ok. back in january, before i knew i had to have shoulder surgery and before i even knew what RSD was, i applied to the massage therapy program at a local college. i was accepted and started enrolling for classes beginning in august. however, last week when i was diagnosed with RSD my dr. said that i wouldn't be able to do the program.

here is the deal. i have an orientation for the program on may 19th and i have enrolled in 2 classes for the summer. i have not dropped out of my summer courses and i certainly haven't told anyone at the school that i was diagnosed with RSD. heck, i didn't even tell them i had shoulder surgery! i have to have a physical and be certified in CPR as soon as possible. as of today, my pain is not too bad (maybe a 2 out of 10). of course i took methadone and gabapentin this morning.

does anyone have any suggestions as to what i should do? should i assume that physically i will not be able to handle the program? should i just wait and see how my pain is? if i drop out now, then i will have to wait another year to enroll.

i guess i just don't know what to expect with RSD. i know it is unpredictable, but i also don't want to just give up my life and my plans.

shalom,
ang

what was the shoulder surgery for?
Massage therapy can be very upper body intensive - unless you can steer to a less physical style of it.

maybe reflexology, or the light therapy, laser, ultrasound, elect stim types.

I wonder how your shoulder will hold up long term, too.

You might be able to get some variances? due to your rsd - that might be worth asking about at their office.

i had an open procedure for a rotator cuff tear. the tear wasn't as bad as the dr. thought so she didn't have to repair it. however, there were bone spurs that she had to remove. it was pretty invasive, but the recent MRI and Xray show that the tear has healed and the shoulder pain from the surgery is minimal. i am in therapy to restore strength.

the RSD pain is so different than the shoulder injury pain.

Why quit now? Go till your body makes you stop. Seriously: RSD is unpredictable. If you are not strong enough to handle classes this summer, then you will know it from your own experience, not from a doctor or anybody else telling you. You will not regret trying. You might regret not trying. Also, if your RSD progresses, you may regret that you did not seize this time to trying doing something you really want to do. Carpe diem!

Do not less the RSD stop you from doing something you feel you can do. Also, if you don't do the course what are you going to end up doing? sitting at home? If you are learning things like massage it's really good physio! Hey, the worst that happens is you drop out of the classes - but at least you will have given it a go, this year. If it all is too much then you know what you have to do to manage the course at the next intake.

Go for it!!

Love

Froggsy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi there,

Yes, of course everyone's quite right - you go on until you can't, and you might be 98 by then. No doctor can know how RSD affects an individual; in fact no one knows but you. My RSD is mild, I work, some others here do too - and we hear tales of people recovering after perhaps 6 months or a year.

I suspect that if you're asking us the question, you feel you can despite the doc's opinion - so go for it! Unfortunately many of us have to take the doc's pronouncements a little...er..loosely, one way or another

And very good luck with it, it sounds a most rewarding programme.
all the best

I agree with everyone else, to a point. If there is any way you think you can physically do it, then go right ahead. However, if you have serious doubts, and haven't paid for the course yet, then think deeply before writing that check. That's the only reason I can see for not moving forward, financial issues.

As an rsd patient, you must remain practical as well as hopeful. When a person is in such debilitating pain, they will grasp at straws, willing to try anything that MIGHT help. I figured that out years ago <embarrassed grin> I saw one too many "snake oil saleman" before finally getting a grip on myself.

if i were you, knowing what i know now, i would try to keep my options wide ... i would take courses that allowed me to do something that i could use my mind more that my body if necessary. but keep up the education and best of luck to you. joan