Aloha and Good Morning!
Thinking about what to write I have been wracking my brain to remember what I was looking for early on after my husbands accident when I was turning to the web. Reflecting now I think I wanted to understand how people progress especially after cervical injuries. I wanted to know people do progress even when they start off so horribly broken and unable to do anything.
A week and a half from now will mark one year since my husbands accident. Compared to being on a ventilator with tubes coming out of every direction to keep him alive he has made tremendous progress. What I have come to understand from my husbands cervical injury is that progress occurs but is easy to take for granted and not see.
It becomes glaringly apparent after spinal cord injury all the automated processes we take for granted every single day. From the obvious such as doing our own personal care to the simple pleasures such as getting up to see the sun rise or grabbing a snack from the fridge and warming it up to eat. It is in the simple acts where I see the most progress with my husband. The funny thing is that once they become automated again they become easy to not think about and realize how such a short time ago they seemed an impossibility.
There are so many things my husband still can not do which can easily take all the attention as he adjusts and learns to move into his new body. While it is completely understandable and natural for him to go to the despairing thoughts of all he can not do, It takes him far away from recognizing the things he can do. These are tough times to move through on the journey and I am always grateful when he moves through such thoughts and turns his attention to what he is grateful for. I definitely see that his pain lessens when he is able to change his focus.
Some examples of things he can do that have become automated are things like: Swatting at a bug flying by, scratching an itch at a specific spot on his face or head, or coughing up fluid if it goes down the wrong pipe.
He has made progress in abilities he has worked hard to develop like feeding himself, holding drinks and drinking, brushing his teeth, wheeling around the house, doing exercises, grabbing items with his tenodesis, doing weight shifts, using the computer, etc.
My hope is to illustrate that while progress happens, at first it is the littlest things which I try to remind myself not to take for granted. When I think about this first year, I think about building a house and the importance of building a strong foundation. I have no doubt that my husband will continue to gain skills and learn how to become more independent as time moves forward. His body is his home and as he rebuilds atop this strong foundation, I believe anything is possible.
As always, to anyone on this journey I send my love and prayers your way! Be kind to yourselves and have a great week!