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Staff member
First I'd like to thank those of you who have contacted me directly and encouraged me to continue with what I do and my ways of helping others with similar challenges. You have led me to this post. I hope it helps you in some way.
I firmly believe that many of our ailments can be reversed naturally, starting with our frae of mind and our outlook on life and how we feel about ourselves. When I was younger I was extremely active. Mostly in working landscaping and riding/racing ATV's. I worked out like crazy and although I wasn't a total muscle-head, I was 5'9" 180lbs with a 29" waist. I was cut like a V and I loved it. Then at 21 I had an accident that left me paralyzed and that V shaped body I worked so freaking hard to have now atrophied into a pear-shaped body that I never imagined being stuck inside of.
As you can see in this picture, that black horizontal line is where all of my sensory and motor function ends. I feel NOTHING below it and I can not control anything voluntarily below it either. I do not have tricep function in my right arm, my left tricep is at 30%'ish, and I cannot move my fingers. I do my best to stay fit and keep the "Quad-gut" as small as I can, but I'm still working on getting rid of the love handles. I know I won't be able to have that V-shape since I have no muscle activity below that line, so I need to stick to my daily morning 5-mile cardio roll and eating healthy to keep what I've got.
I'm content with that. I remind myself that everyone has something wrong. Luckily my UI is under control with the help of 15mg per day of Oxybutynin, and my bowel care is under control with the help of a colonics machine that I bought 17 years ago. I'm ok with the fact that I need to use an intermittent catheter 4-6 times daily to urinate and that once a week I have to stick this adult-toy looking thing up my butt for 7 hours of a wet and wild ride to clean me out. Why? Because this is what works for me as the best solution for the cards I've been dealt in life. I'm 46 now and this is me. I may not be able to walk or grasp things, but I still get erections, so it's kind of a lose, lose, WIN thing there. But all in all I am glad I found this group. Your stories and creative solutions are educational to me and it helps me to help the others who I interact with.
Be comfortable with yourself... You are the only person who you will be with every second of every day for the rest of your life. Make sure your mind and body get along well, even if you are like me and you can't feel most of yourself. I have chosen to use mine as a teaching tool to educate others about diet, exercise, cathing, skin care, dressing, etc.
I firmly believe that many of our ailments can be reversed naturally, starting with our frae of mind and our outlook on life and how we feel about ourselves. When I was younger I was extremely active. Mostly in working landscaping and riding/racing ATV's. I worked out like crazy and although I wasn't a total muscle-head, I was 5'9" 180lbs with a 29" waist. I was cut like a V and I loved it. Then at 21 I had an accident that left me paralyzed and that V shaped body I worked so freaking hard to have now atrophied into a pear-shaped body that I never imagined being stuck inside of.
As you can see in this picture, that black horizontal line is where all of my sensory and motor function ends. I feel NOTHING below it and I can not control anything voluntarily below it either. I do not have tricep function in my right arm, my left tricep is at 30%'ish, and I cannot move my fingers. I do my best to stay fit and keep the "Quad-gut" as small as I can, but I'm still working on getting rid of the love handles. I know I won't be able to have that V-shape since I have no muscle activity below that line, so I need to stick to my daily morning 5-mile cardio roll and eating healthy to keep what I've got.
I'm content with that. I remind myself that everyone has something wrong. Luckily my UI is under control with the help of 15mg per day of Oxybutynin, and my bowel care is under control with the help of a colonics machine that I bought 17 years ago. I'm ok with the fact that I need to use an intermittent catheter 4-6 times daily to urinate and that once a week I have to stick this adult-toy looking thing up my butt for 7 hours of a wet and wild ride to clean me out. Why? Because this is what works for me as the best solution for the cards I've been dealt in life. I'm 46 now and this is me. I may not be able to walk or grasp things, but I still get erections, so it's kind of a lose, lose, WIN thing there. But all in all I am glad I found this group. Your stories and creative solutions are educational to me and it helps me to help the others who I interact with.
Be comfortable with yourself... You are the only person who you will be with every second of every day for the rest of your life. Make sure your mind and body get along well, even if you are like me and you can't feel most of yourself. I have chosen to use mine as a teaching tool to educate others about diet, exercise, cathing, skin care, dressing, etc.
It makes sense that we need to take care of it! That really is the only workable option, right?
, hate when the banana turns blue. 
