Persistence saved
my life and helped me regain the use of my body.
"To persist" according to
The American Heritage Dictionary is
1. To be obstinately repetitious, insistent,
or tenacious,
2. To hold firmly and steadfastly to a purpose or undertaking
despite obstacles,
3. To continue in existence.
When I read this definition I was amazed
at how well it described the way toward rehabilitation
after a burn injury.
When you've had skin grafts and your
skin is healing and contracting, there are moments when
it feels as if no progress is being made. The itching
of your new skin, the pain of the donor sights, the
emotional scarring, which may or may not yet show, all
can become overwhelming.
You will ask if things will ever be
OK again. You may have fits of crying and feel out of
control emotionally. You may think you can't go on another
day. |
All of these feelings
are exactly what you are supposed to be feeling after
a burn injury. Each person is different and feels things
with their own individual intensity, but don't be alarmed
if you are charting unexplored emotional and physical
territory. It was sometimes very hard to have faith
in a "me" that was healthy and strong again.
My PT (physical therapist) told me
to think of myself as two people. One of them weak and
recovering, but the other strong and healed. This helped
me to begin to visualize myself, or conceptualize "me,"
as strong, happy and healthy again.
Ultimately, I learned to channel pain
and frustration into exercise and rehabilitation, but
it was not easy, and I was not consistent. This is a
path you keep returning to, over and over.
Through this injury you can become
stronger than you ever thought possible. Mentally, physically,
emotionally, and spiritually you will grow. If you let
it happen, your post-burn life may surpass whatever
expectations you had for yourself before the injury.
I know that's hard to believe. . .but it's true.
I found it helpful to seek out people
that had recovered from a burn. Some of them sought
me out. Seeing them inspired me and taught me a lot
about this injury.
Hospital
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