Living with RSD

Hello my name is Cheryl, it has only been a little over a year and half that I am suffering from RSD but it seems like a lifetime. A lady in my former home town ran the red light and hit my car. I have a lot of resentment for my life and my family life has not been the same because of her. She has turned our lives upside down!

I have RSD in my right hand and the pain is getting worse. If I am not moving my right hand the blood is no longer circulating and my right hand starts to swell and change colors. Everyday no matter what the weather may be my right hand gets so cold to the point it is freezing. The shame of while I am sitting down and someone looks at my right hand because the blood is not circulating, my right hand literally looks like I am shooting heroine or crack because it is so big from the swelling and it is purple. My right hand is purple! I have to wear a splint on my right hand everyday and at night for bed!

The pain that I feel everyday stems from my right side the back of my neck to the tip of my fingers. If I accidentally sleep on my right side it is extremely difficult when I try to get up. I am so stiff and in so much pain that it really does not make sense.

It is very difficult for me to sleep at night for I can no longer sleep on my right side. When the accident first happened I slept on the couch for almost a year for the fear of me sleeping on my right side, the back part of the couch was my support. I now have headaches it seems like everyday and the right side of my back right near my right shoulder is so painful that if I sit or lay back it still hurts.

The burning in my hand and the fear that I have if anyone comes near my right side is overwhelming for me. In a crowd I panic and get very protective to the point I will push anyone that comes near me. This is no way to live!

I am right handed and it is so hard for me to write, comb my hair, open a jar, snap my fingers just the simple things in life. Prior to my injury I was always at the gym (loved spin classes), working and participating in the family activities. Needless to say that ended. I can’t even walk a long distance like I use to because of the pain.

I cannot deal with this pain physically nor emotionally anymore. I am a single mother and have worked for 21 years and that lady that ran the light took it all away from me and my family.

Because of her my family and I lost our home, my job and I lost my good health. Because of her my bills are behind and her insurance company has the audacity to keep my family and I lingering on because they claim they are trying to make sure that the accident was the cause of my injury. How much more does my family and I have
to loose?

Prior to this accident I could do cart wheels, I was an active mother and worker and she took that away from me.

I am not dealing with this well at all. One thing I refuse to do is let my children see the real pain I am feeling because I am all they have to take care of them. I am so trying to deal with this but the pain, discomfort that I have everyday and the lost that my family has taken it is too much!

I really want to move on and forget about what has happen to me but I am constantly physically and emotionally reminded. How do I cope?

Like you and other I too was on a lot of medications and it was suggest to me to take two different shots but I refuses the shots. One side effect of one shot was death and the other shot it was paralyze. Things have not been good at all for me and I feared that one or the other would happen to me and I refuse to allow anyone other than
myself to take care of my children.

Occupational and physically therapy was a joke it did nothing for me. I am unable to pick up anything that is heavy. I can’t believe this I am so use of doing things on my own, I can’t even open a jar!

This is the first time that I am able to talk about this, I am not dealing with this at all. Please forgive me if I am not encouraging, at this point I am the one that needs a lot of encouraging.

Would you know of any place I could go to talk with others who have the same problem as me? I am not looking for pity, I am looking to speak with others who have or trying to deal with having RSD How do you cope and not have so much resentment?