Oh how I hate this danged condition.... I'm sorry you're having to deal with spread to your hands, it's frightening enough when it spreads anywhere, but your hands are something you just use all the time and it must affect everything. I hope you're feeling a bit better today

Mine started in my left knee, spread to my foot and up my thigh, and then across to my right foot as well. In the last six months I've had some symptoms in my left arm including days where my finger pads are numb and sore, my arm has been darker and swollen, or just every movement of clothing on it feels like sandpaper. At the moment it's ok and my arm feels pretty normal, but I feel it's just there waiting...madness I know, but it just feels like if I stop then there it is.

It frightens me because I am very musical, and I play the piano and cello neary every day. I have lost so much of what I can do physically in terms of work and sport and social activities....I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't play, but I suspect I would feel that it had robbed me of everything.

So for now I keep going and try to ignore it when my hand or arm feel odd, but having had this two years now I know it's not going any time soon, and I know that the CRPS is active at the moment. It's funny, writing about it, I'm aware of the coldness in my upper arm, and the pads on my fingers are buzzing strangely.

Oh dear, sorry didn't mean to go on! I'm just trying to say that I understand the bizarre mix of fear and hope and frustration, and I really hope that you feel a little better now. It always make me feel a little better reading someone else's story and knowing they understand this thing, but also sad too because I hate what CRPS does to us. Hang on in there

Bram.