Great thread...Thanks everyone for sharing your softness tips from socks to sheets. Very helpful..

Ali enjoy your trip to Vegas!!!

Great Idea Mominpain!

For me I could not live without my hot water bottles. I have a couple with nice soft covers. I travel with them and they really come in handy especially on airplanes. Beyond that my survival kit contains the following items:

Any fabric soft and warm (I always have to warm my bed before I get in)
Microwaveable bean bags, available at most drug stores
Sheep skin slippers, hand made from a local crafts person
Down filled soft covered booties from Brookstone
Hot wax machine, available at most drug stores
TENS machine
Exercise bike, ball, & therapy bands.
Qigong DVD for stress relief (a gentle exercise focused on breathing and energy flow)
Breathing exercises
Stretch Pure & Simple DVD
Meditation & guided imagery CD's (My favorite is called Mind Food Pain Control by Hemi Sync because it has helped me to learn how to turn down the pain signalshttp://www.new-mind.com/HemiSyncPain...management.htm
Hot tub & sauna
Exfoliation glove or soft bath brush (for desensitisation) available at most drug stores.
Wooden massage roller for my foot because my fascia tightens
For emergencies I also carry those heating patches called Tensor (they say they work for 10 hours but I never got that much heat from them, perhaps because my RSD foot is typically ice cold) I bought mine at Walmart.

I stopped using electric heating pads because I had one that caught on fire.

Wishing you much joy and peace.

MsL

"I stopped using electric heating pads because I had one that caught on fire.
"

Oh my gosh! I didn;t know that was possbile! I had one where the controller got hot, and I did think about it. That is aweful! Where you asleep?

I heard about something like this many, many, years ago, but I don't think it's very common. Any electric appliance can catch on fire, and ones that produce heat (toasters, coffee pots, slow cookers) are especially prone. Manufacturers these days have safeguards built in to most of their products and, of course, the instructions always tell you to regularly inspect for any damage, frayed areas, etc. And NEVER use pins to hold it in place. That is a sure fire way to cause a short circuit.

A much more common problem with heating pads is getting burned because you fall asleep and/or do not have a good sensation of how hot it is getting. The one I bought a short time ago has a timer to shut it off after a pre-determined amount of time. I don't think I will ever use another heating pad without this feature.

Mike

Drug stores sell very good heating/cold packs now that come with their own soft encasing. You can buy dry heat packs or moist heat packs depending on what works best for you. You can put them in the freezer if want cold instead, but either type can be put in the microwave for 30 seconds to 2 minutes to heat up. I have one that is clay based which produces a dry heat & another that produces a moist heat. The heat in both of them last a very long time...I'm talking hours & can be placed wherever you need them.

Its been a bit since someone posted here, but Im new and wanted to share what I have discovered.
I have RSD in 88% of my body so I go through fits of sensitivity, one is too sore, one is numb, one is hot, one is cold. Other than clothes, my biggest issue has been bedding materials. Comforters are too heavy to lay on my limbs, blankets to light to keep parts of me warm.
My hubby surprised me with some Canopy brand sheets. They are found at Wal-mart and I dont know what all these are made of or even what the thread count its, but they are absobant (sp) like cotton but as soft as silk, but not as freaky feeling as silk. (yes I know I said freaky, but, duh, I do have sensory issues...lol) They are kinda on the high end (a.k.a. expensive) but they are deep pocket (for our specialty matress), and are so kosher with my phsyco body and texture issues...
Also, my feet are always cold to your touch but are burning to me, they also sweat like an overweight football player at super bowl, I have started putting VIVA brand paper towels into the bottom of my crocs and house shoes I use a piece of two sided tape to hold it in place and it soaks up all the sweat without drenching my shoe and resulting in the foul smell of a sweaty foot (which oddly enough its always my shoes that stink not my feet....) and the viva brand is very soft and absorbant so it doesnt bother me and it takes a day to two to "fill" the paper towel.

Hi the sheets are Egyptian Cotton! I have some, they get softer as you wash them. Wonderful sheets, enjoy them...hopefully you will have a pain free night so that you may get some sleep.

Sandy

Yes......really everyone......keep these ideas coming!! This is GREAT information to have!!

Karen, I wear my hubby's old white t-shirts too......they're HUGE on me and have been washed a million times so they're soft and they breathe better when I sweat (and so easy to change in the middle of the night if I wake up drenched). Ali, I wear pj's almost ALL the time now.....big, loose, soft flannel......but I've only had RSD since it's been cold......I am DREADING this summer! I always wore capri pants with sandals......now my feet are ghastly red, purple and blue. I don't know WHAT I'm going to do???

Also, I use down pillows and change my pillowcases often (perhaps 2-3 times a week since I'm on them so much) to feel "cleaner" when I'm sweaty or in pain. I am sensitive to odors and fragrances too, so I get nauseous of they don't smell good to me (or if the detergent has TOO much fragrance). I only have ONE set of sheets that is currently soft enough, so I'm in the market for another set.....I will have to be careful to get the "right" blend and thread count. I have bad luck with them "pilling" which feels like GLASS in the bed to me, as do crumbs. That was a great idea about the mens white Hanes socks. I'll look for those. Do they have seams on the toes that bother you??? That is my problem with most of my socks......my TOES hurt so much and the seam feels awful on them. Shoes are another huge problem for me. Even my nice "walking" shoes hurt my feet and cause spasms and jabbing pains. I haven't quite brought myself to wear slippers out of the house yet!!

Anyway......lets keep this thread going!! This could be so helpful to all of us who have RSD as well as for those who love us (and want some great gift ideas of what to get for us!!!).

Thanks again for replying!!!

MsL, I have one of those microwave bean bags too! I forgot all about that. My friend got it for me as a xmas present a couple of years ago. It's one that filled with herbs, I think it's lavender and something else. It really feels good on spots that are really hurting sometimes. I also get aromatherapy at the same time and it's quite relaxing! Thanks for putting it down. Is yours a scented one too or just one of the plain?

Hugs,

Karen

Hi Karen,

I have a couple, one plain and the other with lavender. I love them both and often use them both, especially on day like this. We have a terrible cold rain right now and it gets deep into my bones so I am off to use my hot wax machine on my foot right now because of that. The hot wax is the only way to get deep penetrating heat for me. I know some here probably can't handle that intensity of that type of temperature but I have always loved it, even at my worst most sensitive state. Once I get past the first dip it is all good from there.

MsL