The incomprehensible injury--interpretations of patients' narratives concerning experiences with an acute and dramatic spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury is one of the most devastating incidents that can occur to an individual as it results in life being suddenly, dramatically, radically and long lastingly changed. Different studies show that a spinal cord injury is a stressful event, leading to physiological dependence, psychological and social illness and suffering, although the situation tends to improve over time. This study is a part of a larger longitudinal study. The aim of this study was to explore and interpret 10 individuals' experiences in connection with their acute and unexpected spinal cord injury. This qualitative study has a descriptive and explorative design and is a part of a larger study. A phenomenological hermeneutic approach inspired by Ricoeur was used to extract the meaningful content of the patients' narratives. In this study, the findings revealed three main themes: (I) 'the incomprehensible shock', (II) 'brave survivors' and (III) 'miracles, luck or coincidences?' The incomprehensible spinal cord injury was often experienced as a dramatic and unexpected shock in the middle of a pleasant occasion, and every participant felt immediately overwhelmed by emotional suffering, such as despair and panic, but also anxiety, confusion, sorrow, guilt, shame, fear, aggression or depression at the moment of injury. Some individuals immediately understood that they had become completely paralysed and that something was seriously wrong with their body. Many also experienced guilt or shame because of choices or decisions made immediately before the injury. Several of the narratives were illuminating participants that had been brave survivors and heroes and saved others (passengers or friends) during the injury, by preventing the car form driving out or by softening the fall of co-passengers, which also entailed more serious injuries to themselves. However, the fact of having survived was experienced as 'being lucky, after all'. They all repeatedly reflected on the accident, and their individual understanding of it changed over time, from, on the whole, as a perspective of a 'miracle' to 'just luck' or a coincidence' which also reflected the meaning and significance of what the injury really meant to their body and to their lives. And these reflections gave rise to different ways; they later on learned to live with their new lives. These important aspects, narrated by the brave survivors, have not been reported in the research literature earlier.