Coping With RSD

I've seen many postings lately by various people who are having a hard time. They sail down the river of De-Nial and admit it. They know they wait too long to take meds. They want more than anything to wake up "normal" and find the last months/years have all just been a nightmare. No one wants to deal with this Really Shitty Disease. Nobody wants to be abandoned and scoffed at by people who are supposed to love them. Everyday too many join our ranks. Each time my heart breaks a little more because someone else is enduring the hell of RSD.

I thought today, for all of them, I would post some way to help cope in this weird, alien land they are now living in. Things that have worked for me and others. I only hope it will find it's way to someone's screen and help them too.

Positive Attitude. At some point we have read about this. Not just in relation to RSD but to many things in life. How the effect of a positive attitude can change so much. In my opinion, having a positive attitude with RSD is crucial. It's so easy to let yourself become weighed down by pain, not being able to do what you used to, the doctors, treatments, meds, and so much more. The drag on your emotions which will pull you down, drag you under and drown you.

I'm not saying you have to be all happiness and light, sunshine and rainbows. Not at all. When I say positive attitude I mean a change in the way you look at life. Don't think about what you can not do, focus on what you can do. You can't play tag with the kids outside. You can read with them, paint, make things out of clay, have a writing contest, play dress up, have a girly day with your daughter and do each others nails and toes, play board games, watch a movie together. If you continue this list, I'm sure you can think of even more things.

Keep a journal. It can be handwritten or on your computer. I use my blog as a diary online and I still write in the book I bought to be my handwritten journal. It's gotten difficult for me to write but it will always be my favorite way. There's just something about pen and paper. Write down how pissed off you are at the idiot doctors. Their unfeeling attitude and sucky care. The stupid work comp system and the evilness it spreads. How angry you are at whatever or whoever. The weather, what you did for the day, the things that made you smile, things that made you cry. The symptoms you felt....what were they? Where did you feel it? Something new you're not sure about or just same old, same old? Put it all down, especially the little things. This helps you to cope with the emotional upheaval of your "new" life and also will help you see a pattern to the pain. We forget a lot of things, so it's important you put it down somewhere.

Keep busy. It really does help! If your brain is busy it can't focus on the pain. If I don't have anything to do I feel the pain more intensely. I tried a little experiment one day. I kept busy doing stuff and later in the day just lay here on the couch watching tv. When I did nothing, I hurt a lot more than I had all day. Dive into a hobby or hobbies you already have. If you really don't have any, then find some. Everyone has something they've always wanted to do. I am always looking up something online and doing research. I love to read and between books and the internet I'm never without something to read. I play with clay which is relaxing and it's great therapy for my hands too. I drag out my beads and make earrings, rosaries, necklaces and bracelets. I'm working on a paint by number.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Stay tuned for more tips!