Recovering from a back injury

Everything changed after a workplace accident on March 10, 1992. I tripped over a steel lid on a cement floor, and was thrown against a steel rack and fell down on my backside. I ended up with four collapsed discs and two central herniated discs. There was a lot of swelling and I lost feeling in my legs. I was bedridden for months and anytime I moved, it felt like I was being jolted with lightning.

I was left with a permanent spinal injury and was looking at being heavily medicated for the next year. I was in constant pain, and at a stage where my wife had to help me move my arms and legs. They put me on so many drugs and painkillers that it took control of my thinking. The worst part of recovering was the withdrawal from the drugs.

I felt as useless as a man could be because I was unable to help support my family. I was likely handicapped for life, and I had no job prospects that could meet my limited capabilities. My wife and children helped me through the toughest days by keeping my spirits up, and somehow I managed to avoid falling into a deep depression. My thinking was not “Poor me, I have an excuse to fail,” but “How can I get back to a life that I want.”

Focusing on solutions to my problems, as opposed to dwelling on the constraints, was key to my recovery.
Robert Grimminck, Writer and poet
Autobiography: To Dream A Different Dream