Jenelle

I think you need to stop and take a deep breath because you sound as though you are winding yourself into overdrive at the moment and that won't help your pain! I don't have children and have never wanted both pre and post my CRPS diagnosis so Ihave tried to write a deliberately unemotional reply for you so that you can focus, perhaps, on some of the practical questions. I have no doubt that having a baby of your own would be a wonderful experience but the practical realities may be something you want to think about.

If you look at the rsds.org website in the medical articles archive section there are one or two articles on pregnancy and CRPS. However, virtually no research has been done in this area nor is there much reputable information available. it seems that some people may have remission from their symptoms during pregnancy and some don't. You will not get a black and white answer to that question. Like everything else with CRPS it is completely individual - only by actually doing it will you find out what happens in your particular case.

You need to consider whether or not you can manage to come off your pain medication completely for the duration of the conception, pregnancy and any breastfeeding period because most of the drugs used to treat CRPS are not regarded as safe in preganacy or during breastfeeding. Think hard about whether you honestly feel that this is possible for you. If not, do you think it is right to take the risk of having a baby with defects cause by those drugs or is that a risk you feel it is not right to take? It may be a decision you have to make based on having very little concrete information about the actual probability of such risks happening.

Well in advance of any decision, you need to discuss pregnancy with your medical team to see how they resond. If they are not prepared to support you you either need to find a team who will or consider seriously whether you can go ahead. You will undoubtedly need to have a different birth and aftercare protocol to minimise the pain you experience and to reduce the risks of CRPS spread or an increase in the severity of your symptoms. If your medical team won't agree up front to provide you with a suitable care program then is it worth the risk of a birth process that may leave you with much more severe CRPS symptoms in the long term?

Finally, I'd suggest you need to honestly sit down and consider the harsh realities of bringing up a baby with the CRPS symptoms you have. I don't know to what extent CRPS affects you physically and psychologically. Do you have the physical and emotional energy and capacity to look after and bring up a child in the way that you would like to? It may be lovely to have your own child but will the realistic effect be that your own quality of life is drastically reduced by having to cope with the increased demands on you? Will it impose an undue strain on your family, partner and step-children or are they all keen for you to have a baby of your own such that they are willing to share the load without resentment?

You need to openly and honestly think about all of these things and then discuss them with your family and medical team to arrive at the decision that is right for you. I know it isn't a very romantic process but it might help you think through some of the worries and emotions you have swirling around inside you at the moment. You sound from your posts to be in real turmoil and I think it would help you to take 5, calm yourself down and have a think about the practicalities before you go any further.

Good luck

I