I was prescribed Ambien awhile ago but after reading about the side effects I didn't go for it. But I will bring it up to my neurologist. A full night sleep would be nice...

There are better options than Ambien. A few years back I received prescription strength melatonin that worked well, but my pain is being managed well, so...

Thank you everyone for your responses. Some of them made me tear up because it is good to know that I am not alone and that he does not mean to snap at me. I always call him out when he's acting like a jerk because that is just me. He fell in love with me for that reason and I'm not going to change. :) I always treat him like there's nothing wrong with him because he acts normal (for the most part), but I need to get better about not asking him to do things that he can't do.

He does NOTHING for his condition. He has started to take vitamins (St. John's Wort and a multi-vitamin), but doesn't do any exercises or use anything to help. He has a TENS unit and some Bio Freeze but he doesn't use either one anymore. He does wear a sleeve over his bad arm, especially when the weather changes. He sleeps well at times, but tells me that his sleep is interrupted and he doesn't dream because he is missing a cycle of sleep which is common in RSD patients?

There is also something else that is odd and maybe you all can shed some light on this.. He is into things that would have been strange to him before his accident. He watches UFO shows and reads about crazy things online. He knows it's weird too (because he has said so), but he continues to do it. He used to be into cars, which he still kind of is, but this alien obsession has taken over. If it makes him happy, I am fine with it, but it is weird that his hobby has gone from cars to aliens.. Anybody else experience something similiar?

Not sure about the aliens thing. It may just be that he is searching for more stuff to take his mind off the pain and keep him occupied. I never spent so much time on the internet before (I was always too busy doing stuff) but now I would say I have an obsession with certain things that before were only a mild interest before. Or it could just be he has gotten bored with the cars to some extent and just needed something new.

Just having something that helps you take your mind off the pain and refocus is a way of dealing with it. When I was working I actually was able to deal with the pain better at work because I had so many things on my mind that needed attention while I was there and it was easier to push that pain towards the back. It was still there and by the end of the day was agony...but while focused on those other things I just wasn't thinking about it constantly. When your thoughts are all consumed with pain, pain, pain you just can't function. We all need something to focus on to help us keep the rest straight.

I don't sleep well at all...I wake up many times during the night and sometimes can't fall back to sleep at all. Other times I am just up for hours at a time and catch small bits of sleep here and there during the night. I'm lucky if I can get 2 hours of sleep together.

Steelrgirl,

Is he still able to maintain a regular job?

Just because we can relate to what he's going through, I hope you don't allow the situation to remain ongoing. The fact that you've stuck with him "through sickness" is amazing. Having RSD doesn't give him (or any of us) a pass at treating famy or significant others poorly.

The alien question, not getting sleep and having severe chronic pain can't be doing ANYTHING positive for his mental health. Any underlying mental issue can be made worse...

Did his interest in cars involve him working on them physically? If so, the pain it would produce would likely kill the appeal.

I've noticed that if I'm in a very bad flare, if I can engage the obsessive part of my brain, it is easier for me to ignore my pain. I consider it a very dysfunctional band-aid of sorts. It isn't a healthy long term coping mechanism if that's what he's doing.

I'll confess that when I'm desperate, I wax my legs. It's occupies my brain in a different type of pain activity. It's akin to what cutters are trying to accomplish, just in a much less extreme fashion. Shaving is slightly dangerous anyway since I experience severe unpredictable spasms in both my hands, so I can justify why I do it--I'm killing two birds with one one stone... ;) But, I discovered this little trick years ago, when my pain was out of control...And what started as a personal hygiene adaption, turned into a nightly ritual to help me cope with pain. And I knew it was weird at the time, as well. This probably qualifies as too much personal info...but it seems to kind of oddly relate, so...

Maybe his alien research engages his brain in a way that gives him temporary relief... How much time he spends doing it, and if it has any negative effect on his life should determine if it's something to be concerned about.

He does still work, as he owns a small Body Shop so he works at least 8 hours a day and sometimes more. I worry about him working so many hours, but he takes a lot of breaks throughout the day and knows his limitations.

Things have gotten better since I called him out on his attitude changes the other day. I will leave him if things don't get better and he is fully aware of it. I'd rather be without him than be miserable with him. I also told him about this forum and I think he appreciates the fact that I am trying to educate myself on his condition. I hope he can join because I really think that hearing what others are going through will give him peace of mind.

He doesn't get obsessed with the whole alien thing. It is just something he knows a lot about now and watches and DVRs shows on aliens, UFOs, etc. It hasn't consumed his life. Thank goodness! It is just completely different that what he was into before his accident. I didn't know if others experienced something like this..

That would probably work out great for you both if he'd jumped in. It would at least let him know he's not alone. RSD reeks havoc on our emotional as well as our physical states. Sometimes we just need to lean on a sympathetic ear.
We all deal with this monster in our own way but one thing we all do the same is talk...