This guide to living with paralysis provides a first hand perspective on having to live post a complete spinal cord injury.

This also includes having to adjust to the word ‘sorry’, which automatically appears to be used more than any other word in our vocabulary by everyone in society, when you are actually happy.

• Rehabilitating from and living with paralysis,

• Travelling with paralysis – the good, bad and ugly,

• Realisation and getting on with your life post recovery.

Rehabilitating from and living with paralysis

When you suffer a complete spinal cord injury and paralysis, such as I did after 40 years without major injury, you realise you lose five things that were previously taken for granted. Some specifics of each and how this loss can be redeemed are given, which has now personally led to recovery with major gains in other areas to recoup and exceed the loss that was sustained. The five things are:

• Mobility

• Bowel Management

• Bladder Management

• Sexual Management

• Equal Opportunity

It has all been primarily done through personal effort and investigation, as the medical rehabilitation fraternity I experienced is lacking considerably, including not even employing one person who suffered such injury despite having to teach those who have. This is quite surprising because paralysed people, who are often rendered relatively unemployable by society, are the ones who would best know how to live post major spinal cord injury and also undertake gainful employment.