Nothing prepares us for the day we notice the RSD has crossed hemispheres, but when it does, our lives change forever. More pain, more damage and less life is all it looks like and in some ways it's true, but maybe this is the time to modify how you deal with problems that come up. I've always called it "Why compete with yesterday when that day is already over and we'll never do or be exactly the same way ever again complex?" By the way, we're not really comparing, we're competing.

The only type of change that's easy to accept is the kind that we've created for ourselves, but when something like RSD comes along that for unknown reasons makes our body almost a stranger to us, it's just plain hard. Don't compete or compare with yesterday but instead just try and work with whatever you still have headed the right direction today. Some days the list might be a little shorter, but we still do have many options each day. We might just have to work a little harder to get the most and even more importantly give the most out of it but they're still there. Now we just have to widen our horizons enough to hunt down new ways to live within the new rules and conditions our body and disease is placing upon us. You will in time I promise, it's just right now you're in the grieving process that we all need to go through. In time you'll see that not all is lost, just a little more. There's a world of difference I can assure you. Best of luck, Bob.

This a great thread! I am in the depths of depression and acceptance now. Just very, very low. Kids growing up and away, fighting with w/c and SSDI, trying to adjust to my new meds and treatments. Just trying to be. Sometimes I feel like I am on one of those playground spinny things and I can't hold on anymore. Lost, confused, foggy from meds. I would like to just lie down and rest. Everything you all have said is exactly what I feel.

Thanks my friends for helping me up today. I really needed it.

Much love to all...

Kim

Multi-spread?
I recomend subcutanious lidocaine infusions, they work systemicly, when I started getting lidocaine infusions 2 years ago I was told that "subcutanious lidocaine infusions were given when there is more then two limbs involved and when there is spread happening".
And something you can do for yourself is take grapeseed extract.. it contains 20x more antioxidents than vitamin C. (and also up your omega 3's) I would start the home regime ASAP, studies show that vitamin C (antioxidents) can stop CRPS from taking hold in up to 80% of injurys and surgerys if given for 50 days consecutivly after the injurys.
Talk to your doctor about the subcutanious lidocaine as well it has realy made a diffrence in my life.

Good luck hon

~ Sandra

ps.. it was too late for my spread so I can't use me as an example, but I do know antioxidents tone down my flareups.