Hey Everyone!!!

Here! Here I am!! Man, am I glad to see you guys!!!! (Gee.....think I should maybe kinda sorta chill out with the exclamation points?? ROFL) I almost fell out of my seat when I saw that MARK was here!! (Oops...sorry...those ones slipped. LOL). Where have you been? I sure have missed you.

It is good to see you too Artist. Looks like you were kinda left knocking around in here all by your lonesome for a bit while folks were still wandering around in the dark, looking for a flash light to find their way here....or somewhere. Know what I mean? I am really glad that DocJohn set this place up for us. Like you...If/when Obt comes back online, I will probably go hang around there for a bit....but I think that I will probably look at it more like my "spare" than this place. If that came out sounding (ahem..or "looking", lol) like I meant it. Hope it did, or that you understood at any rate. I am sorry that I didn't post sooner....but I was checking things out, and kinda got caught up reading in the Forum Feedback a lot. Kinda got side tracked there...and shouldn't have. Sorry for that. I am very excited to see how this new community is going to grow and develop, and how folks will like the different (and in my opinion better and more normal) kind of moderation. Don't you think?

It is good to see Roz and Allen here too!! Didn't want to leave you guys out, because I have missed you both too! (Gotta keep an eye on those exclamation points creeping back in, don't I? LOL) I might not have been posting much for the past little while on OBT, but I had been lurking...and reading....and trying to keep up with all of my friends and folks that I care about. So, I really missed you guys, and wondered how you where doing, and hoped that you all (and everyone else too,) where doing Ok, and had been able to keep in touch with at least some folks for some type of support without the Board that we all had come to rely so heavily on for so long. I know that I sure have missed it. Kinda like that line from that song (can't remember the title..or if it IS the title, let alone who signs it right now, as my brain is mush); You don't know what you've got, until it's gone. LOL

Artist...I am not sure exactly what questions you have about Spread? I have had it happen, and I know it caused me to have questions too. It sounds like your spread was of the "mirror" variety? You have to please excuse me, because my brain really is mush these days (have had a pain increase, and am trying to get some procedures scheduled to hopefully help calm things down), and I don't have my "Cheat sheets" here on this forum, where I can go and look back to check out info to see if I am remembering correctly. Your RSD is upper body, and always has been? So, your possible spread went from left hand/side to right hand/side? Do I have that right?

Mine was from lower body to upper....all on right side. Not that it makes much difference, other than that I know how crappy it is to have something affecting your right hand when you are right handed. I can't imagine how scary it is to have that happen when you are an Artist though! ((((Hugs))))!

It has been my experience that the spread site was different than from the original site. In my case, it has never been as bad pain wise - as in constant high level of pain - but will have dramatically quick jump up in pain in relatively short time when I am using it. I figure, it is because it is my hand, and it is used different than my foot? Don't know...because I don't have any experience with RSD in other hand. But, the other symptoms act differently there too and differently from the lower body. It is all very strange...and lots of the time I look like patch work person, with strange warm and cold spots that make no sense (as in Right hand can be SUPER hot, but right foot/leg can be ice cold [or visa versa]...while rest of me is "normal", whatever that is).

I do think that part of the reason why my upper body RSD has never been as bad/painful/whatever (don't get me wrong..it still HURTS...but it just isn't like my Lower body), is because I got IMMEDIATE blocks done after the injury that caused the spread to happen. I am talking within about 3 days. That is because I just so happened to have a doc appointment the next day (or the day after... anyway..it was all really soon). He saw what was going on..and BOOM! I was in for a block. No screwing around. I really do think that it made all the difference in the world.

I probably didn't answer what you needed.....so, if I can help..Please feel free to ask. I promise to try to not be so wordy next time. LOLOL..as you see..some things NEVER change. *sigh..I do really try to not write LOOONG things...it just always works out that way.

Anyway..I am really glad to see you guys here!

(((Hugs)))
Jose

PS..is this text size Ok? Or should I use a bigger one? I just didn't want to look like I was hollering at everyone all of the time, and that is the difference between a 2 (this one) and 3 (the one that I always used before). Please let me know if it is hard to read, and I will change it in a zippy!

Joselita the Wise!! (((xxxxxx))) - this is so exciting just can't help using all those exclamation marks - I'm exclaiming!!! Yeah!!!!!!!

I *really* gotta go to bed but just before I do - your purple prose is perfect (and never too long, heavens!) size is great on my machine.

Just quickly, you picked up lots of right stuff from my post, yes, it's a different kind of pain, arms - I'm so confused - but more on that tomorrow.

And yes, there was me all on my little lonesome, calling out into an empty echoing hall - I was so pathetic! Felt like I'd gone to a party and no one came! What a loser! Little Johnny Nofriends!

Right, made my day, you and Karibelle, same day...wonderful!
xxxxall the best

Artist, it is good to see u back around here. You posted so little before BT went down. I have the cervical issues also with the pinching of nerves leaving the spine and I had several epidurals.
They helped me with my RSD pain too. I hope something works out for you.

Jose, it is good to see you back with your not so short posts...lol
You are full of information. I have spread too, with the pain being less to the spread site as you mention. I read that is not uncommon. I too got the blocks much faster than the original site.

Allen, I am so sorry to read that you are also having issues with spread.
My doctor is great and quotes Maleki on that as being so 75 - 80 % of the time. Many others wrote on my reports that it is rare to spread to all 4 extremities. I wish they would stop sending me to doctors who know nothing about RSD or see 1-2 patients with RSD/year.

It is getting chilly so I am going undercovers now.
I hope all have a great weekend and as painfree as possible.

HOPE

Just Updating