I wanted to thank all of you for your kind and caring words. I felt for so long like I was all alone in this situation and felt like I was a failure. But by hearing your comforting words I can see that I'm not alone or a failure. You're right, I didn't ask to have RSD and have never heard of it until I got it. My marriage was never perfect before I got rsd, and yes, there were rocky times. I am a nervous worry wort and am sort of an introvert. I communicate better with animals then with people. My husband is more laid back and loves to be around other people. He is a total extrovert. He has a big heart and has always helped me and our son when we needed it, but he does have a short fuse which makes him yell at times. But he's a good person. I'm far from perfect myself that's for sure. But no matter how hard things got, we always seemed to be able to face it together and hangle it. But rsd has been harder on our marriage than anything else we've ever faced. I know it's not easy having to drive me to all of my dr appts and the pharmacy to get my meds. And we didn't plan on him being my caregiver in our golden years. It's not easy for him. And then there's the financial stress from all my extra med bills from rsd. But like all of you said, it's not my fault I got rsd. It was an accident and I don't enjoy having to depend on someone else all the time either. I was always pretty independent until this happened. The other problem I have that has strained our marriage even more (without giving TMI) is that we now sleep in separate rooms. I cannot have anyone touch my skin. It sometimes burns and sometimes stings and it just hurts too much. I feel awful about this, but it's because of my rsd. I asked my husband to see a counselor with me, but he has never been one to express his feelings to strangers, so he won't go with me to one. He did say he will try to work with me to get along better. I need to be more understanding with his position now as well as the other way around. Hopefully, we will be able to make our marriage last. We've survived 25 years, and I hope we can survive another 25 years. All we can do is try to keep communicating. Anyway, I hope that all of your relationships go smoother and thank you again for all of your compassionate words. You are true friends. With love, Renee.