Not Depressed
I can see how easy it would be to fall into a hole of depression !! I broke my back and neck in 1987, I was lucky to have only damaged my chord in my back at T-4.
I didn't let people staring at me, turn me into a shut-in. I never really cared to much what they thought. I also self medicated with alcohol daily !! I finally climbed out of the bottle in 2001, after I had my entire right leg removed (right hip disarticulation) after some bad medical care.
It took me 3 years in bed to recover from that !! They sent me home with VRE, plus the amp site got infected and needed daily wound care. When i finally healed up, I was so weak that i had to do 30 days in rehab and could still barely transfer with sliding board.
I am still trying to get myself back in shape, but its hard as I have alot of pain to deal with. It took a long time to get the medication to bring my pain level down to where I could function. It seems many Dr's have lost thier license for prescribing pain meds, and people in pain are suffering because of "the war on drugs", but thats another story.
I try to enjoy life, daily. Even if its just a simple thing, a good meal, a good desert after a not so good meal, a nice phone call with a loved one. Whatever, the point is, enjoy the fact that you are alive !!! Like I read in another post "we ain't dead yet !!!