hi Stacy. Glad you came to this forum. I tend to come and go from here. I mostly come when I am feeling upset or need a reality check. Or just to have someone understand me. I too feel the way you are talking. I hate always talking about pain. I think on the most part I do pretty good. I came here tonight because I just got out of a 6 day hospital stay. My leg was infected with cellulitis. I am visiting my daughter in Colorado and I am from Washington State. I tried to avoid going in but I couldn't ignore the things that were happening to me. The last hospital stay was last November where they said if I had waited just another day I would have not been here. I was sepsis that time. So it made me much more aware and I cant' avoid all the time. The thing that upset me is trying to tell staff about RSD. I usually get the oh yeah I know about that when the fact is they have never heard of it. They try to get the wow you made it through the night without pain meds. Well not wait until the pain cycle hits and I can't stand it. The object is to make me stable. They ask me is your leg always red and swollen like that well yes it is. It looks like this pretty much all of the time. Right now it is a little more red and a little more swollen. Well we will keep you in here forever until the swelling disappears. Well guess what it isn't going to surprise. Patient is right after all. So I ended up having to spend the last night there because my blood pressure was too high. Ummm listen up folks not much you can do. Treat the infection that is cool. But appearances are not going to change too much..It did go down in size so that was nice. I also don't like the oh you don't like it touched and than a huge thumb print goes into my leg that the pain lasts for three hours. Okay venting over. I am glad you are hear Stacy you will be educated here. Hope you pain is tolerable.