hang in there bro, you'll make it
i dont want this to sound like one of those "been there done that" replies so please done take it that way, just wanting to let you know you can make it and there is nothing to stop you from loving/living life to the fullest in the future
when i was 18 i fell off a 24 foot cliff and broke my back (L3 vertebrae) very badly, also broke my right wrist in 3 places (which had to be re-broken twice afterwards as it "healed"
it threw my life into chaos because i was a surfer/skater/roofer and always active and after that have had trouble even getting up most of the time until my pain meds kick in (strong ones, not your average tooth extraction-level meds)
about a full year later i got in a severe auto accident in which my lil sisters boyfriend died (he was driving). we were taking a long, wide turn too fast and the trucks rear-end started sliding off the road. i didnt have my seatbelt on. from what the old man behind us told police as the truck started jumping and bouncing and went off the road down this enbankment it started rolling over and over sideways very fast. i got thrown out of the passenger window after a roll or 2 back up onto the highway right in the middle as the truck kept rolling and rolling with him, killing him from impact. i feel i was "pulled out the window" as opposed to thrown - if you know what i mean. it was a one in a miliion shot that i got through that, and the distance/landing on the road alone was enough to seriously hurt someone, let alone the impact from the rolling
i woke up in another state at a hospital a few days later and was there for some time. broken collarbone, hairline fractured skull, busted my face/teeth/knees up to a very bloddy trauma, made my back injury much worse than before and had a hole under my lip all the way through, as well as glass and rocks i was picking out of my face/knees even 2 months later
needless to say this really made life tough as far as my injuries. i tried to heal up and return to work, tried alot of different jobs seeing if i could do something but usually after a day or so (sometimes a week or so) i was in the hospital because i couldnt walk at all, so i had to file for disability. i get epidural injections every few months to help with some of the pain from nerves, take a few different meds for pain and even tranquilizers to sleep - to keep from having to take more narcotics at night just to sleep. they dont always work. sometimes from simply standing too fast or twisting the wrong way while up ill really hurt myself and be in bed for a few days.
its been like this for 10 years, going on 11. i have always tried to avoid surgery but am looking into some things soon. it'll be rough because it will take more than 1 surgery being that i still have visible cracks on my low back (L3 vertebrae) as if i broke it last month, foraminal stenosis, bone spurrs, disc problems, all in the same area of my low back. my head hurts alot from the fracture but its nothing in comparison to my back so i dont even bother
alot of times it was very rough and i wanted to give up. usually playing music is great therapy for me. also the children in my life make my days alot brighter (2 nephews, 1 niece and 1 ? on the way). i am still one of the happiest souls i have ever met, even though i have alot of bad days, and i wont lie sometimes i still get down about things but overall i stay happy to be here and enjoy it alot.
for the first year or so i was so scared of riding in a car - to the point now that im a pretty fast driver because i dont fear death. i dont want to die at all but hurt ALOT on a daily basis so im not afraid of it either.
sorry about this very long post, and i left some ugly details out to not seem so grim - but i wanted you to know that you can make it through this, and please inform yourself about EVERY medical decision you make in these next critical few months. take care of your body and if needed get 2nd opinions from other docs about your treatments. dont ever be curious about something and afriad to ask the docs, and take time to heal yourself well.
ill be praying for you and hope you hang in there and heal well. one day things will turn back to normal even if you have to bring a few pesky symptoms with you into the future. good luck and rest well friend 
