Sustaining a serious injury can be extremely traumatic, but in the case of burns, there can be more than just trauma involved. If you’ve suffered from serious burns that have left behind permanent scarring and disfigurement, it can be hard to pick up the pieces and move forward. There is so much to cope with both mentally and physically that the road ahead can seem rocky at best. Once your initial health is stabilized, then what?
Here are some tips that can help burns victims move on with their life positively and healthily – always keeping both their physical and mental needs a priority.
Follow Your Medical Treatment Plan
This first tip is the most important, and that is to follow your medical treatment plan to the letter. This doesn’t just mean in the initial days, weeks and months, but there is a good chance you’ll be attending appointments for years to come. That can be a heavy reality, but remember, these appointments will benefit you.
Burn rehabilitation can’t be rushed and each person will go about it at their pace. The whole point is to minimize the negative effects your burns have created in your life. It is all-encompassing and includes your functional ability, scarring, psychological well-being, range of movement and motion, and social integration. It is a multi-disciplinary approach that requires a team of medical professionals.
Your Emotional Health Is Incredibly Important
It’s easy to emphasize the recovery on your physical well-being, but what about your emotional health? You have been through a traumatic life-altering situation, and you are bound to be dealing with all kinds of emotions. You may feel anger, anxiety, fear, depression, sadness, loss, and so much more. It’s also normal to feel alone and isolated in your journey, as others around you can’t understand exactly what you’re going through.
One of the worst things you can do for yourself is keep those emotions bottled up. You need to be able to talk about your emotions freely without fear of judgement. Talking about your emotions doesn’t mean you expect people to “fix” the situation; you just need to be able to vent in a safe environment. You can speak to a close friend or family member, or a therapist or counsellor.
Try doing a little research or speaking to your medical team about local support groups for burn victims. This will give you a chance to connect with others who could be going through similar experiences.
Adopt the Practice of Positive Self-Talk
This is a tip that is much easier said than done, but the more you work on it, the more naturally it will come. Adopting the practice of positive self-talk means you are constantly pumping yourself up with confidence. You are telling yourself you can do this task, you are this strong, you are going to heal, you are a good person and you do belong.
Coping with disfigurement can have you feeling all kinds of self-doubt, so give yourself grace and be kind. Remember all that you have to offer people, as that hasn’t changed.
Accept That the Road to Recovery May Not Be Linear
While positive talk is excellent, you also need to be realistic. Recovery may not be linear, i.e., you may have ups and downs. That’s okay and it’s normal. Just because you may have a bad day, or you may be facing a new surgery or type of treatment, doesn’t mean everything is thrown off course. Try to stay positive and remind yourself recovery will be a lifelong process and any progress and improvements can be celebrated.
Expect People to Have Questions
While your first response may be to not talk about your injuries, people are bound to bring them up. People mean well, they want to check on you, but it can start to feel like you’re constantly answering questions about your burns. It can be even more disarming when a stranger asks, so experts suggest you already have a blanket response ready to go.
If you feel uncomfortable talking about your injuries and/or recovery, have a few conversation changers ready. These are ways to gently nudge the conversation in another direction, taking the focus off you and your health.
Find Activities to Help You Work Through Stress
Be sure to also find some activities that you enjoy, that help you fight stress and allow you to focus on something other than your burns. Some great hobbies and activities can include reading, painting or drawing, journaling, yoga, and meditation.
What About the Financial Burden These Injuries Have Caused?
Then there is the financial burden. There’s no doubt you have lost work due to your medical care, and there is the possibility you may not be able to return to your old job. Depending on the extent of your burns, you may be faced with a new career reality. Burn victims can also rack up extremely large medical bills between the initial care, surgeries, therapy and care moving forward.
If you sustained your injuries due to the negligence of another person or party, then you may have a strong case and you could be eligible for compensation. Compensation is meant to address the financial burdens your injuries have caused. Fighting for compensation isn’t easy though, as insurance companies don’t want to pay out. If they do pay out, they want to settle for as low of an amount as possible.
Here at the Cassisi Law Firm, we want to fight for your right to fair compensation. We understand the pain and suffering you have gone through and continue to cope with, and we want to be sure that you’re not caught up in a stressful personal injury claim. Let us take care of everything so you can focus on your health.
Visit us in person at 16633 Ventura Blvd. #602 Encino, CA 91436 so we can discuss your case.
You can also call now for a free consultation at (818) 659-8588.
Remember, we are here to help.