There is a lot of information on the internet about the pain dimension involved with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Yet, the information about how CRPS robs patients of their normal cognitive and emotional function seems to be more fragmented. So, I pose this thread. In what areas of cognitive and emotional function are you aware of deficit due to the disease CRPS / RSD. I'll let others of you start the discussion.

-Spike-

Prior to CRPS I could do the NY Times Puzzle in pen without too much difficulty, now it seems too hard. I also could finish Cryptic Crossword puzzles in under 15 minutes, now it takes me longer. Sometimes I feel like my brain went into low power.

Hi Spike,
I always wonder the same thing.
My neurologist told me to expect problems with my emotional state and my RSD attorney also said it. And I have found it to be true. But there doesn't seem to be much on the subject.
I used to be calm under stressful circumstances but not anymore. After CRPS I easily flew off the handle at the littlest of things picking fights over dumb stuff with relatives. But I'm getting better at managing it.
Triggers still play havoc on me and thankfully I have an understanding wife. Some others not so much. It's hard to be in control and pain at the same time.
Like most circumstances in life, acceptance is a big part of the battle.
Be well...

I'm not that bad, but "what was the question?" lol This is a continuing statement that often frustrates others sometimes to the point they give up on getting an answer. Often times I think my answers makes sense to others because in my brain it all runs smoothly, but I often skip important words thinking I've already said them. I have noticed along with my family that when my pain is increased so goes my lack of communication. Concentrating on even reading a book becomes to frustrating as I remember I've just read that line six times when the connection seems to flow freely again.
If someone interrupts what I am saying often times I completely forget what I was talking about and won't be able to recall it for quite a while if at all.
I have a double whammy as my husband has a brain tumor w/seizures & also cognitive problems, so many times things can get pretty interesting or hair pulling. This can be very challenging in dealing with important things that need our full attention. Just going to the grocery store becomes a nightmare, for even with a list we will forget to get key items. Not having someone we can rely on to help just adds to the stress.
The doctors I use to see couldn't blame it on the medications for it's been ages since I've been on any.
I do take ginkgo & other memory herbs but so far can't remember if they work.

There's two things that go bad.
One thing is that your short term memory loss.
But I can't remember the other one...

Thank you Russell and AlaskanLady, I needed a laugh today. AlaskanLady could not have put it better. It's the concentration part that I have the hardest time with. I think it may be part of the whole short term memory thing, but I don't know. I can have a thought and two seconds later, I can't remember what it was and it can drive me crazy. If I am reading something, I too find that I have to read a line several times before it makes any sense to me and realize that I have just read it six times.

Here are the areas of cognitive and emotional loss that I have either read about in Medical Research Articles or personally experienced thus far:

1. Planning
2. Organizing
3. Self-Awareness
4. Self-Regulation
5. Initiation of Action
6. Word Recall
7. Lexical Memory
8. Conscious Memory of Events
9. Declarative Memory
10. Attention Deficit
11. Tactile Discrimination
12. Problems with Sleep
13. Depression
14. Irritability
15. Poor Judgement
16. Concentration Problems
17. Agitation
18. Panic Attacks
19. Stuttering
20. Stammering
21. Brain Blanking Out
22. Loss of Words in Brain
23. Inability to get the Thoughts From the Brain out through the Lips (Complete Silence)
24. Repetitive Reading of Printed Words without Retaining Understanding & Meaning

Although, I personally do not suffer from every one of these symptoms, it is no wonder why I suffer so terribly much of the time around the people that I am the closest to and in social settings, when prior to CRPS, I used to be such a people person!

Personally, I suffer in 22 of the areas listed above.


-Spike-

Russell, PurpleFoot721 & AlaskanLady,

How would you define your symptoms in just a few words, so we can add them to the list of my last post?

Well, as for me sometimes I think of something to say to my wife but by the time I wheel myself into the room that she's in I've forgot what I was going to say. Very frustrating.
Another one is that when typing I'll forget how to spell words that are easy to know. Makes me angry and feel dumb.
One last thing. I'm giving my driver/ wife directions and I'll be pointing left and say right. This one drives my wife crazy...
I could go on but I don't want to bore you...
Be safe...

This is an interesting thread. I've found myself in the situation Russell explained, that if I stay right on track with my treatment plan I feel good enough I think I can deviate from it.
My mother in law who very strictly only uses homeopathic remedies and herbs has also had a huge influence on me. I grew up with a mother who developed a neurological disease. Her neck stayed completely distorted. Her chin laid on her left shoulder and her neck on her right. I was very judgemental of the handful of pills she would take daily to survive the pain. Although looking back I admire her because she remained a high school English teacher for over twenty years like that while students made terrible fun of her appearance. So when I began having symptoms of RSD years ago I refused all sorts of treatments. I decided to go the holistic and homeopathic route under my MIL's and Chiropractor's guidance. I did this for a very long time. Unfortunately I received little to no relief. I was so frustrated that I began going to Doctors. They would take one look at my red, discolored, swollen, wrist, then arm, then other arm, then left foot, then right foot (over time of course) they never had a diagnosis, but would just throw prescriptions at me. It was terribly frustrating because I thought it was borderline unethical (perhaps too strong of a word), but for instance because I would sit in my doctor's office at the Mayo clinic with outrageously high blood pressure from pain and pain so bad that would actually make me bleed rectally (yes I know, Too much information but later I found out that absolutely can occur with RSD) he would only treat me with Dilaudid 3x daily. I was so naive to that particular drug I tried it for two weeks and I felt like a zombie, yes I stopped the bleeding and my pain and blood pressure dropped significantly, but I could not function I was so constantly drugged. I should mention that I was prescribed other drugs while there for over 9 months, Tons, literally as in I know over 30 different medications (no I did not take even a third of the prescribed medicines), but I'd like to note that none of them were "pain" relievers except Dilaudid, but after researching Dilaudid, I thought it was insane that they STARTED out with such a strong "pain reliever." Then I just refused all of their treatments and they washed their hands of me. Because this was just the beginning of my RSD journey and I felt 8 Doctors at Mayo should have been able to give me a diagnosis, I just quit going to Doctors for a year and a half. That didn't work out so well for me either. I spent months in bed in horrible pain. Finally I decided to start back trying to get a diagnosis. I don't believe I could even count the Doctors I saw. Finally I was given a diagnosis of RSD and I began doing so much research on it that I became extremely methodical (as Little Paw said) about the way I would take my medicines to note their effectiveness and their side effects. It has been an extremely daunting process. Just when I was thinking something was working it would stop. For the time being I have hit on a combination of medicines that are working, but I realize that could change at any given moment, and like you mentioned Spike, my current Dr. has done an excellent job at teaching the difference between addiction and dependence. As a side note I was having cognitive issues for a year and a half without taking any medications, but as mentioned above severe pain and not sleeping properly can take a huge toll on our cognitive state. I certainly have big time, HUGE, troubles in that area, and my Dr. blames it all on RSD, but it is a valid question raised, could it be from the medicines and the many other factors also? Personally I've stopped all medicines more than once because I didn't think the trade off of such cognitive problems was worth it, then after a short period of time I'm convinced again that I will take these prescriptions because ANY amount of pain relief is worth the side effects. I've found it a very hard place to be.