Merry Christmas to you all I hope you've had a good one....I don;t know. I had a huge flare on Sunday night it hasn't completely calmed down yet...fun. I've been feeling really depressed. Is that a side effect of this condition. I haven;t been depressed THAT much since this all started and have dealt fairly well with it. But ever since my flare I've been sooo ...sad feeling. Like I want to cry all the time. My relationship has been very strained. He's been kinda of an *** which isn't helping. we were both let go from our jobs around thanksgiving but have still been making ends meet. I just don't know what to do. I have an appt on 01/03 or the 6th i cant remember. But I just cant shake this depressed feeling. I am usually really upbeat and positive no matter what I'm dealing with....and I wasn't sure if the CRPS had something to do with it. Please and advice of help would be nice. I really feel like crying all the time even when I should have a reason to be happy...

Hey Songbird, hang in there girl

Yes, those low feelings of hopelessness and fear and loss and just of being alone with this monster are all very much part of CRPS. It has a well-documented raft of psychological components, mostly because of living in constant pain with something the medical community at large has very very little knowledge of. It's one thing to suffer from something your doctor at least knows about and has a definite treatment plan for - quite another to be in our situation. Anybody would feel depressed at that, especially if your husband is being a bit of an idiot (polite version of word I wanted to use) and causing you emotional worry on top of everything else...

If you are feeling miserable all the time and crying most days, then it's definitely worth seeing your doc to ask for his opinion and maybe a little help. I've been lucky and kept away from anti-depressants so far myself, but I know that they can be an enormous help. It's definitely not wise to ignore those feelings if you know they are dominating your life at the moment.

If you have a close friend you can talk to, tell them everything over an evening - in a way it's better than therapy because you can have a drink and maybe even a laugh while you unburden yourself. It's worked wonders for me when I've been able to do it. Getting someone else's perspective is a big thing - and you need to know that it's not you causing this. Another option is actual therapy with a counsellor - I'm doing this myself at the moment, and it is wonderful to sit for an hour with a complete stranger and have them listen and talk and understand, while knowing nothing about your life except what you tell them. It's very cleansing and healing. I have to stop after my next one (money ) but the few I've had have been well worth it, and I feel a little stronger.

I'm so sorry you are having such a tough time. Try to believe that it will get better, and that you are strong enough to deal with this disease and the things that come with it. You have been so kind and supportive to other folk on here, and you have more strength than it feels like right now. These times can make you feel suffocated and broken, but they do pass and you will feel happy again. If you possible can, talk to your husband and ask for some understanding and support. He should be helping you through this time, not making it worse. If that's not a good idea, I hope that you have someone you can turn to instead, maybe even to go and stay with family or a friend for a few days... It might give you both some space to breathe and regroup.

I'm sorry if none of the above garbage has helped , but I want you to know that you do matter and that you deserve to feel better than this. Never give up, and believe that tomorrow is a new day that just might be better than this one. I hope it is

Take good care of yourself and have a few treats if you can. I'll be thinking of you.

Bram.

It's hard to see so many people happy when we feel like crud. At least that's my theory. I was doing really well on the 24th and then DH did something to make me mad (again) on the 25th, I saw all of my friends posting things on FB about how happy they were, how supportive their partners, family, etc were. It totally bummed me out.

I want to be happy, take a hike, cook a full meal, go ice skating with DD, wander freely around a mall, have somebody do things for me, have friends that would just pop by (most are too spread out by location). And yes, I'm on two antidepressants. I'm just not feeling loved at all by the people who claim to love me.

I hope you feel better soon.

Sometimes the Season of the year does make people sad. If you are hurting, or there is trouble, it is very hard to feel upbeat about anything! I don't know if it will work for you, but this is what I do. I halt all thinking at all. I take a time out and get off to myself to re-boot. I try to pick just one small thing, that brings me some joy or peace. When one thing makes me smile, it uplifts me for the rest of the day. I know it is hard to do songbird, pain and those flairs, can block out the best of intentions. Know that I care about you and your family. "snowflakes that fall on my nose and eyelashes" think about your favorite things, and then you might not feel so bad. Prayers and good vibes being sent your way. ginnie

I felt like as usual I was being attacked from all sides by my family this Christmas. I was in alot of pain because I did more cleaning and cooking than usual and all I got for a response from my family was that I was a hyocondriac and weak and that I should stop talking about being in pain all the time. That's hard to do when I am in pain all the time.
I almost fell down the stairs because I trying to carry a light basket of laundry with my good hand. No one offered to help but luckily I didn't fall or hurt my bad hand and wrist.Then my mother was very cold to me when I said I was sick from loosing my Great Aunt and that I wished she could have helped more. She didn't want to hear it and didn't seem to care that it was affecting my health. My brothers didn't call me back for Christmas and I feel very alone right now. I know my husband and son love me, but I feel like I'm being treated like I'm not trying hard enough to get better. I"ve read that rsd pain is one of the most painful forms of chronic illness. Terminal Cancer pain I think is the highest. When I told my friend that even though cancer is horrible, at least drs have a plan of action to try to conquer it. With rsd, the drs are all just guessing and they all say something different when it comes to treating it and it's very scary. My friend said that cancer treatment don't always help either, but that wasn't my point. She didn't get it and I just didn't feel like arguing. No one ever tells a person with cancer to their a hypocondriac or weak. They don't tell people with cancer to stop talking about it all the time and then maybe they would feel better. Then why do people think that rsd is any different? It makes me so mad and it hurts. I understand your depression Songbird and I understand your loneliness Chaos. I feel the same way and though I love my family, I feel like I just want to hide in my room and cry. I had such burning pain last night that I couldn't even have the sheets on my skin. It hurt so much I had to take an extra pain med. (which my dr said is ok, but I don't like to to it.) I finally did and fell asleep. Maybe today will bet better for all of us. I will pray that it will. And I want you all to know that you make me feel less alone and I am here for you if you need a friend to talk too. I'm sorry I'm so depressing but I'm having a really hard time too and I don't know what to do anymore to deal with it. I feel like I'm on my own with this horrible monster called rsd, and it makes me feel really bad and afraid that my family and friends an drs just don't get it.

I just replied to you all but took too long (darn hand) uhggg!

Sorry, I'm feeling for all of you put will have to try again later.

I'm sorry for what you're going through. Medical Conditions don't take a holiday so it's probably hard to enjoy them. I know that depressed feeling. It's horrible.There are so many times where I get emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted. That's when I feel like crying all the time. Everything takes a toll. Our whole lives have to get rearranged to be able to deal with this disease.

Christmas Eve and Day caused so much pain I won't be moving very much for the next 10 days. My entire back (not RSD) kills, my entire right leg, foot, butt-RSD. I wish I had a morphine drip.

Staying positive is a chore for me. It's a coping mechanism I guess but hard at the same time. It's either that or be sad every second and I can't, won't, do that. I cope by having my 2 small dogs that put a smile on my face. They're always with me. I have my hobbies (ones that I can do laying in bed crochet knit). I have to stay busy every second or I think of all the crap I've been dealt. As long as I have my TV, Laptop, dogs and hobbies I can "survive".

I hope things improve for your soon health, relationship and job wise!
Take Care!
Heather

Hi everyone, please remember you are not alone with the RSD/CRPS, that is why we are here :-)
Songbird, if the crying lasts more than a week, you may want to see your doctor and consider an anti-depressant. There is no shame in it! It is medication for a chemical imbalance and it has saved my life. Some meds (for example Cymbalta) are also known to help with chronic pain. Talk with a trusted friend or spiritual counselor. If those things don't work, a professional therapist may be needed. I found one who specializes in patients with chronic pain which was great for me. Best wishes for improving health.

Well my husband and son apologized for calling me a hypocondriac and weak. They said they know that my rsd pain is real and that I'm not weak. They were just in a bad mood and said things to me that they didn't mean. My mother on the other hand still doesn't get it and I don't think she ever will. My brothers are the same way. They are just very selfish people. I love them, but it's really all about them. My husband and son are usually very supportive of me. But right now my husband is sick (and now I caught his bug), and my son is just still having a hard time accepting the fact that I have this illness. He's a good boy. It's just hard for him to deal with. Anyway, I hope everyone else is doing a little better. Songbird, I take antidepressants and antianxiety meds to deal with my depression. I cried everyday too for a long time and finally got help. It's hard to deal with rsd on top of all of our other life challenges. There is no shame in it. It helps me alot and hasn't changed my personality. And Chaos, I think having some alone time with your husband sounds like a nice idea. We all need a break sometimes. Well my fingers are starting to cramp and hurt so I'm going to sign off now. I hope you all have a pain free night and happier day tomorrow. Take care my friends.

I cant type very much my hand is hurting pretty badly today but wanted to say thanks. I talked it out with my fiance and it helped a lot. He reassured me about a lot of things. I will try to be on in a few days. I hope you all had a happy holidays