Vic – How has your relationship with your spouse or partner changed?

It’s definitely not as intimate as it was.  You know, I know that there’s all these different techniques, and things like that.  I kind of tried them, didn’t like them, and we just kind of mutually agreed, “Let’s not mess with that stuff at this point.”  It’s not as intimate as I’d like it to be, I think as she’d like it to be, so that’s something that, you know, it’s just there.  It certainly has to do a lot with a spinal cord injury.  It’s frustrating, you’re kind of needy when you’re  in bed, or even when you’re in bed with a pressure sore, whatever it might be, you’re needy; someone always has to stay with you if you need something.  And so, that happens often.  When I was hospitalized for like seven months with a wound, she came and visited me all the time, and that takes a lot of time out of her schedule, time away from the kids, that kind of thing.  So, I think that’s something that if I couldn’t wiggle my nose and fix, I would do that, that would be the fix that I would do.  Is a little bit more intimacy and I think if I could have her not ever, ever have to be a caregiver, I think that would be fine.  But, I think she would tell you the same thing, that it’s just not as intimate as it used to be.