what worsens your symptoms
 

hey

i´m quite new to crps, and there are a lot of things i´ve experienced to worsen my symptoms - like cold, to much movement, stress, not elevating my foot most of the time, sitting on hard surfaces (i think because of impaired blood supply)...

for me and i believe for others it would be interesting and helpful to know what you avoid, or what worsens your symptoms!

thanks
leiea

Hi Leiea,

I have CRPS in both my legs from hip to toes. I have had it for almost four years and I have noticed that when my legs are cold I have higher pain levels. For me that means that the fall and winter are a nightmare. I have found ways to combate the cold weather by purchasing a ton of the "warming patches" that are over the counter. I line these warmers in my socks up to the knee to get optimal coverage over the calf. I also put hand warmers in my pockets to try to keep the hip area warm. I have had a lot of success with the warmers as I hate when my legs get so cold that I feel like I'm going to freeze to death. Well that maybe dramatic but true. :)
Also, I have found when I have no movement I have more pain. It is important to keep moving the affected area, as I think if you dont use it you will lose it completely. I hope that helps and it was nice chatting with ya.
Sarah

Oh yeah and stress does play a large role in my pain. Now I take anti anxiety meds and they seem to help with the pain.

Hmmm...the things that are really tough on me are cold (this is the absolute worst thing...even a light breeze of cool air is torture), too much movement, too little movement, putting too much weight on my foot (where my RSD is), stress, any sort of pressure on the wrong spot (can't wear most of my gym shoes because there is too much padding and I just can't take it...can only wear one pair where all the padding is worn away...and even just wearing socks hurts), and sometimes it just plain hurts worse and I can't pinpoint what has caused it. But the things I listed are the ones that I know of that send me into an entirely different level of pain.

Stress, cold, air conditioners, overdoing/exerting, weather changes sitting too long, walking too much. Over anything!
:eek:
:hug:z

Stress, air pressure, cold, prolonged sitting or lying down, other illnesses.

Considering it's our central nervous systems, I would say the biggest thing is anything that causes any type of physical or emotional stress so whatever you can do to keep those things down will go further then you can imagine.

Most of what has already been mentioned bothers me and are the biggies. Use and stress mostly.

Diet also plays a role for me. Too much or too little salt is a problem. Mostly I need to keep the intake down. Sodium nitrite in processed meats can be a killer. I can't eat many sweets now but my limitation is still high enough.

I have to change positions frequently and keep my hand and ankle warm. Forgetting medication can be tough especially if it's the depakote. I tend to turn a lot of events into a cause for paranoia and it's worse without medication. I need to remember all the meds at day's end or I'll have trouble sleeoping and the emergency meds cause trouble the following day.

I can get a lot done if I consider my RSD first, last, and always. The very best thing for me and my RSD is working and accomplishing things. I need to feel useful and my hand hates exercise and loves work in moderation. A lot of what I do now is sedentary work but this is OK, too.