[Maria]

It took someone who has had a zest for life (call it what you will Mark) and suffered TBI (traumatic brain injury) 4 years ago who has brought himself back up to a more normal level of functioning tho there are some areas I think aren't *normal* by any means tho functional aspect, far more than me and seemingly normal~ ANYWAY, this person kind of pulled me up by my imaginary depends and gave me an incentive to get out the door and start doing things I would have never have thought about doing ~ and man, have I ever had fun!!!!

Getting out and doing things that Normals do has really been challenging at times and I think has built up my confidence and brought me out of a certain depressed status where all I did was think about my back and my pain.

Apparently not enough tho as it seems I mention it a bit too much... tho to me it's nothing like before.

I've a spring in my step much of the time when I've taken my max dose of pain med.. and I push myself much more than I used to ~

I hope I'm getting healthier~ I feel that I am. I walked 2 hours yesterday late afternoon w/a friend and our dogs. We went up stairs, walked and walked and not once sat down. When this walk was over I was DEAD...

Came home and had a wonderful sleep last night~ a seemingly normal day's activity and a normal sleep. It was blissful.

I think this article makes many good points~ and if it's overstated, perhaps it has to be to reach those who never experience anything remotely close to chronic pain but are willing to tell one how to remedy their situation, their pain and so forth~ and really believe only what they think/say only!

Still having been really badly off with my pain, and not well managed at all... I do feel that there is much said in this article that I would have wanted to say to various people exactly so~