Paralysis Guide

 The days, weeks and months after your spinal cord injury (SCI) are the most difficult. You may be dealing with physical pain, the loss of abilities, as well as the mental and emotional tolls that this type of injury can take as you struggle to make sense of what has happened to you. You may feel like you are losing important parts of your life and freedom if you’ve become paralyzed. You also may feel a swirl of feelings and emotions you can’t quite put into words:  Anger because the situation that was beyond your control. You were obeying the law when the other driver ran a red light and hit you. Helplessness or uselessness because your injury has left you paralyzed or with a loss of sensory or motor functions. Frustration or depression because you are no longer as independent as you were before the accident; and perhaps because you can’t adequately express what you’re going through to family and friends. Hurt or feelings of emotional loss because your relationship with your ...

The period of time following a spinal cord injury that results in paralysis can be a very traumatic and confusing time. While counselors will play a part in helping the survivor reach acceptance, it’s important that the survivor and family work together to ensure the future health and quality of life for the survivor. Learning that you are paralyzed is devastating and overwhelming news. The best way to combat your feelings of helplessness and confusion is to arm yourself with information on what a spinal cord injury is, and what it means in terms of short-term planning and long-range goals. Coping With Being  Paralyzed During the acute phase, the survivor should: Ask questions about what has happened or what is happening. Accumulate as much knowledge as possible regarding his or her situation. Do the task he or she can do independently, and accept help for those he or she can’t do. Gather financial, insurance, and employment paperwork. Once the survivor has moved out of the acute p...

I know that it can be emotionally difficult to living with a quadriplegic spouse .  The experience forces you to realize how precarious your own good health and good fortune are.  That is an unsettling thought which most people prefer to avoid.  But the reality is that life is indeed capricious.  Yet for the time being at least, you are gloriously able-bodied, while someone you care about is living a life of unrelenting adversity. Damage to the spinal cord is one of the most common factors that contributes to quadriplegia. Specifically, it is usually damage to the cervical portion of the spinal cord that results in quadriplegia. Damage to lower sections of the spine (such as the thoracic or lumbar spinal column) typically result in paraplegia instead of quadriplegia. The higher up on the cervical spine an injury occurs, the more severe the effects tend to be. Here are some brief explanations of damage to different vertebrae of the cervical spine: C1, C2, C3 Damage Da...