18 months ago today I was paralyzed. ---Pics.---

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Replies

  • e001w
    e001w Posts: 46 Member
    Amazing! Congrats on all your hard work.
  • Gerald_King
    Gerald_King Posts: 2,031 Member
    Fantastic way to go
  • jasmine_noel
    jasmine_noel Posts: 62 Member
    Amazing! What a great effort for your health and family :)
  • glenncito
    glenncito Posts: 2 Member
    Thank you for sharing that.. You are one of the reasons I will suceed....
  • Kendrazombie
    Kendrazombie Posts: 157 Member
    Wow! That is one amazing story. I am so happy you prevailed!
  • hinzee4
    hinzee4 Posts: 155 Member
    Truly inspirational!!! Thanks for posting!!
  • Ghette
    Ghette Posts: 350 Member
    :drinker: Congratulations on rising above. We never know what's insides us until the unthinkable happens. You are a true inspiration.
    I hope that you continue to work hard and inspire others. :heart:
    Thanks for sharing your story.:flowerforyou:
  • dqgirl1
    dqgirl1 Posts: 39 Member
    you are truly amazing and such an inspiration to everyone!!!!! WELL DONE:)
  • Maxine00
    Maxine00 Posts: 31
    O.M.G. You rock. I don't know if I can ever rock as much as you.
  • cxsiegel
    cxsiegel Posts: 26
    Amazing.
  • Mummyadams
    Mummyadams Posts: 1,125 Member
    Goosebumps! Well done - amazing!
  • Yaya1976
    Yaya1976 Posts: 357 Member
    OMG what an amazing story. You brought tears to my eyes.
    You are an inspiration. I hope that you're super proud of your success.

    Thank you so much for sharing your story.
  • daisiemae123
    daisiemae123 Posts: 277 Member
    Such an amazing and inspirational story. Thanks for sharing.
  • cad39too
    cad39too Posts: 874 Member
    You are amazing. Girl on FIRE!!!!!!!
  • kareann57
    kareann57 Posts: 11 Member
    Oh how I love your post with a happy on going story!!! That is just awesome but I know it took extremely hard work from you to get through everything! I am so glad it is going so good for you!! You have a lovely family and I'm sure they are so happy with Mommy! Thank you for sharing your story with all of us! Nice to always have that nudge most of us can use! You look just beautiful with your pretty dress! Just amazing!!
  • joied
    joied Posts: 68 Member
    Amazing, you're a gift to your family & all of us on MFP. Thank you for sharing your story. The photos really illustrated your struggle & eventual triumph. Good luck for the future.
  • commotionstrange
    commotionstrange Posts: 73 Member
    You're amazing! Best of all you make all my excuses look like exactly what they are...EXCUSES! Thank you for posting :)
  • polar135
    polar135 Posts: 319 Member
    Amazing!
  • Scottish_charlene_84
    Scottish_charlene_84 Posts: 986 Member
    WOW! U look completely and utterly gorgeous. Well done you. U r amazing!!!
  • tadnor
    tadnor Posts: 54 Member
    Fantastic job! What a great payoff for all of you hard work!
  • LuccyH
    LuccyH Posts: 266 Member
    Very proud of you and glad that I know you. ♥
  • graceful2002
    graceful2002 Posts: 16
    Wow, you've done an amazing job!
  • maeveslim
    maeveslim Posts: 69 Member
    So inspiring, thank you so much for sharing your story.
  • TinaDay1114
    TinaDay1114 Posts: 1,328 Member
    I have no words for what I've just seen...and now on those days when I just don't wanna anymore, I have no EXCUSES, either. Way to go. And with 3 kids at home? Amazing. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • gc_tweety
    gc_tweety Posts: 205 Member
    I hope you can forgive me for sometimes thinking I can't. Thank you for showing me I can, you are amazing. :flowerforyou:
  • nomo_excuses
    nomo_excuses Posts: 15 Member
    what an incredible story! congratulations on your success!! you look beautiful and fit :-) and you are truly inspiring. thank you for posting this!!
  • Kurls4Daze
    Kurls4Daze Posts: 125 Member
    THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR STORY THIS REALLY WAS A HARD JOURNEY AND YOU MADE IT!!! MY HAT GOES OFF TO YOU!!!
    Today is a big day for me. It was 18 months ago today, June 11, 2011, that I was rushed to the ER in an ambulance because I had lost all feeling below the waist. I was transferred to a bigger city hospital where I had emergency spinal surgery - laminectomy, discectomy, and decompression of my spinal cord. Diagnosis was cauda equina syndrome due to a severely herniated disc.

    When I woke up I could not move my legs. I could not stand or walk. I was in a wheelchair. For a few weeks I lived at a rehab hospital to regain strength as I sloooowly regained sensation in my legs. It's not all fully back - to this day I'm still numb down the back of my right leg and the bottom of my right foot. Chances are I'll never get that feeling back.

    At my discharge appointment with the neurosurgeon on August 17, 2011, he told me to prevent this from happening again, that I needed to lose weight. I took his advice to heart.

    I've posted on here before but I wanted to again because today is a big milestone for me. It's been a year and a half. It seems like so long ago but 18 months really isn't that long. It's been 18 months of the hardest work of my life.

    18 months ago when I had this injury, I weighed 270 pounds. Now I don't. I weigh about 161-165.

    18 months ago when I had this injury, I couldn't walk. Now I can. And I can RUN 12 miles at a shot.

    HOW? MyFitnessPal and exercise. That's it. Being accountable for what I eat, and moving my body more.

    I'm 5'8" and have three kids, who were 9 months, 2.5 years, and 5 years old at the time of my injury.

    Before:
    IMG_4778-1.jpg

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    In the hospital
    IMG_5009-1.jpg

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    Hours of daily therapy in the rehab hospital
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    IMG_5011-1.jpg

    IMG_5020-3.jpg

    About a week after surgery was the first time I could feel my toes. It was truly amazing. This is the morning I woke up and could feel the fabric of my sock brushing on my toes.
    IMG_4997-2.jpg

    After a few weeks I was out of the wheelchair and using a walker and I was discharged home. I had physical and occupational therapists visiting my house 4-5x/week for about 6 weeks.
    IMG_5141-3.jpg

    Then I graduated to a cane the next month. This is the only picture I can find of my cane. That's my youngest daughter.
    IMG_5352.jpg

    A month after that my surgeon told me to lose weight. So I started walking daily and joined MFP that very day.

    Old pants (size 24) vs new pants (size medium)
    pants-1.jpg

    Now I run a lot.
    photo-118-1.jpg

    And wear a size 8/10
    photo-92.jpg20120827.jpg


    If I could do it, you can too. Get up and move. Start logging your nutrition. Be accountable to yourself. You're worth it.

    Thanks for letting me share.
  • LBNOakland
    LBNOakland Posts: 379 Member
    Wow!! You have me in tears!! What an amazing story!
  • Momma1213
    Momma1213 Posts: 56
    I'm just speechless. What an outstanding life story! As all have said before me, YOU ARE AMAZING!:heart:
  • emmalauren02
    emmalauren02 Posts: 3
    That's an amazing story...and scary to me, too because I've been having a lot of back pain lately...bulging disc, hitting a nerve...and sometimes the pain brings me to my knees.
    I really need to lose weight, although, no one has told me this. Which is odd...because, clearly, I do. Reading your story hit home for me and I'm going to take this seriously. Thanks so much for sharing this. My start weight is about the same as yours was. :( But I can do it with great success stories like yours! Congrats! Any tricks on what you did to start exercising? How many calories did you start out with?

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