I guess the best example I can think of is Chris McCandless
Then there’s the North Pond Hermit of Maine but I suppose people would not classify him as free of mental illness.
Just wondering how many people are out there living in caves, walking around, hiking trails, hopping trains, or living in National Forests full time who really aren’t mentally ill and just choose that lifestyle. What do you think?
I don’t know about that last part, but like I was hit by a driver riding a bicycle to work and unless something drastic changes, in the next 10 years I will be one of those homeless people.
There is no social safety net in the USA. I was hit by a foreign political refugee with the competency of a 3rd grader, and that is being generous. I’m still able to walk and mostly function so long as I spend most of the day laying down. I can’t hold posture, am in constant pain about on par with a bee sting or worse, enough that it never escapes my conscious thought, and never sleep more than 4-6 hours, I’m a zombie of my former self. My problems are difficult to diagnose and our litigious society means neurosurgeons are not willing to look very deeply into complicated cases as risking decades of schooling is not on their priority list. If your radiologist’s report from an MRI fails to show an easy diagnosis to treat, no reputable neurosurgeon will chase problems any deeper. It is easy to fall through the cracks. Like my damage is thoracic. That region is rarely damaged and is like 5% of all cases a neurosurgeon treats. I’m the kind of person you see homeless out there or a Fentanyl statistic eventually.
I’m above average smart by most people’s admission, but simply turning my head left can send me on a 2-3 week spiral of extraordinary pain and little to no sleep.
Do they have any persistent pain clinics where you’re from?
I went to pain management for a few years. I was miserable. For me, pain drugs just dull my mind until I don’t care any more. I can’t do or care about anything interesting when I take those. Anything for sleep causes major problems too. I must toss and turn constantly, even when sleeping or I lock up in terrible ways. There was one time I couldn’t even walk or sit upright at all for 3 days. I have to lay down most of the time and spend 1.5-2 hours doing a physical therapy routine most days to be able to have the most overall consistency day to day.
That sucks man. Unfortunately pain is a complex beast with no easy fixes. I hope you can find a solution that gives you a better quality of life.