[akgh]

Hello all, I am new here and I was just wondering after reading some of your posts if anyone ever just feels/gets cranky for no apparent reason?
I was diagnosed with RSD 26 months ago and while I usually deal very well with it (at least according to my doctor) sometimes I just get so cranky and I have no idea why. I snap at my family and I envision myself as an old cranky dog that just wants to lay in a warm spot . It's nice to be able to read/receive input with this problem because others just don't understand what you are feeling. They can look at the purple arm, touch and feel the coldness, but no one can relate to that pain except someone else who has it. Mine was caused from a work related injury and we are still fighting workers comp and the employer on it. I'm just thankful I found this place.

[keep smilin]

Originally Posted by akgh

Hello all, I am new here and I was just wondering after reading some of your posts if anyone ever just feels/gets cranky for no apparent reason?
I was diagnosed with RSD 26 months ago and while I usually deal very well with it (at least according to my doctor) sometimes I just get so cranky and I have no idea why. I snap at my family and I envision myself as an old cranky dog that just wants to lay in a warm spot . It's nice to be able to read/receive input with this problem because others just don't understand what you are feeling. They can look at the purple arm, touch and feel the coldness, but no one can relate to that pain except someone else who has it. Mine was caused from a work related injury and we are still fighting workers comp and the employer on it. I'm just thankful I found this place.

AND we are tickled you found this forum..as we all care here..you have every right, just as the rest of our RSD friends to get cranky from time to time....this is a very nasty illness which we have to digest and live with every minutes of everyday.. not to mention how incredible the pain is..Right.. NOBODY.. knows..NOBODY until they have walked in our shoes!! Until they do...feel free to bite off heads and spit em out!!!

KS....

[hannah1234]

YES. I get crankly at no apparent reason. Sometimes, i will be sitting at the dinner table- and people eating and chewing drives me CRAZY. I cant handle it and just get really irritated, and I have to walk out of the room and just tell myself to calm down. It is completely normal and it happens completely out of the ordinary. The worst is when I am around a group of people an they dont know about my rsd and it happens... I have to just laugh about it... It is tough, but breathing exercises help alot

[Wilbyfree]

Originally Posted by keep smilin

AND we are tickled you found this forum..as we all care here..you have every right, just as the rest of our RSD friends to get cranky from time to time....this is a very nasty illness which we have to digest and live with every minutes of everyday.. not to mention how incredible the pain is..Right.. NOBODY.. knows..NOBODY until they have walked in our shoes!! Until they do...feel free to bite off heads and spit em out!!!

KS....

KS, you are hilarious!!! This disease is dysfunctional to say the least, one minute it is hot, cold, swollen, shriveled up as if it embarrassed, the pain is high, low, moderate, bedbound, I mean we are human beings here, there is alot of fluctuation and distress, we are bound to blow once in awhile. It is so hard on our loved ones too, because they just can't understand, and they will truly never understand, so forgive yourself, apologize if you need to and move on. It is ok. God Bless you both.

Jeanie

[akgh]

Oh wow, thank you so much for your responses. As I sit here reading this I came to tears. It's just such a relief to hear that others go through the same thing. Hannah1234 I thought I was just losing it. Sometimes the strangest things just get under my skin, and it is usually when I am having an issue with the RSD, like sometimes the pain lessens and it just feels so good and then it ramps up again. Boy, believe me sometimes I do bite them off, chew them up, then if I'm in a good enough mood I'll spit them out! When I feel that way I usually tell my family I'm just in a mood and I don't know why so they give me my breathing space. It really doesn't help that I used to have a job, granted it was only 2 days a week, but at least it kept me out of the house. Now they have decided to challenge the work restrictions and try to force me but I refused so I am being terminated. All that aggravation doesn't help much. During the course of this it caused severe tendonitis in my right arm from having to use it all the time when the work restrictions initially stopped me from using the left arm at all. I am terrified that I will develop the RSD in that side too, as I see some signs of it from time to time, mostly in the color change and coolness of it. I guess in the meantime I'll just be thankful I have found a place where people understand this nasty disease (which by the way, the workers comp insurance adjustor says I have NO right to be angry in the least about it). Thanks to all!!!

[stressedout]

Originally Posted by akgh

Oh wow, thank you so much for your responses. As I sit here reading this I came to tears. It's just such a relief to hear that others go through the same thing. Hannah1234 I thought I was just losing it. Sometimes the strangest things just get under my skin, and it is usually when I am having an issue with the RSD, like sometimes the pain lessens and it just feels so good and then it ramps up again. Boy, believe me sometimes I do bite them off, chew them up, then if I'm in a good enough mood I'll spit them out! When I feel that way I usually tell my family I'm just in a mood and I don't know why so they give me my breathing space. It really doesn't help that I used to have a job, granted it was only 2 days a week, but at least it kept me out of the house. Now they have decided to challenge the work restrictions and try to force me but I refused so I am being terminated. All that aggravation doesn't help much. During the course of this it caused severe tendonitis in my right arm from having to use it all the time when the work restrictions initially stopped me from using the left arm at all. I am terrified that I will develop the RSD in that side too, as I see some signs of it from time to time, mostly in the color change and coolness of it. I guess in the meantime I'll just be thankful I have found a place where people understand this nasty disease (which by the way, the workers comp insurance adjustor says I have NO right to be angry in the least about it). Thanks to all!!!

I too am wc (Dec 08) and this started in my left hand then up into my elbow and my shoulder started a few months ago. I use my right arm alot and am sure I am over compensating. That has started hurting the past wk, so much sometimes I have trouble picking up a water btl. I am afraid it is going to spread also. Everyone seems to think I have such a good attitude but they just don't see what it is doing to me. I have lost my job, hoping to get unemployment now since wc says i am mmi and cut off my benefits. Who is going to hire me when, in such a crappy economy, they can have someone healthy? I am a wife and mom and I don't expect my kids to understand but my husband could just a bit. He doesn't talk to me about it, when I try I feel like I am talking to a wall. We are so far behind in bills, I feel like it's my fault. I tell him all the time to write things down (ie;needed groceries)and he does'nt, then I feel guilty when I forget. He thinks that just helping out with dinner and dishes, we do have a dishwasher, that he is being supportive. I am on Lyrica 300mg, Cymbalta and a compound gel. I am always tired and am afraid to go higher on the lyrica that i will be too tired to function. I know I could be worse off and feel guilty complaing but I guess it just builds up. just

[dreambeliever128]

I feel the pain causes us to be cranky. It's so intense at times, we can barely live with ourselves much less anyone else.
I can remember how cranky and stressed I was when this first started. I think too the fact that it takes us forever to find Drs. that actually want to help us or know how makes us even more cranky and it makes us feel more alone. I am better these days with crankiness but boy was I a mess when the RSD came on?

I do get stressed every once in awhile now but not as bad. I am in councelling also and that helps. I can talk to my Dr. about what is bothering me and he helps me accept it or realize it's not the big deal I am making out of it. He always told me that I could take my anger out on him and then go home and treat my family good. I did that enough. I would also get angry at him because I felt we weren't getting anywhere at dealing with my medical problems. What I learned is that getting RSD calmed down to where we can live with it to a certain point is a long road.

I never dealt with WC but I dealt with Social Security and to me it was just as bad. It takes years at times to get too.

People that doesn't deal with cronic pain doesn't understand it and when most of us look normal that have RSD then they can't see what causes our pain.

Hopefully for you, you will find that right Dr. that will help you get the pain under control to a point where you can live with it and then the stress will go down too.

Ada

[loretta]

Originally Posted by akgh

Oh wow, thank you so much for your responses. As I sit here reading this I came to tears. It's just such a relief to hear that others go through the same thing. Hannah1234 I thought I was just losing it. Sometimes the strangest things just get under my skin, and it is usually when I am having an issue with the RSD, like sometimes the pain lessens and it just feels so good and then it ramps up again. Boy, believe me sometimes I do bite them off, chew them up, then if I'm in a good enough mood I'll spit them out! When I feel that way I usually tell my family I'm just in a mood and I don't know why so they give me my breathing space. It really doesn't help that I used to have a job, granted it was only 2 days a week, but at least it kept me out of the house. Now they have decided to challenge the work restrictions and try to force me but I refused so I am being terminated. All that aggravation doesn't help much. During the course of this it caused severe tendonitis in my right arm from having to use it all the time when the work restrictions initially stopped me from using the left arm at all. I am terrified that I will develop the RSD in that side too, as I see some signs of it from time to time, mostly in the color change and coolness of it. I guess in the meantime I'll just be thankful I have found a place where people understand this nasty disease (which by the way, the workers comp insurance adjustor says I have NO right to be angry in the least about it). Thanks to all!!!

Hi AKGH, If you don't have an attorney, GET ONE who specializes in WC
Get a journal and date and write in it every day. You'll need it if you end up in court. You have legal rights, you probably have no idea you have.WC should be providing you with counseling, a Tens Unit if your dr. orders it. and replacement leads. It does sound like you are getting spread. It is important to get physical therapy and massage therapy so you do loose range of motion. It took a year and 100 treatments in pt and massage to get the use of one shoulder. a year remission and then the other shoulder. Water therapy is very good and water should be 86 degrees. Hot tubs are too hot at 104
NO ICE
pAIN shortens our fuse and we don't even know it sometimes. My husband says are you mad at me? and I say I'm sorry I'm not mad at you it's the pain. It sneeks up on us. I'm grateful my husband, family and close friends have some sort of understanding. It's tough.
Glad you joined us. Hope we can be of some comfort to you. Stay in touch, one of your new friends, loretta with soft hugs

[daniella]

I am like this and angry sometimes. My meds for the mental state have helped a lot but still of course there are my times where I am a mix of emotions like I stated on the other thread. I have little patience espeically when my pain is bad. When I get like this to not take it out on anothers I try to take a deep breath and if at all possible not be near people I may explode on. I also think what people forget is yes the physical pain is so horrible but also mentally this takes a toll. Everyday waking up to the unknow of what will come pain wise or other health situations is very draining.

[keep smilin]

Originally Posted by loretta

Hi AKGH, If you don't have an attorney, GET ONE who specializes in WC
Get a journal and date and write in it every day. You'll need it if you end up in court. You have legal rights, you probably have no idea you have.WC should be providing you with counseling, a Tens Unit if your dr. orders it. and replacement leads. It does sound like you are getting spread. It is important to get physical therapy and massage therapy so you do loose range of motion. It took a year and 100 treatments in pt and massage to get the use of one shoulder. a year remission and then the other shoulder. Water therapy is very good and water should be 86 degrees. Hot tubs are too hot at 104
NO ICE
pAIN shortens our fuse and we don't even know it sometimes. My husband says are you mad at me? and I say I'm sorry I'm not mad at you it's the pain. It sneeks up on us. I'm grateful my husband, family and close friends have some sort of understanding. It's tough.
Glad you joined us. Hope we can be of some comfort to you. Stay in touch, one of your new friends, loretta with soft hugs

Loretta..once again you werea hit!! Thank you for your post...

Pain does some pretty crazy things to us...I half believe we should be entitled to become unraveled once in a while... This illness sure does test our strength and will and ability to move forward everyday... Sometimes I wonder how would I handle this if it were not me but one of my loved ones?? Very quickly I revert back to ... it has to be me..as no way would I want to share one iotta of this killer pain with anyone!! ( I am so sorry you all have it also)....But in return our loved ones close to us.. must realize that we are in a constant turmoil with juggling pain and all of the "riches" that go along with it..just the otherday I admitted that I would not mind taking a " long" nap..... knowing that if I did not wake up from it..I have zero regrets as my life has been amazing..just the way it was! No regrest!!! None!!

Love, Kathy