Hi, everybody:

I have full body RSD. When I ride in a car, I seat in the back of the car. I am obliged by the cops to put my seatbelt on, which causes the seatbelt to rub on my skin between the left shoulder and the left side of the neck. This causes very intense pain because of my RSD. What to do?

I cannot wear more clothes to cover that area of the skin because it is very, very hot where I live. Sometimes, I have to wear T-shirt without sleeves.

Public transportation is not good where I live. I cannot ride a bike because I would get hit by a car (I am a bad bike driver).

Thanks for your information.

[AintSoBad]

Hi kitty!

I was speaking with a fellow rsd / tos friend the other day, since her in laws were in a traffic accident. I was in one similar. Air bags deployed and one had a bruise to his shoulder from the seatbelt. (Same thing happened to me, but no injury).

So many people, (Not saying you) don't take advantage of the comfort aids most seat belts have.
Most, in the front, are looped through an Adjustable (Up and Down), thing on the door post, like that. That 'might' help.
Also, you can get in most bigger auto parts stores, pads that go on the seatbelt for just that problem!

I hope this helps!

pete

asb

[firegirl]

I would try one of the seatbelt pads that you can get at Walmart or any auto parts store. If that doesnt help you could probably get a letter from your doctor stating why you cant wear it. If you show that to a cop, I could not imagine them still giving you a ticket. Alot of cops just give warnings for seatbelt violations anyways. If the cop did happen to still give you a ticket then you could show it to the judge at court.

[keep smilin]

Originally Posted by AintSoBad

Hi kitty!

I was speaking with a fellow rsd / tos friend the other day, since her in laws were in a traffic accident. I was in one similar. Air bags deployed and one had a bruise to his shoulder from the seatbelt. (Same thing happened to me, but no injury).

So many people, (Not saying you) don't take advantage of the comfort aids most seat belts have.
Most, in the front, are looped through an Adjustable (Up and Down), thing on the door post, like that. That 'might' help.
Also, you can get in most bigger auto parts stores, pads that go on the seatbelt for just that problem!

I hope this helps!


pete

asb

Pete.... great advice on the seatbelt strap protector...If I may add..I believe you can buy these, Kitty at a child accessory store...where car seats are sold...

take good care!! Kathy

[kathy d]

Hi Kitty,
I too have a problem with seatbelts. I usually sit in the front passenger seat. I have found if I take a small blanket or pillow and put it up by my neck so that the seatbelt lies on the blanket and protects my neck it helps the pain some. Like Pete suggested adjusting the up-and-down neck belt is helpful. I always put them down to the lowest notch. I believe someone else wrote something about this problem within the past month and they got a letter from their doctor stating they can't wear one due to rsd. This way if you are stopped by the police you have a letter stating the reason. Hope it helps.
kathy d

[LIT LOVE]

Even if you can get a note from your doc, I'd think long and hard before choosing to go seat beltless. I've been rear ended 3 times since having RSD and the seat belt pain RSD flares weren't anything to sneeze at, but I don't want to imagine the damage without a seatbelt. I make it a habit to leave plenty of escape room while stopped in traffic (or at a light) and watch my rearview mirror. Even still, an idiot can slam into you while taking those precautions.

You might want to try a sheepskin seat belt cover.

http://www.autoanything.com/seat-cov...A2527A0A0.aspx

[firegirl]

I have mixed emotions about seat belts. I worked in fire/rescue for several years & saw many times of car accidents. In some of the wrecks, the victims were better off wearing one & other accidents they would have been much better off without them. It all depends in how you are hit. I have learned to take it on & off depending on the driving conditions. If it is a situation where you are going to be ejected from the vehicle, it "sometimes" can be better to be ejected if the cab of the car is severely crushed. But, unfortunately we cannot predict the future. As RSD patients, that makes if so much more difficult. I have to admit, last wreck I got in, I made the wrong choice & didnt wear it. It was a 3 car MVA & cars infront of me locked up breaks because of person up front who slammed on breaks for no reason just being dumb. I wasnt following too close, but I still couldnt stop. I am already driving with my left side only, RSD on most of right side. I slammed into the dashboard really hard. I was in SSSOOOOOOO much pain I couldnt even speak or move. Medics had to put me on board & C collar bc besides the RSD pain, my neck/back were hurting badly too. My mom & also my best friends were a few cars back & freaked out when they saw me all layed out. WHen medics were trying to get me to answer questions I attempted to mumble some, but when they asked me if I was on any medications I was completely silent. Telling them would just go in the accident report & may come back to bite me. I dont like to lie, so I was just silent. The doctors at hospital had it in my chart, so I didnt have to tell them & I told them I hadnt taken my meds yet today. My insurance company still had to pay for 1 car to get fixed & 2 that were totalled. Oh well!!! My point is, I dont want to tell anyone to every not wear a seatbelt. Just use your discrettion in what your body can handle & adapt in the ways you can. If you do decide not to wear one, I would definately recomment the doctors not. Really hope you can find a way to make the seatbelt work better for you. HOpe everyone stays safe out there on the roads

Hi, AintSoBad:

Quote: "So many people, (Not saying you) don't take advantage of the comfort aids most seat belts have." I did not know such things even existed. Do you, by any chance, know their brand(s) and name(s), so I could ask someone in the U.S. to buy them for me?

Quote: "Most, in the front, are looped through an Adjustable (Up and Down), thing on the door post, like that. That 'might' help." I always sit on a back seat. Do you know if the seatbelts in the back have the technology you mentioned?

Quote: "Also, you can get in most bigger auto parts stores, pads that go on the seatbelt for just that problem!" I will see if they are available on the small island where I am right now.

Thanks for your information.

Hi, firegirl:

If the seatbelt pads, such as those from Walmart or department stores, are thick enough to prevent the seatbelt from rubbing against the painful area of my skin affected by RSD, that would be wonderful. When someone goes to the U.S., I will ask this person to buy two for me, so I have one on hand for use while the other one is being washed or dried. Unfortunately, I know very few, if any, people who go to the U.S. and I do not have a credit card to order these pads on the Internet, if they are even shipped internationally.

Maybe I can try wearing the seatbelt under my left armpit, with my left arm over the seatbelt, instead of wearing it the "normal" way, with the seatbelt between the left shoulder and left side of the neck. This way, the seatbelt would go over my left breast, which is always covered by clothes, even in a hot country, because no one is supposed to ride in a car with her breasts uncovered. When a male friend of mine did this, he got chewed out by the cops. My primary care physician told me the cops do not have the right to give me a fine for wearing my seatbelt this way. According to him, as long as the seatbelt is worn, it does not matter how it is worn. I am not so sure my doctor is right. I thought the seatbelt had to be worn in a certain way so that it is effective in case of accident.

I have the feeling my primary care doctor told me all this wrong information so as not to have to type the letter I asked him to type to explain why I could not wear a seatbelt, because he certainly does not want to receive a call from the cops, let alone receive a visit from the cops, because of the letter he typed. He does not want his patients in his waiting room to think he did something wrong to receive the cops' visit. It is better if I suffer. The seatbelt pads you mentioned are available NOWHERE in French Polynesia, where I am, so my doctor's refusing to type this letter really, really hurt my feelings, because I really trusted him and I thought he really wanted to help me. He is getting tired of me, but is it MY fault if I have RSD? Did I throw myself in front of the car that struck me, causing me to have full body RSD? Did I choose to have RSD? Certainly NOT! My doctor's attitude makes me want to cry and cry and cry until I have no more tears left at all.

Quote: "Alot of cops just give warnings for seatbelt violations anyways." This is unfortunately not the case in French Polynesia. Here, a fine for not wearing a seatbelt is about U.S. $ 160 the first time, double the second time. How I miss the U.S., its nice people, and its nice and understanding cops! I hope there is an American cop that will read this and understand I give big THANKS to all these cops who use their brain to understand RSD patients' special situation. After all, it is not by pleasure I do not wear a seatbelt.

Quote: "If the cop did happen to still give you a ticket then you could show it to the judge at court." If I do not have such a letter, I do have documents from:
-a U.S. Emergency Room doctor,
-several U.S. primary care physicians,
-a U.S. orthopedic surgeon,
-a U.S. neurologist,
-a U.S. pain management specialist, and
-a French radiologist.
These documents state I have RSD. Other documents I have, which I found on the Internet and which are from famous RSD physicians such as Dr. Schwartzman and Dr. Hooshmand, state that RSD patients can be very sensitive to touch (I am not sure if it is called allodynia, hyperalgesia, hyperesthesia, or hyperpathia. I hope I will get an understanding judge instead of having to sue France (French Polynesia is one of its overseas territories) at the European Court for Human Rights. After all, I cannot force my primary care doctor to type this letter since he absolutely refuses to. So do I have to pay a fine of at least U.S. $ 160 every time I ride in a car without a seatbelt? At this rhythm, I will soon have no money left and I will become homeless. RSD does not get along well with poverty and homelessness. Thanks for letting me vent.

Thanks for all your useful information.

Hi, kathy d:

Quote: "I usually sit in the front passenger seat." You usually seat in the front passenger seat while I usually seat in the back seat.

My mother does not drive because she does not like to. I do not drive because I have epilepsy and because I do not like to. I only enjoy driving boats. I have a boat driver's license. Only my father drives in the household. He is the kind of person that easily gets "road rage": he screams, swears at, and complains very loudly when people do not drive the way he thinks they should be driving. This is why I never sit next to him, in the front passenger seat. After a hard day at work and with my RSD problems, I cannot stand having to sit next to someone making a lot of noise. I need some calm.

Do you think there is a difference between sitting in the front passenger seat and in the back seat when it comes to seatbelts?

Quote: "I have found if I take a small blanket or pillow and put it up by my neck so that the seatbelt lies on the blanket and protects my neck it helps the pain some." You seem to have the same type of problem as me and in the same area. Your idea of using a small blanket or pillow is very good. I will try this today, while going home from work, since I have a small blanket with me. I always have this small blanket with me because I cannot stand being in an air-conditioned room, as is the case at my workplace. When I turn the air conditioner up (no less than 23° Celsius) or off, my colleague complains it is too hot and when he turns the air conditioner down (no more than 20° Celsius), I complain it is too cold. So I am caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, I do not want to freeze, but on the other hand, I do not want my colleague to be hot because we get along quite well. I do not want him to believe I am mean by letting him think I do not care whether he is hot or not.

Quote: "I believe someone else wrote something about this problem within the past month and they got a letter from their doctor stating they can't wear one due to rsd. This way if you are stopped by the police you have a letter stating the reason." As explained to firegirl in a previous message in this thread, why does my primary care doctor absolutely refuse to type or write this letter for me? What did I do to deserve this? I am not perfect, but I am not a demon either. So why? Why? If you read my message to firegirl, you will understand why I think my doctor's explanation is bull s***.

Thanks for your helpful information.