Just wanting to share something good that has come from my chronic pain. I was in a car accident April 3rd 2024, and suffered 2 herniated discs in my neck. 2 years of steroid injections, rest, physical therapy every week, and fusion surgery later, I am stuck at a point where I feel pain 75%+ everyday. I am unemployed, applying for disability, and so frustrated by the idea that I may not be able to do the things I could before without risking more pain or further damage to my spine.

I used to work in a warehouse setting, on my feet most of the day, one step below manager. It wasn't a glamorous job, but I knew what to do and people could count on me. Now, I am able to do a couple of hours of computer work, as long as I maintain proper posture, use a shorter keyboard, and have my chair right against the desk so my arms aren't stretched out. I decided to try my hand at coding just to see if it's something I like and maybe something that could give me a more sedentary job option.

I've used Copilot as a "teacher" to help me design an app to track the daily exercise/stretches I have been given from my physical therapist. It allows me to note what stretches I do each day, how many reps/sets/seconds, and put in notes so I can let my therapist know if something caused a flare-up or if I was only able to do certain moves while laying down vs sitting, etc.

I guess I just wanted to show off something that I worked hard on that directly relates to my chronic pain/inflammation. I get so depressed thinking about everything I can't do, or everything I've had to let go of due to a split second of someone else not paying attention on the road, and it makes me withdrawn and pessimistic. 

This is something small and good that proves I can still learn new things even though I face limits I never thought I would. I'm sorry to everyone who feels like I do, or those who feel worse than me, or those who feel like they "aren't in enough pain" to feel the weight of a chronic condition. It is all real and it is all valid: \*you\* know what you feel and \*you\* know it shouldn't be this hard to just live in the world. I hope you are able to find some silver lining in your life just to brighten up the darkness.

Silver Lining