Originally Posted by -Spike-

IMO Education is the key to understanding RSD / CRPS. Having a limb hurt like yours is one thing, but to understand that the hurting you exhibit is only a symptom of something much more serious, is quite another. This disease's nickname is "The Suicide Disease" for a reason. Why? Because it is a painful difficult disease to deal with! And people do contemplate and even do take their own lives because of how difficult it is to deal with. Further, this neurological diseases can't be cured with a band aid nor with a person's check book! The problem in our society is that we expect instant results in every area of medicine outside of Cancer, which with CRPS / RSD isn't going to happen.

If it were me, I would start to feed your brother with a ton of information on our disease. And I would ask him to please share with me what he learned from whatever i was sending him. I had to do a very similar thing with many people already.

Here is one reference that I used. Feel free to use it if you would like with your brother: The following is a summary from a medical journal, whose reference is listed below the writing. ‘Neurological effects of CRPS, including long term cognitive function and mood changes*may be*incorrectly treated as existing separately from the condition, however new*research will hopefully help raise awareness. It has been shown that neuropsychological deficits are present in 65% of CRPS patients, including deficits in the executive functions, for example planning, organizing, self-awareness, self-regulation and initiation of action, word recall, lexical memory, and conscious memory of events as well as, declarative memory.’

(Marinus, J. et al, (2011)‘Clinical Features and Pathophysiology of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome’,*The Lancet Neurology’, Vol 10, Issue 7, pp.637-648)

There are many others on line.

(PS.. I sent you a P.M.) You are in my prayers. IMO Relationships are a very tough part of having this illness. At least in my case they are. Peace

-Spike-