Broken neck. Lucky to be alive and not paralyzed. Alone?

[RxQueen]

I broke my neck in a car accident 3 weeks ago. I was fortunate enough to not be paralyzed, but I am in a collar for 10 weeks. Before my accident I was very active- I was in the gym 5 days a week for 2 hours a day and I was an equestrian; riding and training at least 4 days a week. I can't do any of these things for about 3 months and I'm running out of ways to keep myself occupied and happy. Has anyone else gone through something similar?

[JP]

wow, thats hardcore! Good to hear you escaped the worst case scenario...

Sorry, not much advice from here. Are you seeing a physio?

[wannalift]

wow, thank goodness you will be okay my cousin broke his neck in a car accident years ago. he wasn't paralyzed either, but he was in a halo for a few months and it pretty much affected him for the rest of his life.

training should be the absolute least of your worries right now. be thankful that you will at least be able to train in the future. until then, find something else you like. read, meditate, learn a foreign language, etc. i like puzzle books myself, so maybe buy one of those and exercise your brain. good luck.

[SpugFab]

Sounds terrible, glad you are ok.

A bit like wannalift's advice, I have a fallback activity when I get injured - I play chess. I figure I'd have to be pretty badly injured before the chess wouldn't be an option.

It fulfils many of the things I enjoy from sport, the competition, training, improving.

[moggy]

Take care- you are so lucky- my horse broke his next 3 years ago and was equally lucky. A few boring recovery months is nothing compared to a life paralized.

You'll just have to become one of vf's most prolific posters!

I used to play chess-good game for the brain- I wish more kids played it these days.

[Marty]

Wow that is awful, hope you make full recovery. Here I was feeling sorry for myself, but your injury puts mine into perspective.

As for what to do, video games can while away the time, like the whole day if you arent careful >.> <.<! I know plenty of girls irl who play prolly more than I do (which is a lot lol)

Or how about learning a language? At least you can say youve done something with your time off then.

[Konstantin]

Wow - what a terrible accident. But a relief that you escaped the paralysis. You can't rush recovery, I can't say I've been where you are but I hope you can make use of the time. Are there books, films, studies etc. you've never found the time for? Maybe something new to learn? Another vote for chess, facebook has a good application and you can play several games at once.

Hope you get well soon.

[emm7]

just wanted to say thank god you're not paralysed and am really happy to hear that!
If it were me I'd be reading loads of books, if reading hurts your neck you can get books on tape to listen to as well.
I think the idea of learning a language is a good one too.
Also there are a lot of great films out there to watch, arthouse and indie as well as Hollywood.
If you're allowed to go for walks then a long walk on the beach or in the countryside is fantastic.

[seventysixjen]

I trained through a broken jaw this summer but found out the hard way that putting more stress on your body when it is healing makes you heal slower. Be easy - don't rush yourself. My injury was no where near as serious, and didn't involve my spinal column, but I started taking short walks as soon as I could. Your doctor should have some suggestions if there is anything you can do. If not - listen to her/him. You use a lot of extra energy while you are healing, too, so make sure you are still eating enough!

Thank goodness you are ok!

[draco880]

I'm sure you hate people telling you to take it easy, but spines are treacherous. I'd give that a lot of time off.

[Muay Jin]

Hope you have a quick recovery, I like reading but i'm usually very busy, often injury is a blessing like that =)

[XkillerX]

no advice here, just wishes for a speedy recovery and a quick comeback! and remember, when you recover (AND YOU WILL), it will be scientific proof that you can beat anything life throws at you! walk tall!

[RxQueen]

You guys are awesome! I'm so lucky to have so much support! THe awesome news is- I'm recovering way quicker than i expected to. I got my hard collar off 4 weeks early and i'm two weeks away from going back to riding
i'm also going to pursue MMA fighting, with the blessing of my doctor of course

[ultra_whippet]

Great news

[emm7]

that's fantastic! bet you are very happy about that