Ouch!

So, here's the deal. I fall off scaffolding, brake my back and now I'm paralyzed from mid ribcage down. I'm not supposed to feel anything from my point of injury down...well, that's not entirely true. Many people with spinal cord injuries suffer from neuropathic pain. So, technically I do have sensation below my point of injury. Why can't I have the sensation of soaking in a warm bubble bath or being wrapped in a soft blanket, fuzzy slippers on my feet or a relaxing massage. Instead, I have the sensation of someone pulling my toe back by the toenail, a burning sensation throughout my legs, a constant wedgie, a bra strap rubbing over sunburned skin or the feeling of having been dragged across a frozen lake, on my tush, with no pants on. I suppose that's why it's called neuropathic pain.

Milestone #1

Well, it's not actually my first milestone. I've had at least a dozen by now (chuckle chuckle) but this is the first one I'm blogging about. When I took my shower this morning, I washed my own feet for the first time since the accident! I had two things that were hindering me from being able to do that. The first thing is the HO (Heterotopic Ossification) in my right hip that wasn't allowing me to bend very far at the hip, and the other was the fear of bending forward and falling off my shower bench (since all the things I have to hold on to are wet and slippery). I have conquered that fear and the daily stretching of my legs has put some much needed range of motion back in my hip. Yay!

Makeover time!

Last Sunday my friend Trish was so nice to come over and color my hair. I have been slowly getting gray since high school. I haven't wanted to be bothered with coloring for the last few years because I just didn't want to deal with the hassle but, let's face it, I'm looking much older than I really am these days. If the color of my hair is something I can change...let's do it! Funny thing is, it's a much bigger hassle now that I'm in a wheelchair. I also have a new friend from my church who is a hairdresser and is willing to come out to our house whenever I need a haircut. Needless to say, I'm very thankful for these wonderful people!

Before

During

After

OK, I must admit that I didn't realize how gray my hair was.  I guess ones' eyes get used to it, just like ones' nose gets used to bad odors...you know what I mean,