Five Steps to Recovery.

In the last 20 years I have broken my back twice. Where does Five come into this equation, I hear you ask. Well, I am going to share with you Five steps to recovery after a broken back.

Step 1: Positivity. After more than a month in hospital and two of the three operations I needed, I went home. I had to be brave because I had to learn to walk again. That was not easy. Physiotherapy is very important and you need to make yourself do all the exercises you are given. I really needed to push myself to walk at first. I counted lampposts and felt very proud if I could reach two and then turn round and get home.

Step 2: Friends. I discovered who my real friends were. Many dropped me like a stone because I was too hard to deal with. The good part about this was I learnt who my real friends are. The ones who stay around are my diamonds in the dust.

Step 3: Certainty. There will be a lot of fears and pain to contend with. Find something to occupy your mind. That’s how I found blogging. I was seeing a pain psychologist and she suggested I try writing my thoughts down. That is how my blog was born. I can honestly say blogging saved my sanity. I have met so many wonderful people here in the bloggysphere.

Step 4: Medication. This is tricky. You need to find the fine line between the pills helping you and forming a dependency. I got hooked on Tramadol and Gabapentin, both highly addictive. I had to endure 5 years of withdrawal. That’s another story. But with determination and the help of my hubby and my blogily friends I am now pain killer free. I am not pain free but I am off those pills that dragged me down.

Step 5: Perseverance. I can honestly say that if you believe in yourself and are determined you can come back from anything. I wasn’t always sure I would make it but I never gave up. So what I want to say to you is never give up and never give in 💜