Jennifer’s Legacy

James W. Broatch, RSDSA’s Executive Vice President, Director I want to introduce you to a special book which was recently published as a testimony to Jennifer Abramson’s brief but wonderful and impactful life. Jennifer lived only 31 years. However, her wisdom and can-do spirit live on in JEN’S Gift, a book which is filled with Jen’s poems, insights, and quotes that touched her soul. The posts were uploaded to her Instagram account lovingly titled Goal2Soul (Sending Out Unlimited Love).  Annie Abramson, Jen’s mother writes, this is Jen’s gift to us. Every page reflects the humor, wisdom and feelings we need to help us appreciate our own journey in life…May her gift inspire you and may you too be touched by…
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Minimizing Pain

By:  James W. Broatch. MSW. RSDSA Executive Vice President, Director Earlier this summer, RSDSA conducted a short survey of the RSDSA community asking individuals with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) what practices, medications, i.e. what is helping you to minimize your CRPS.  In other words, as John Lennon said, “what is getting you thru the night?”  As CRPS is the only medical condition with complex as its first word, a caution, whatever works for someone else may not be helpful to you. We received many, many replies.  I’m sending a warm thank you to all who participated. Today, I would like to share a few responses. Email me at info@rsds.org with minimizing pain in the subject line and I’ll send…
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Walking the fire. My journey to pain management living with CRPS

By Roy N Greenwood I was diagnosed with CRPS in my right leg in late 1996, before the internet had really become a thing and most research was still done at the local public library. A simple slip and fall while working on a cold and rainy night back in December of 1995 changed my life forever. I found out quickly that going through the Worker’s comp system by itself was going to be a total an abomination, but doing it while suffering through the first stages of CRPS when early intervention is critical, would be even more distressing. At first, the insurance refused to accept the diagnosis or even pay for any of the treatments or durable medical equipment.…
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24 Tips For People With CRPS

By Guest Blogger Jennifer Ginsburg Jennifer has been living with CRPS for 24 years. In her 24 years with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, she has learned a lot about herself and about the nature of CRPS. How can her experience help you? She created 24 tips to help you! As I just entered my 24th year with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, I’ve realized I lived with this disease for well over half of my life.   I’ve had the “benefit” of being a child with CRPS and just wanting to move on in life.  I’ve suffered the “disadvantages” too and had to end my career in my mid-thirties.   My CRPS gave me 8 glorious years of remission.  It’s also…
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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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