Dear Sandy,
I am so very sorry you are going through this. I happen to have had shoulder complications,frozen shoulder, following breast surgery,benign. It took 100 physical therapy sessions to get range of motion back. I also had massage therapy just prior to the pt. Tho painful, it was good to go thru both. I also have severe headaches. I also have trigeminal nerve disorder. I don't have the breeze pain like so many. I think it was because of the physical therapy and using a tens unit. I injured my hand and during therapy, they also did desensitzation. I also did it everyday at home. I took several
tupperware bowls. I put cotton balls in one, coffee grounds in another, rice, beans, sand,
just several different textures and run my hands, fingers, and feet,toes, through them.
I know how bad the depression can get. It's been 13 years for me, and I still cry. It's a terrible thing to have ones health ripped out of their life. There is a wonderful book called You can't Afford The Luxury of a Negative Thought by Peter McWilliams. It coms in Hardback and paper back.
Michael J Fox just wrote a book called"Always Looking Up" It's about his struggle when he got parkinsons.
When my parents died, I did a couple of years of counseling and it really helped. I've been see a pyschiatrist/neurologist,pharmacologist. He manages my pain, and is so compassionate and helpfulin my struggles and adjusting to this life changing condition. I use a lot of different things for distraction. epson salt bathes, scented candles, meditation, prayer, exercise, stretching, swimming, comedy movies, my favorite music, keeping in touch with lifelong friends. Journeling is a wonderful aid in releasing painful feelings and loss we have. Writing down your feelings, can be a huge help in figuring out what is bothering us and releasing emotions. One of my meds is an anti-anxiety med called lorazepam 2mgx3 times a day. My Dr. changed my sleep aid and cut my anxiety med in half. Ambien CR wasn't working at all. I wouldn't get to sleep till 5-6 in the a.m.
and then sleep till the afternoon. The new med i sleep from 10-11 till 8-9 a.m. Sleep is imperative to cope with RSD. I was crying a lot, but as I adjusted more to this, it got better. I had been on two double dosed anti-depressants before changing to the one-cymbalta.
Have you ever had desensitzation sessions? Maybe you Dr. will order some pt with the desensitizing. I did have that and it was miserable.
Do you belong to a local support group? You can go on RSDSA and put in your zip code and they will give you a name and phone number to contact a person for time and location closest to you.
Please know we care and take care of yourself, loretta