I feel like that with doctors sometimes too Renee....

I saw my pain doc once and she said "well, it's good to see you're looking really well. Everything must be going well. That's good isn't it." Well. I just burst into tears then and there, think she was quite shocked. When I'd got control again I told her that I had a good gameface now, and I was getting pretty good at looking 'OK'. It means nothing. I like to think it is similar to the old adage about swans....looking all serene above the water, paddling fast underneath... I said, "I'm in pain all the time. I'm exhausted. I've got kids and a job. I work hard to look half normal. Congratulate that if you want to, but don't make the mistake of thinking that because I appear ok I'm not suffering the same as usual." I was nice about it, but she's never said it again.

My GP never comments on how I look, but he has various expressions of doubt, disbelief and boredom that he uses during appointments. He doesn't know anything about CRPS, and hasn't tried to. Grr. Oh for that mile in someone else's shoes...:

Bram.