Hello Everyone! I am new to this Forum, but now, I see that I am not "alone"!

I too, have experienced the very same things like not answering the phone, not wanting to socialize, etc.

The thing that has been most dissapointing to me, is the issue of "non-reciprocal" behavior from people who I "thought" were my friends.

Before I got injured and devloped RSD, I literally knocked myself out helping these people with every kind of issue imaginable.

After I developed the RSD, most of my friends, including my long-term boyfriend of over 9 years, were initially very supportive and quite helpful in many ways. UNTIL the realization "hit" that the RSD was not a "temporary" condition, and would likely be PERMANENT.

What a change in their behavior--from outright emotional and verbal abuse, sensing that I was more vulnerable and "defenseless", to BLAME, i.e.--"you aren't trying hard enough to get better", then back-tracking when I TRIED to do be more active, only to suffer a flare-up, by them saying "why do you keep doing that when you KNOW that your arms aren't the same anymore".

Totally a no-win situation!

Frankly, I think our condition brings up buried issues that these "friends" don't have the guts to face. They either gradually fade out of lives, because they feel that we are no longer of "use" to THEM, or, they simply abruptly ABANDON us, like we never really existed at all--because they probably view our needs as INCONVENIENT to THEM. We are not afforded "good credit" for all the wonderful things that we did FOR THEM in the past, when THEY needed our help, friendship and emotional support.

It is no wonder to me, that after having been ABANDONED, that we don't trust people anymore. Why would we want to go through that again?

I would like to believe that there still are kind, compassionate people out in the world, who do not judge us by our physical appearance or the "invisible suffering" that RSD subjects us to. People who UNDERSTAND that at times, we are just too exhausted to participate in "life" for a while. People who RESPECT us, and ADMIRE us for all the challenges and hurdles that we have had to overcome, and who hopefully, will find us as an "inspiration".

After what we have gone through, and will CONTINUE to go through, we DESERVE that!

For now, I still struggle with the thought of exposing myself to potentially inconsiderate people--and yes, thank goodness for caller ID! And, Forums such as this. Somehow, I need to find the self-confidence that I once had so that I CAN resume inviting new people into my life. For me, this is the REAL challenge of RSD...