Woke up 3 days later with a halo in the hospital.
We're still friends.
I never blamed him.
I was an adult and chose to get drunk.

I do have a comment to say to Oprah,
when she says make sure if you drive you have a designated driver.
"Make sure you can trust the designated driver!"

I'm happy 90% of the time.
That's pretty good.

ANSWER WHAT EVER YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH.

Edited by Somebody, 03 November 2007 - 10:19 PM.

[angel888]

Hi Somebody!!

I love this poll!

Im 19, single, living with my family.. I am paraplegic, three nerves were cut because of a tumor. I study in an online school.. I don't drink, I don't drive but wishing I could. As a whole I am happy, but of course there would be sad moments but hey it's part of life..

[Angela250153]

Love this poll Somebody even though the questions about accidents was a bit tricky for me.

Anyways, I am 54/single and live alone here in the UK while the rest of my family are in Germany. I have never been married, don't have children, but a wonderful group of very loyal friends.

My injury was due to a disc hernation at T10/T11 due to a lot of falls doing sports, DIY or just walking along the pavement. My balance got worse and worse and thanks to my friends I finally agreed to go to ER. 2 days later I had an operation and after intensive physio and exercisng I can now walk on crutches. I was told that had I come a month later I would never have walked again.
My balance will probably never be good enoug to walk unaided and I don't have sensation in part of my legs and get spasms, but in general I can do pretty much most of what I did before.

I've been working full time since I was dicharged a year ago and apart from another operation to deal with a herniated disc a L5/S1 in September I have not missed a day. I use a wheelchair at work as it is a long way to the loo and I still have issues in that department i.e.I have to be quick.

I can say I am pretty happy with the way things are now, but then it is only a bit over a year since this all happened.

[Somebody]

Hi Angel & Angela!

Thanks for answering the poll.

Angel sorry about the surgery.
Glad you live a good life.
I pray you get to drive soon.
I bet you do!
Online school is a plus.
God Bless!


Angela thank God for your friends.
So glad you can walk.
I hope you're quick at work. lol
Too funny.
Thanks for answering.
God Bless~

Glad y'all are happy!
Me too.
Hope to get to know both of you better.
Mona

Edited by Somebody, 07 November 2007 - 12:56 AM.

[alyssa]

I am a quad, although according to some documents i'm tetrapeligic. i'm c4,c5 and c6 complete.
I was in a single car accident, and the only one in the car. I wasn't drinking, or on drugs, and was very offended when the firefighters asked me. i wasnt speeding either. Its still unknown what happened though. From waking up after surgery to where i am now i have gained quite a bit back. I still can't use my hands, dont have full sensation and can't walk but i have something.
i live with my mom and sister and have care workers that come in for my morning routine.
i am 22, and single. i dont work, but i am in school. and yes, i am happy.

[Cheshire]

I put "cycle". To clarify, I was on a bicycle (not motorcycle) and hit from behind by a car at high speed. (60+ mph).
Function: I have full function in left leg, but nerves go weird with weight bearing. Right foot is almost completely gone with back/outer half of lower right leg paralyzed. Upper back/outer right leg has no sensation, along with middle and back/right of pelvic area/hips. I only feel half of what I'm sitting on!

Edited by Cheshire, 13 January 2008 - 12:12 AM.

[Abbey22]

I'm a para after major damage to T12-L2 after a drunk guy ran a red light and crashed into the driver's side of my Acura Integra when I was 17 and on my way home from work. He got off free and I got life starred. I'm over it...

I'm 20 now and single...I live independently while attending college for speech language pathology.

I never did drugs...I was always in sports and didn't want it to effect my performance. I never really drank before, and after my car accident caused by someone else drinking...I don't drink at all.

I'm very happy. I love my life.

Nice to read about everybody else!!!

[Kwag_Myers]

Paraplegic with CES
Accident: fell off a ladder while doing home repairs
I live with my wife of 31 years
I’ve had some function return, and some leave
I’m 50
I guess you could say that I caused the accident since I was the only one involved.
No drugs or alcohol involved
I’ve been back to work full-time for about four months now – was out for four months, then part time for a month

[Stacia]

Hi, I am answering for my husband, Jon. He was injured in a head on collision nine years ago on July 4. He was going to friends for a party and he was driving a little WV Karma Ghia. A 15 year old boy lost control of his dad's Suburban and came over the median and hit Jon . The boy was not hurt but he was drunk and had no license. Jon had lots of injuries but the worst was a C-2 break in his neck. The Drs called it an internal decapatation. He was in a coma for 3 weeks. He went from hospital to a nursing home to his own home. He needs 24 hour staff because he is on a vent, and needs suctioning often and needs to be turned every couple of hours.

Jon was a teacher before he got hurt, but now he works as a textbook editor from home. He is completely dependant, but is very self sufficient in any way he can. He manages his staff, pays household bills, insurance , does our taxes , orders his supplies and maintains friendships on the internet.

Last year was a terrible year for him physically. He had pneumonias, infections, kidney stones and pressure sores to deal with, but he is doing very well now. (Knock on wood)
We have just returned to the US after years of living in the UK, and we are in the process of getting a new home. We are expecting our first child later in the year. (Which is a whole other story! )

Jon has had a lot of good things happen to him, and a lot of bad things happen to him. He has the ability to focus on the good things however, and he keeps himself interested in what is going on around him. His coping skills are amazing and his sense of humor is keen. He is a very easy person to love and admire.

[sits2much]

LMAO that was quite the poll, you now know as much about me as I do hahahahaa...

It is interesting how alot of votes for level of injury where for C-5 area but on here most are Para's...... Did anyone else notice this!!!

[halobear11]

I'm 19 year old young lady who caught some bad bug that turned into pneumonia, which progressively got worse. My heart stopped and the doctors believe my spinal cord lost oxygen (or something) when they were in attempt to shock me back to life. I'm still admitted at St. Luke's Hospital in Wisconsin and I have about a month to go until I can go home and leave rehab. I don't work, partially because I'm in the hospital. I'd do online stuff, but insurance has their claws dug deep about it. I plan to continue my college studies in the fall, giving me March - August to get used to being a paraplegic. I'll live with my father, step-mother, and three brothers once I return.

[KayDub]

I just turned 23 (I feel old, I always feel like a teenager) and have been in my chair since May so 3 months now. I got sick out of no where with Guillian Bare and other infections and blood clots that caused extensive nerve damage. I was living in Australia at the time working for the Red Cross in Perth where my fiance is from. I lucked out that he took me into the ER because he was scheduled for knee surgery and couldn't take care of me. I was bed ridden for a few days after one morning I collapsed getting ready for work and that's the last time I walked. My legs swelled up to my waist and I couldn't see any bones in my body. Silly me thought it was a muscle pull so I was in bed icing. Since I got into the hospital they were able to stop the paralysis progression.

Finally got medically evacuated back to the states. I finally gained some motion in my left leg to crutch small distances but I usually use my chair. I live at my mom's house with my fiance (great set up I know) I just started law school and am unemployed until the winter when I work as a ski instructor. I'm in the process of applying for on campus jobs. I swim religiously, it makes me feel better and keeps me in shape. I'm looking into playing sledge hockey, I played ice hockey when I was AB since I could walk (I'm originally from Canada).

I'm a total outdoors girl, before I got sick I backpacked, hiked, rafted, you named it. Any Colorado outdoor activity. I grew up in the mountains and love them. I'm hoping to do water/environmental law. When I'm not at PT, school or swimming I like bar trivia, taking drives with my boy and hanging out with my dog. I usually feel okay about being in my chair but I had a meltdown tonight when my fiance said something nasty about my not being able to teach AB kids this year despite my having an extensive plan. Oh well, I'm really lucky in the scheme of things!

Edited by KayDub, 11 August 2011 - 06:27 AM.

[wheeliebear75]

I'm considered a para. (I have some ability to walk with forearm crutches)

Accident....wrong place at the wrong time.

I live with my Mom AND S/O so I just put family.

No I didn't "cause it".

I was a 14yr old honor's student....NO! No drugs.

I guess it'd be "recreational"....I was going out to dinner but NO it was NOT a MVA....gravity just kicked in at a REALLY BAD TIME!

I'd say I'm fairly happy.

Nope don't work. On top of the SCI I have a TBI (CNS combo package).

I'm in a relationship.

I didn't stand up to pee prior to accident either.

[chat]

I'm 33 years old, with SCI, a T10. I was only 13 when I was hit by a stray bullet in my lumbar area. Since then, I became a wheelchair dependent. I had tough times after that.Depression and self pity almost killed me.I used to asked God...why me?...I was young and full of dreams. Dreams for my family and for myself. But all those dreams were shattered, just because of that stupid accident. But one day, a realization hit me...yes, I lost my ability to walk but I still have my life. Through the encouragements of my family and friends, I decided to go back to school. I finally got my college diploma through home study program. I started my own small bussiness at home, with my brothers on my side, and through our hard works and perseverance..it became successful. June 2001, when I met a guy who accepted and loved me for what I am.We got married after 3 years of being steady. And March 2005, I gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. Now, Sam is already 6 years old.Looking back now, I realzed I'm still lucky after all. With a very loving and supportive husband, and a sweet and adorable daughter. And of course GOD, on our side..I can now face life with enough courage and determination. Yes, I'm on this chair but I can say I am very happy and contented.

Edited by chat, 30 August 2011 - 04:28 PM.