I suffer from chronic pain and have done since a young child and I don't have CRPS. My heart bleeds for all that you go through.

Pain is gruelling and all consuming. To have a forum that is threaded with thoughts and activities that will help pain sufferers, well, it's just exciting to believe everyone from across the globe can pull together for one another.

I read an article from a thread posted by zookester this morning and it refers to activities young sports people have participated in with the aim of further gaining relief. I cried reading that article. I was a junior state champion athlete but I don't think my pain levels ever reached (in those days) a place where I would willingly stick my hand into a dry substance of raw barley, rice and fine sand and rotate it through for 20 minutes or more to stimulate the nerves. The author noted some cried and some even vomited. No doubt the same thought process that is applied with exfoliating burnt skin. I still feel ill to think that in our lifetime we have willingly submitted ourselves to such purposes in an aim to find relief.