Grandaughter who is 3 years old and our daughter were here for three days. I made a big batch of chili before they came, and strogonoff. I made meatloaf and baked potatoes while they were napping one day, an easy meal. I am learning how to work with myself, do a little rest a little. Have the cooking out of the way, so we can enjoy their company. I am encouraged to see that even with RSD in my left foot, I am still able to cook, and get things done. Next time we will use paper plates :-)
We had a good visit, and lots of fun with grandaughter, she kept us real busy. One of the blessings in disguise of RSD is grandaughter has become really close to her grandpa. As I am unable to lift her into her swing etc. She has slowly accepted there are things I can not do. We are learning how to do things in a different way. There will always be challenges, today I am seeking solutions.

:-)
peace
zinnia

Zinnia, I know that you have probably already mentioned this, but.. how long have you been battling CRPS. And.. please, I"m not trying to pry. I'm just trying to get to know you a bit as a fellow sojourner, who is fighting the same Hellacious Monster as me. And, if you'd rather not tell me, since it is your medical information, I truly do understand.

That seems to be the most difficult thing for me - knowing my limits and working within them. I'm so glad you had a wonderful visit!

Awwww, this is such a sweet post!

Thanks for the upbeat reminder on finding balance. Zinnia, you are a treasure. I'm glad you had such a good visit with your granddaughter and are finding ways to do what you need. The work a little, rest a little, approach really is helpful. And it feels so good being able to do things! I still take breaks to elevate and they are invaluable. I can't go on a really long walk straight through but I can walk in batches and find that those add up to an impressive distance at the end of one of my 'walking' days.

Splurge on the nice, thick paper plates. They feel more special, especially at dinner. I used them for weeks during initial recovery and still do for some get-togethers.

Thanks for asking Spike. I passed the one year mark on this journey with RSD on December 15. That was hard to face, and I think even harder for my husband, as he did keep mentioning that it had been a year. He cared for me for many months in bed, watched me struggle, wheelchair, walker, cane. Still need some of those on the bad days.

I have found acceptance takes time. There are many losses with RSD. I tend to leave claw marks as they say. And yet how can I receive if I do not let go? All in good time. I will learn a lot from the 3 year old about acceptance, we just find different ways of doing things. Improvise, Adapt and Overcome :-)

I wrote out a long story last night, to share my journey with you, only to find out it took too long and it went POOF, oh well maybe it was more for me. I was listening to Jim Croce the whole evening loud with the earphones on. It was awesome, fed my spirit. Talk about a blast from the past. Someone had asked how I was, and they shared the Jim Croce song Age on youtube with me. Music is healing.
:-)
peace
zinnia

Thanks for sharing Zinnia. I love to hear about people's journeys. I think your writing would have been extremely interesting. I love to see how such things unfold, as our storied histories identify who we are, where we have come from, and where we are going. I believe there is so much to be gleaned from those, so much to be shared and learned. Ahhhh, and music.... nothing better to soothe the soul and encourage the heart, as you put it.. Music is healing.. INDEED.. Again... thank you for sharing!

I hope you have a wonderful day. Sounds like your husband is a gem!

Zinnia,
I too have found the stop and go method to be most effective right now. I beats the stop method I was in for many months. We are about the same time period into this illness. My injury was 11/17/14. Who knows when the CRPS actually developed, that is the day my life changed. There will always be a before and after. It was unfortunately a defining moment, a dividing line.
Just listened to some Jim Croce a few days ago. Music has been one of my saving graces since this happened (actually before too), but somedays it has been the slender thread that has kept me going. I have a playlist entitled Lyrica from the first spacey days on that drug, James Taylor, Cat Stevens. etc.. The drug is gone thank goodness, bit I still enjoy the playlist.
Glad you are traveling the road of peace and acceptance. As Ringo says,"you know it don't come easy." ~mac