When Treatment Offers Hope For Normalcy

By Guest Blogger Jamynne Bowles Jamynne discusses a potential co-morbid condition of CRPS- Dysautonomia. How does this impact her life? How did the treatment of CRPS impact this condition? What does she do to make the most of each good moment? Find out what happens when treatment provides hope for a better day, but makes some of your days more complicated.   Yesterday, I was feeling brave.  I was feeling invincible.  I was feeling like I “could.”  And so, I did.  I grabbed the car key, put it in the ignition, put it in “drive,” and went.  I just went.  I think I drove a good 20 miles.  Admittedly, it was tough at times to see the road through my…
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Experimenting With Treatments/Modalities

 By Guest Blogger Lorna Fortner This blog comes at the perfect time, as RSDSA has been asking the community for different treatments or things that they do to minimize their pain or reach remission. Lorna took the time to write about the various methods of treatments that she has tried and why the "opioid crisis" is a problem for those with chronic pain. Hi, y’all! I’ve been seeing some conversations regarding “What now?”  Okay.  Got a diagnosis, but what is the best way to treat it?  All of us individually made-we’re as differently as our fingerprints.  Some people may respond best to physical therapy, some to epidurals, sympathetic nerve blocks, some may do better with medications, or a combination of…
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From Professional Patient To Young Adult Photographer

By Guest Blogger Caroline Bert We were lucky enough to meet Caroline at our Achilles Walk and then at our Long Island walk. As a young adult with CRPS/RSD, Caroline did not want to just be the "sick" girl, she wanted to be known for her dreams and talent. See how she did that here.   My name is Caroline Bert and I am 23 years old. I was diagnosed with RSD when I was 12. It started with an injury on my left wrist and then spread over time. In school I was known for being the girl that “always has a broken arm.” I was the girl who felt right at home when I was with my pain management…
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Life With CRPS In Europe With The RSDSA Board

By RSDSA Board Member, Ilona Thomassen What is it like for people living with CRPS in Europe? Ilona, a member of the RSDSA Board and of the Dutch Patient Society, addresses some of the similarities and differences between CRPS in America and in Europe. While some approaches are similar, some are quite different. What surprises you the most?   I am writing this blog from the other side of the earth, in Europe and, more precisely, in the Netherlands. There are also a lot of CRPS patients here.  There is a patient’s society to [help] inform patients, to support them, and to organize meetings. I have been the chair of that organization for many years and there are about 1800…
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CRPS- Find The Fruit Or Rot Inside

 By Gracie Bagosy-Young This blog was originally posted on The National Pain Report. Click here to see it there. Gracie discusses how CRPS helped her learn a lesson about herself. This involved finding the fruits of life every day. I was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome many years ago. Sometimes I forget how long it has been. Of course, no one explained what those 4 letters meant to me, they simply wrote them on a piece of paper and told me to google them. I left there irritated and confused. After some research, I landed on words like “incurable” and “lifelong” and those feelings soon turned to anger. That anger ate me up! It was rotting me from the…
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Belated Mother’s Day- Honor Thy Caregiver

By Guest Blogger Melissa Wardlaw As a patient who has been living with a multitude of painful chronic illnesses for over 15 years now, I have had to reluctantly rely on caregivers. Being a highly independent and self-sufficient person my entire life (even living in my own apartment at 16), this has been a very difficult pill to swallow! The most pivotal caregiver and unsung hero in my life has been and still is my mother Donna. So on this Mother’s Day 2018, I honor her! Further, I will share some lessons learned about honoring the caregiver(s) in your own life. Throughout my entire 20s, my focus was on my upwardly mobile and successful business career. But when I suffered…
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When Is Physical Pain Emotional Pain?

By Guest Blogger Deborah R. Brandt, PT, DPT, CMA   Twice, I have had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic [complex] regional pain syndrome (CRPS) occur simultaneously.  In case other people may have PTSD associated with their CRPS, here are some insights and information I have gained from my healing process I would like to share with you. MY STORY I discover myself running on an unfamiliar path in Central Park and watch my 6 month-old Golden Retriever, Lily, ears floating out like wings, enjoying running with me.  Why am I running nowhere in Central Park on this beautiful fall day? Slowly, I remember.  I was playing with Lily in an area with other dogs and their owners when a…
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Safety Month and RSDSA- What Does It Mean

By Guest Blogger Jenny Picciotto Support groups are incredibly important to the CRPS community. RSDSA works to help make sure that these support groups are equipped with the tools that they may need. Jenny, a support group leader, writes about the upcoming Safety Month and what being a Support Group Facilitator has done for her. In June of last year, the RSDSA began an outreach program for support group leaders. I jumped at the opportunity to participate in their monthly calls. Having been the facilitator of the Oahu CRPS Support Group since 2013, I have faced many of the same challenges I heard described by other leaders; finding a place to hold meetings, getting the word out, selecting topics for…
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A Conversation With Our Newest CRPS Blogger

By Lorna Fortner Lorna is a member of the CRPS. As a new blogger, she wanted to introduce herself and tell her story before she continues on her blogging journey. We bet that many of you will be able to relate to Lorna. Make sure to give her a warm welcome. Hi, y’all, I’m Lorna Fortner.   I have CRPS2 since 1994, but it took about 7 years to get the diagnosis.   Since I new to blogging, maybe a little background would be nice for you to fill in some of the gaps.   I was born in WI in 1951.  Had asthma-first attack at 6 mos.  For the chronic sore throats, they once gave me penicillin, at age 3,…
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My Top 5 Strategies For Dealing With A CRPS Flare

By Guest Blogger Melissa Wardlaw As a person living with CRPS, Melissa has had to manage a number of full body flares and pain for almost two decades. Because of this, Melissa was able to compile a list of tips that work for her to deal with pain flares. While these may not work for everyone, it may be a great starting point. As a patient who has suffered with systemic CRPS/RSD (full-body) and multiple other chronic illnesses and pain for over 15 years now, one unfortunate factor I can rely on in my medical journey is knowing I will experience flares; aka, an increase or exacerbation of pain & symptoms. Flares can be mild or severe, short or long,…
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