Hi My RSD Friends,
I had to tell ya'll this one to make everyone laugh. I have a home health aid that talks non-stop for four hours three times each week. I think she feels she must entertain me or something. Two weeks ago, she got down on the floor and started barking like a dog at my dog. Last week, she started jumping around like a kangaroo (with bouncy noises too). She comes in this morning (as each morning) and flings open the door and screams my name, then running down the hall does the same thing again until she winds up next to my bedside talking loudly. I looked at her and said "Please stop talking so loudly." She replied to me with a nasty look "Well I can talk louder." I said it is a bad pain day and I can't handle the noise. She got the papers she needed and left. Of course the flare started as soon as she came screaming in the door...I guess thinking she is entertaining me. She came back after about an hour and I asked her when she comes in to please not talk so loud and explained how I had to have my son in the past lower his voice. SHe got mad and started making funny faces at me and said she is a social butterfly and loves to come in and get people up and moving. She then proceeded to tell me I was just "grumpy" and that I should be around lively people each day." I said I am each day. Well, my pain shot up and I was sooo annoyed. She is supposed to be my caretaker and saying things like that is just so not compassionate. I said "Well, if you just walked a day in my shoes you would be the same way." She approached me and said "Ok I'll do it now." I said to her that sound and vibrations really make my pain higher and that I don't take any medicine now and I need her not to come in and be quiet. The other day I even made a comment about me liking silence. She said "Well, you can't work and not talk." I said "Yes, you can." She put sheets on my bed today. I left them exactly the order to put them in. All she had to do was take old ones off bed and put new ones on. She was wrestling with bed/sheets for about an hour and I went to see if she was ok. She got other sheets out I didn't leave for her. I went to lie down after she left and all the sheets were backwards or upside down. I had to re-do all the sheets so they are comfortable for me when my body is cold and then burning up later in the night. I had to go and cleanup my room after she left. She has already told me she has ADHD X3! I told her I thought so as my son has it and I knew the signs. SO, I am always careful to give her good directions...problem is she can't follow any directions and just can't listen.

I printed up "The Spoon Theory" to give her to help her understand how it all works and I printed some stuff about allodynia too that she can read.

After she left, I started to get real annoyed with her comment about me just being grumpy. I am probably the most upbeat person around and have been told that by medical professionals and people all the time. Heck, I could be grumpy lol if she wants to see what it is like. Only kidding. As much pain as we go through each day why are people continually insensitive to our needs? I try to educate people more about rsd when things happen like this aid. Does anyone have any suggestions for when people say and do stupid things that are so insensitive? Just like to get everyone's perspective on this one. I've had rsd for six years now and I seem this last year or so to get so annoyed with people when they say dumb things. I feel like I don't have the patience for people any more. Oh, and this aid is the best I've had yet. haha. The other ones either stole from me, didn't want to work, burned my food and almost burned my house down, or were just plain clueless. I thought everyone would get a laugh at how my day went today.
kathy d

P.S. Hey Jimbo...maybe I need a dancing turkey and dancing chilli pepper to make me feel special today:.)