it was definately a huge struggle for me to figure out how to go through life once i got rsd.... i had just turned 20 when my initial injury happened... not only did i have to regain use of my arm, and learn to deal with the pain, etc... but i had just started college as a nursing major, so i had to take a break from school and start all over figuring out what i wanted to do in life... nursing was out. my sister at the time was only 12, and didn't understand, and would constantly be questioning me, "why can't u do that urself?" or "why are u being so lazy?" or "you never do anything anymore..." i think that of all things was one of the hardest things to deal with... she was used to seeing me when i was in high school constantly on the go, whether it was going to hs games, going to work, teaching dance classes, taking dance classes, competing, etc.... and then when i came back home after getting rsd i wasn't even able to eat dinner w/o help or open a jar or straighten my hair....

it did feel good to be asked to help when i was able to, or with little things i was able to do. i hated being excluded, or not asked to go do something. even if it was obvious i wasn't feeling well enough to do something, just the thought that someone asked me if i wanted to go somewhere was better than just feeling ignored.