I certainly do not mean to sound harsh BUT- you have been given some EXCELLENT ideas on how to solve some of the problems. There are also solutions to your problems, but I am feeling that part of you wants to stay in the problem and not get to the solution!!!
Sukadog gave you excellent ideas in detail and with a little work these could be solutions.Do not just say you will TRY -DO IT and get to a solution. Show these to your BF and work together /make a game out of it with the 8 yr. old etc-etc., but get to a solution for ALL of you.
Fondly-carol

My pain is exacerbated by both sound and vibrations as you have described. My son was 10 or 11 when my RSD began, and is now away at college. He was always a calm child, but the sound and vibration issues I have, did require major effort on his part.

He does play guitar and has found ways to accomodate me. First, if the child really starts playing, an acoustic guitar is more appropriate to learn on anyway. And there are devices that they can use with headphones.

I've also spent enough time around a few friends children that I had to teach them what behaviors I couldn't handle. One friends children were very sweet and I enjoyed taking them out, another's just weren't, and I chose not to be around them.

Things like tapping on a table, or clicking a pen off and on, all these little things are tough. And it seems unfair to ask anyone, let alone a child to change their normal behavior. Not the running and jumping--RSD aside, that never happened in my home, but the smaller stuff. "Please wait for me to get out of the car before you close your door..."

I discussed my illness with my son over Xmas break. During the period where my pain was out of control and I wasn't on strong meds, was really tough on him. He knows it wasn't my fault, but it made his life miserable as well for a period.

Do you really want to be a mother to this child? Have you thought that through?

I'm curious what kind of environment you work in? Offices are torture for me...

When I said I was going to try the suggestions, it meant just that - Try them to see what works best. That was not in anyway suggesting that I want to stay in the problem. A lot of stuff with rsd is trial and error for me to see what works best in my situation. It is not a copout, it's just a fact to me. Some of the solutions offered may not be suitable for the environment I am in, financially possible, etc. Taking the suggestions made and seeing what will work best for me - How is that trying to stay in the problem? Maybe my words gave that impression because I'm very frustrated with the situation, and at times do not seem to get much support from my bf, and if he isn't going to go along with the solutions I bring him, they won't work. I can't just decide to do something with his son without him being involved.

I'm pretty much at the point where I just want to give up and move back to where I was. My bf is getting worse, for instance, last night I was in the kitchen trying to do the dishes (my hand keeps freezing and it's hard to grip things so I have to get creative). He comes in and decides he wants to try out his vitamix blender that he got. The thing is very powerful, and it made the whole kitchen vibrate, to the point where things (even heavier things like a medium flower pot) were vibrating off the counter. And it's very loud . . . . Then he doesn't understand why the rest of the night I am in a lot of pain. At this point it seems like everynight there is something, and Im getting the impression they are sick of hearing me say things like "let me leave the room first" and stuff like that. Last night his son was crawling around, and kept bumping the table I had my foot up on, I asked him to stop, explained why he needed to stop, and after me saying it 5 times, he finally stopped. I told my bf this, and his reponse was "well, we'll just get rid of him then!" . . . . So at this point it seems like trying to talk to my bf about his childs behavior is not getting through, which is going to be an even bigger problem. Neither of them seem very willing to make an effort at all.

As far as meds, I talked to my dr yesterday, but it still doesn't seem to sink through to him. I had everything documented, pain journals, medication schedules, etc, and he hardly even looked at them. He is really pushing the scs implant, and pretty much has told me he doesn't want to do any medication changes until I've tried it. The trial alone with my insurance would be $1500. When this same doc did my nerve blocks, 3 times, it always made my thigh feel numb, but did nothing for my foot. So I don't know how much I trust him to do an implant. Plus my insurance will be changing at the end of the year, and it would be much cheaper if I decide to go that route to wait til the change.

litlove - I work in an office, and it's torture for me too. I sit next to the loudest person here, and it can be really frustrating. I'm trying to get the company to let me work from home at least part of the time, but now I'm getting worried because of the problems with my hand, typing is starting to get hard, and that will be a deal breaker for my job. I'm on a computer all day

You should look into voice activated software!

Your bf does not sound empathetic at all. Is the situation that he owns the new home, but you're helping pay the mortgage? Sorry if that's too nosy.

With RSD you frequently have to put your own health needs before other people's convenience. It took me many years to not feel guilty about that, including over a year with a psychologist. Which, might be a good idea for your bf and you, btw. Many times your local church will offer premarital counseling.

Considering your health, having a career, a new home, a potential new husband and stepchild, might not be workable for you. If this man loves you, as much of a hassle as it might be to sell the home, if he's planning to spend the rest of his life with you, then finding an environment that you can thrive in, should not be to much to ask. Did you help choose it in the first place?

Did you stay in the kitchen with the blender running? I would have walked out of the room, and let him finish the dishes. Has he read up about RSD? If he hasn't, that's a BAD sign.

You really should get a 2nd opinion about the SCS. It'll give you an excuse to check out another doc, you should consider switching.

Yes, I went through a bankruptcy a few years back, so he bought the house in his name, and I help pay the mortgage. The plan was when we got married that he would put the deed in my name too.

I have been seeing a physchologist at my pain clinic, but mainly just for biofeedback sessions. I'm going to see if my insurance will cover some normal sessions, because I too have the problem with feeling quilty. My bf used to be very empathetic about things, was really really great at first. Now not so much, my bday is on saturday and it took me weeks to convince him that I did not want to go on a trip for my bday. I've told him a ton of times, and he's seen for himself, that being in a car for a long drive somewhere makes things worse. Still he thought a 2 hour long drive to somewhere would be great for my bday. I finally got through and told him he could go by himself, that I'm not doing anything on my bday that I know will make the pain worse like that.

We did choose the house together, I thought it would be really awesome. The people that owned the house before were a couple and one of them was sick with something. They modified the house and made it really disabled friendly, the shower has a seat in it, easy step in, bars to hold onto, and some other things that I thought would make life much easier for me.

No, I left right away when the vitamix started and went to the farthest place in the house from the kitchen. He has read a little on RSD, but still doesn't really understand, he will sometimes makes comments about how I did something yesterday, so I should be able to do it today, and things like that. His pcp actually used to be an RSD research doc at the teaching hospital near where I live, so he's heard things from his doc too.

In addition to my pain dr, I also see a physiatrist, who is the director of another pain clinic. But they focus on physcial rehab, and I know switching to him would start an immediate taper down of all the meds I am on. This dr is dead set against scs, because in their clinic they tend to see the really bad cases when the scs makes things worse. I'm in the process of looking for a new doc now, something is up with my pain clinic, they just defaulted on their sba loan, and changed their name. I'm worried that one day they will just disappear. So I've been calling around and having my records sent to some other places lately.

HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY!

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