@anawade23 Welcome to Connect. You have been through a lot and your body needs lots of time to heal. I'm sure the trauma of broken vertebrae also adds a lot of complexity and pain. I can tell you from my own experience of cervical fusion that the incision alone takes at least 6 weeks to heal, and after that it tends to tighten up and cause pain. You would also have a lot of inflammation. Fractures add a new level of frustration and pain. I had a very bad ankle fracture and it was far worse in terms of pain and healing time than my spine surgery was.

Give yourself time and space to heal. Your journey doesn't really compare with someone else's experience. Also we are all different with different other health issues that can affect recovery. Just believe that you will get there. Progress comes in baby steps and those are to be celebrated too. I know with my bone healing from my spine fusion, it was 3 months until that bone was set because new bone had to grow into the spaces of the donor bone disk matrix that was implanted. When you are healed well enough to start some rehab and physical therapy, that will be something to celebrate.

I am glad you reached out here, and know that you are not alone. Your journey is unique to you and many others will learn from you, so know that we are here alongside you as you heal. I worked out things to do when I was nervous to distract me from it. Relaxing music certainly helps. It may help to speak with a counselor. The emotional trauma of your accident may be holding you back. We want to see ourselves as whole, and when something like this happens it threatens the way we see ourselves and we may fear that it will always be that way. You can achieve healing and make peace with all of it, and it will take time, perhaps more time than you expect, but you can get there. Your mind is very powerful in how you see your future and you can use that power to help yourself heal to your best possible recovery. See your future as a healed whole person and be proactive about asking for help that you need to get there. Believe.