Hi Bitty,
Welcome to the RSD family.
I have had pain all my life from a birth defect. RSD came with the hip replacement in 1999. (needed it from birth defect) I was only out of work for 3 yrs and just had to go back pain or not. I was going crazy at home. Belive me working was extremly painful and some days I thought the pain would kill me. But at the time, I refused to let this thing called RSD win. In 2005 the pain got to me. I remember driving home crying all the way. I wanted to find a tree I could hit so that I could end it all. So people can work with RSD. They work harder than anyone else because of the pain. I've lost alot to RSD. the use of my foot, more pain in my hip than before the hip replacement, my house. But what I miss the most is working. Feeling like I am doing something, being "normal". God Bless all of you that are still working. I know its not easy.

Sue K

I'm one of the people who are still working. As mentioned by Tayla, it's a distraction plus I simply must...

I love the people I work with, they're like family and so supportive. I love my job as well...I help protect the environment while saving people big bucks at the same time. It's very fulfilling for me. My husband also works at the same company, same field.

Being idle just heightens my senses. I try to avoid the pain as best as possible. There are days though, when it get's so bad it's difficult to carry on without having to run to the microwave every half hour to heat up my heat pads! My fingers get so cold they burn, especially when typing, (like right now) It's painful to walk, so that walk to the microwave may help somewhat with my hands, arm and neck but the rest of me hurts...Can't win!

But I'm afraid to go to bed...so here it is almost 2:00 am and I have to be at work for 8:30 am. I'm afraid of the pain that will be there when I have nothing to focus on to avoid it. In a few hours I will try to get out of bed (although my lower back get's stuck), dress a 7 year old, make sure the teens have their lunch money, keys, have something in their tummies and the dogs are fed and walked (my son does that part this winter) then drive an hour to work and spend the entire day trying to focus focus focus! Sometimes I focus so much I forget to go to the bathroom or eat...if I don't move I get pretty stiff so I'm working on all this.

Putting on a straight face or forcing a smile can be difficult at times. I've had some good days though, but lately they are few and far between as I have it in all extremities. I guess full body, including lips and teeth. Everything is difficult to do.

I do all this number one, because I have to...
Financially
Mentally
Physically

We're trying to avoid Foreclosure right now actually. I have to file Chapter 13 because of tenants we had who really took us around the corner to the dump. (Dumped everything we had, even 401K) Financially, I dont see me being able to stop my 12 hour planet saving days! Luckily it's low stress and slow paced and it pays extremely well...

Mentally I was putting off the foreclosure and trying to just survive with every day things while trying to deal with my health, appointments etc. We have all apartments filled and I raised all the rent, but now I have $2000 worth of gas and electric bills which just popped up from December! Does it ever end?????????? I really have to get going as I have until the February 4th until proceedings begin to file. Just trying to get that hefty attorney fee before he can stop it!

Maybe my schedule, financial problems have caused my full body symptoms, not sure...but I just can't stop. Too many people rely on me, too much to take care of which I have to force myself to do. I'm the staple in the family...what would they do without me?

I guess deep down inside, as I feel worse and worse, I realize I may have to give in at some point and surrender if my body stops functioning completely...but until then I just have to try. I desperately try to work around it as much as I can. I spent $86 a CVS getting warm wraps and joint creams this evening. No wonder we're in debt! Last night it was $60 for prescription refills and bandages for my skateboarding, weightlifting son!

Anyways...I hope this explains somewhat why some of us work in spite of it all....


Welcome!

Hi bitty,

Maybe the only way ms Abdul can continue to work is by taking so much of a drug that she appears drunk.

I may be violating a rule by saying this, but: There is no reason to assume that her behavior proves she isn't able to dress herself or do anything else. She appears stoned, but not too stoned to dress herself; just stoned enough to look silly...Vic

Yes Vic,
I agree we can do quite a bit while we're stoned! Sometimes I feel so drugged up from my meds I slur....quite a bit actually!

Luckily everyone in my life knows it's from medication to control pain, but then again I might get different feedback from others if I was in the spotlight like Paula. The media tends to pick on people as well...I never support that and never take to much of what the media wants me to see! I suggest we all not take the media to seriously!!!!!

I won't judge Paula because I don't know her. She may have different symptoms and handle her meds differently. Lack of clear thinking is also associated with this illness...

I take my medication when I get to work, because I know I won't be driving for the next 12 hours. I take it periodically, at the appropriate times throughout the day. I take my last dose when I'm already home, again to avoid the driving. It's strong stuff and if I were to drive like that it would be like driving drunk which I'm firmly against.

Hi GHL,

I agree that most of us know that we may need drugs in order to survive, but we’re too afraid of becoming addicted to take more than the minimum amount necessary. We don’t like the side-effects and we may have to take them for a long time; more reasons to take as little as possible.

I think Paula Abdul chose to take high-dose ketamine in order to continue her career. I don’t think I’d have made that choice, but I didn’t know that the next 28 years of my life would be filled with pain. Had I seen my future, well, I dunno.

Finally, while I was taking five 7.5mg hydrocodone daily, I got into two slow-speed accidents in one week. Until then, I thought I was a safe driver, but safe drivers don’t cause accidents. I paid for the repairs (less than $500.00 for both cars – very minor), and I never got behind the wheel again…Vic

I too do not drive now. I can get dressed most days and my pain meds usually or initially you couldnt really notice but now you can mostly memory lossing my place altogether in big ways. And when tired i am wobbly but i belive that is the rsd in my legs. I have never felt high from meds and always have a level of pain even with them. I would be bedridden if it werent for the high dose ketamine i did and would have collasped mentally long ago i was on the verge. I was bedridden prior to my coma.I too can not judge Paula- I watched her show , reality show and half her spine is metal. Also the poor girl apparently never gets to eat.! She is driven and she would have to be on around the clock pain meds and then some-as I belivie she is- to keep going. She seems to be hoping to get her life back to where it once was I too still pray for that as unrealistic as it seems to be as I approach year 5. take care, cz