Discussion Is anyone recovering from a sudden, life-imploding injury/medical issue?

[lapislazu]

I'm trying to find a way to live with myself even though every moment of being alive with my current issues is just unbearable.

Has anyone else recovered or is trying to recover from a sudden medical situation that has completely derailed their life? How do you find hope?

Due to a random accident, I need a meniscus repair surgery that will on average take 9 months - 1 year to heal. Ive alrady derailed my life and spent months in pain due to this injury, but knowing another year of my life will be gone and that my knee will never be the same again due to other issues causes me inconsolable pain. I've been depressed since 15 and suicidal since 18, and now years later I have a physical ailment to deal with that will completely derail everything I had set up for myself for the next year. I feel so estranged from my peers who can run, jump, walk, kneel, do any simple activity without pain. My youth was unbearable for many other reasons, and I had contemplated suicide because of other events, but I at least thought if I could turn things around before I turned 25 and had ALL of real life to deal with, I could have a chance. Now, I will be wasting away instead.

Everything I see, and have seen for the past 5 months, makes me so so bitter. How does one cope with this?

 

[OptingOutSmiling]

I guess I can relate. May 2020, I severely damaged my nervous system due to being anorexic. The diagnosis was peripheral neuropathy, which resulted in a complete loss of muscle mass and continuous intense nerve pain. I was semi-paralysed (this happened overnight) and had to learn all over to walk, to get up from being seated, and even to stand without holding on. It took months to be free of the walking frame, and just as I managed to walk normally again, I got sick April last year (something else). This caused a setback, but Feb this year I was able to start my own training with daily walks, then running, and finally in May I managed a 10k run.

Looking back, all I can say is that time flies and it's hard to believe it even happened. So physically, I believe the body is stronger than we think. I just refused to accept that the situation could be permanent and did my exercises every day. I know that your situation is different, and unfortunately really bad accidents happen. I wish you all the best and that the time to heal will move quickly for you, and that with therapy your knee may completely recover

 

[blackjack711]

I'm trying to find a way to live with myself even though every moment of being alive with my current issues is just unbearable.

Has anyone else recovered or is trying to recover from a sudden medical situation that has completely derailed their life? How do you find hope?

Due to a random accident, I need a meniscus repair surgery that will on average take 9 months - 1 year to heal. Ive alrady derailed my life and spent months in pain due to this injury, but knowing another year of my life will be gone and that my knee will never be the same again due to other issues causes me inconsolable pain. I've been depressed since 15 and suicidal since 18, and now years later I have a physical ailment to deal with that will completely derail everything I had set up for myself for the next year. I feel so estranged from my peers who can run, jump, walk, kneel, do any simple activity without pain. My youth was unbearable for many other reasons, and I had contemplated suicide because of other events, but I at least thought if I could turn things around before I turned 25 and had ALL of real life to deal with, I could have a chance. Now, I will be wasting away instead.

Everything I see, and have seen for the past 5 months, makes me so so bitter. How does one cope with this?

I know how you feel. When I was twelve I had my knee broken backwards and it never healed right. There's no more ligaments left in it and most days the pain is so bad I wake up already crying. I can hardly walk most days. I try to just take it one day at a time, one hour at a time, hell even one action at a time. If I can get out of bed and do the laundry that's enough. If I can sit up and stretch my leg for a minute longer than last time that's enough. Recovery isn't easy nor is it fast. Just take it one day at a time

 

[lapislazu]

I guess I can relate. May 2020, I severely damaged my nervous system due to being anorexic. The diagnosis was peripheral neuropathy, which resulted in a complete loss of muscle mass and continuous intense nerve pain. I was semi-paralysed (this happened overnight) and had to learn all over to walk, to get up from being seated, and even to stand without holding on. It took months to be free of the walking frame, and just as I managed to walk normally again, I got sick April last year (something else). This caused a setback, but Feb this year I was able to start my own training with daily walks, then running, and finally in May I managed a 10k run.

Looking back, all I can say is that time flies and it's hard to believe it even happened. So physically, I believe the body is stronger than we think. I just refused to accept that the situation could be permanent and did my exercises every day. I know that your situation is different, and unfortunately really bad accidents happen. I wish you all the best and that the time to heal will move quickly for you, and that with therapy your knee may completely recover

I'm so sorry you went through all of this. It sounds like a complete nightmare and I think it's amazing you have this perspective. It does give me hope to know that one day, I might look back on all this pain and isolation like a distant memory. However, I seem to hold on to the big regrets/ shortcomings in my life, and I feel like this will be one of them, especially if the recovery ruins the long-term goal I was supposed to start next year I just have to hope that even if it does ruin my life right now that I am able to see past it like you did. Thank you for the kind wishes, it means a lot

I know how you feel. When I was twelve I had my knee broken backwards and it never healed right. There's no more ligaments left in it and most days the pain is so bad I wake up already crying. I can hardly walk most days. I try to just take it one day at a time, one hour at a time, hell even one action at a time. If I can get out of bed and do the laundry that's enough. If I can sit up and stretch my leg for a minute longer than last time that's enough. Recovery isn't easy nor is it fast. Just take it one day at a time

I am so sorry that this happened and that you have to deal with this level of pain every day, I can't even imagine. That's helpful advice, I guess I need to re-examine my expectations for myself to feel satisfied with my life. It's just hard when you've built a life up in your head and then it's taken away from you. Plus the added physical pain and mental illness. But you're right, as long as I start recovering/trying to get better in some small increment, that is positive.