Hey All:

Since my RSD spread to my left foot and leg I have been getting sever flare-ups everyday that feel like "battery acid" under my skin. It happens when I take a shower in the morning. The water has to be luke warm, but to my legs it feel like fire. Every drop of water is a "Nightmare". When I get out it continues to burn, I cry, meds don't work, yada yada yada.

So, then I either cover my legs in Lidoderm Patches (I am 6 feet tall so you can imagine how many patches. It's expensive!) or I use topical cream and wait about an hour to an hour and a half for the flare-up to calm dowm.

It happens everyday. Does anyone else have this problem? Or, similar? I can't do anything but cry and get through it.

Thanks,
Heather

My pain isn't as bad as yours when I get out of the shower. The water hitting my knee and the water flowing over it set me off. I figured out that if I want to do anything, I cannot take a shower right before it. I need to take one much earlier and wait for the flare-up to pass/subside before I do anything.

Oh man I thought I was the only one that had troubles with showers. The water is pretty painful for me, but the kicker is when I get out of the shower and the cool air hits me. That sends the burn, and pain through the roof

It is sooo bad that what once was a daily looked forward to activity, is now down to every 3 days, and sometimes 4, with me really not wanting to go. My family then said take a bath. Well the cool air is then COOOOOOLD air, and hurts worse than after a shower.

Another thing that can really make me move! Is fans The cool moving air is anything but feel good to me. It is more like sticking my leg into a furnace. Weird stuff this RSD

Hello All: I know what you mean about dreading to take a shower. I have RSD in my left foot/leg and now my left hand/arm is sensitive as well.

I turn on an electric heater for about a half hour before getting in the shower and keep it on while showering. This helps to prevent being blasted by cold air when you get out. Also, when done showering, I open the door but stay behind the closed part for about a minute to allow the different air temps to blend. I do not like the feel of a towel on my RSD skin so I let it air dry and do not open the bathroom door until I am completely dressed.

Another thing I do is while washing my foot, I breathe like a woman in labor. For some reason this seems to help a bit.

I miss getting into a warm tub with a good book.

Regards, Lil

Yikes! It just seems like my RSD has gotten worse since I found out I was pregnant. Maybe that's because of the I stopped some of my meds, but the only one that would have really had an affect would have been the Topomax.

I just got out of the shower right now and it burns so bad. Like the worst sunburn of my life. I am afraid of it moving any farther up. It's already to miy mid thigh. I hate this RSD!

Thanks for sharing your stories with me. I know that I am not alone now!

That is a great idea. I usually turn the house heater on, but a space heater sounds more economical...

Thanks,
~H~

I do not have this problem all the time but yes, sometimes the shower is almost unbearable. I guess, when I do it I just repeat to myself over and over that the nerves will calm and it will be more comfortable. I use the shower quite often to desensitize the area also. If I personally had to pick between a rub down desensitization and the water doing it for me, the water is a much greater relaxor.

I hope these thoughts make sense.

Gentle Hugs,

Rain

Nice to meet you:

I was using the showers to desensitize with warm sponges and wash clothes, etc. I had been doing this up until just a couple weeks ago. I cannot take a shower without having this problem. No matter what time of day it is. I can't even look forward to my relaxation time anymore...

I will continue to PRAY that my baby will be healthy and I will get some relief.

Thanks,

I have the same problems with a bath. I was told not to get my water too hot because is wakes up more nerves in the body.There are times when I can get in the tub and can't even stay in it. It drives me nuts at times. I like to soak in a tub but it is very hard to do.

Apparently either way is bad, huh?

Ada

Yeh..

It is a nightmare!!! All I need is rain/ shower etc and I will have managed to go from black to red in about 2 seconds. It absolourly kills. So. I cheat. (I figure that to be honest I have better things to use with my "ok" time during the day when I can achieve things --> lectures, seeing friends, doing physio, wearing my legs, getting some work done etc.... and showers just knock me out for the next couple of days.

So, I tend to have bed baths at the moment and we wash my hair over the bath once a week. (or at the hairdressers - but as I'm in a solid cervical collar it's harder to wash it properly without me flopping everywhere.) I am currently waiting for my hoists to be put in and then I will hopefully be able to get in the bath...

With showers especially the pain is like... being stabbed and set on fire millions of times from each drop. We did come up with holding a sponge in front of the shower head to reduce the dripping but it is still so hard...

Love

froggsy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx