I'm Hurting

Yet another day of being miserable.  The pain not only hurts physically but mentally as well.  It gets harder and harder to not have my little mini-breakdowns and I find it harder to not take everything personally.  CRPS has taken so much from me but I will pull through, I will survive this thingy no matter how long it takes.

So CRPS to you I say......  Nah nah nah nah nah.

All kidding aside the weather is getting colder and my arm is trying to do everything it can to remind me every day about it.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Today is the absolute perfect day for me to explain one of the parts of CRPS that most people cannot understand, Rain.  CRPS has this affinity for making the most basic issue something beyond huge.  Nothing about this condition is friendly and one of the biggest issues for me is indeed the weather.

My left arm is afflicted with this condition (I think it has begun to creep up to my jaw now too) and the "interesting" part about this is how my arm feels when I am out in the elements whether it be hot or cold the arm responds with extreme pain.  The appendage swells and the pain level can become unbearable so most of my time is spent indoors and at this point in the program I'll explain that simple title of this post.

My arm and rain are not the best of friends and when I ran outside today to pick my children up from school, I had no idea how hard the rain truly was.  In a solid, hard rain each and every drop of rain feels like a nail has been driven into the arm.  Coupled with the sensitivity of temperature my arm feels as if I the entire arm has been ignited with gasoline and the worlds largest match as nails are driven into it.

This is a short post today, I hurt and I have to go outside again.

CRPS and Depression

I think its funny that people that don't have chronic pain, completely discount the fact that someone really does.  CRPS is an insidious creature, it has taken my left arm, atrophied it, sends pain throughout it and makes it just wonderful to go into public.  CRPS has given me the party that is spasms in the arm to the point where I have hit myself in the face.  CRPS has taken my body, my will and given me depression.

A Letter To People Without Chronic Pain.

This is a copy of a Note that Jessika Kochel had posted in reference to her Chronic Pain (CRPS / RSD).  I met Jessika and her husband while playing Mafia Wars actually, and during a conversation, I learned she too had CRPS / RSD.  Jessika was an advocate for CRPS /  RSD, and that is what is so impressive about her, despite being in the horrible pain she has, she wanted to explain what this disease really is.

It Cooled Down!

Joy of all joys, the temperature and humidity are obviously no longer conspiring against me.  Its actually in the upper 70's and the humidity is more than favorable.  I would doubt that it will last however, it is still August in the Midwest.

I didn't venture out until after 5:30P, but I at least didn't pass out from the oppressive heat.  What a welcome change!

Gee Thanks Mother Nature

Thanks for the foot of water in my basement, the massive rainstorm and what feels like oppressive humidity over the weekend.

What a Long Weekend

My wife Sara and I were invited to "Halfway Jam" in Royalton, MN Friday night so on Saturday 23 July 2011, we went.  The festival was phenomenal, the weather was okay (it rained a little, was humid for a little longer but then as the sun went down, it got a little cooler which was good.  Unfortunately for me the people at the festival, didn't know about my condition (weird isn't it, complete strangers not knowing).

Its unfortunate when you realize how many times I got whacked in the arm and how every person seemed to be aiming for it.  Then there is the matter of the seven hour drive, SEVEN hours each way.  Using my arm driving any distance is a real chore because my pain gets so bad, it spasms constantly and it swells up like a balloon and subsequently whilst using the right hand to compensate for the left, that hand gets really sore.

Despite all of that, the weekend was great and I will have the rest of the week to recuperate and I have the memories of a fantastic weekend and the greatest possible experience!

Its a Broken Record

I hate this heat.  I was outside for probably a total of 15 minutes and I thought my hand was going to explode.  Oh well, I suppose it could be worse.

Painful Week

Its the day after our vacation ended, and although we saw many, many really neat and interesting things, I felt like I was always the downer.  Pain sucks and when you are hit a few thousand times and have that feeling of your appendage being lit aflame by a load of napalm and magnesium, you tend to be a downer.  I hope my wife and kids had fun and that I wasn't too bad.  I'm glad to be home, and I'm guessing the entire next week will be about me trying to recover.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

We went to to the Omaha Zoo today on Day 1 of the vacation.  It was viciously hot, and I swelled up like a balloon and upon reaching the hotel I took my pain meds.  Day 2 could be a long one so this is going to be a short night.

Buckle Up Buttercup

The next week should be quite a bit of fun, although I always prepare for the worst (I have all of my meds and pain meds).  I'm guessing it will be about 45,037 degrees with 210% humidity so the pain meds are a MUST.

Nice Day

I really had a good day today, I was far from pain free but I went to a benefit for a member of my family that has leukemia.  It was a wonderful turnout and they raised a bunch of money for her medical expenses.  I won a lithograph autographed by Meat Loaf (wrong blog to talk about music I know) and we had a great time with all of our family.

My pain today was inconsequential, I hurt pretty well but I was there for family and family is more important than little old me.

Time To Sound Like A Broken Record

Quite the adventurous day for me, my wife and I went to Procento's for dinner and we had to walk about 2 blocks and the heat began to make my arm swell.  Oh and I realized today that the atrophy in my left arm is getting worse.  When I try to type, my left hand will tremble and jerk about, then there is the incessant hitting keys more than once with the left hand.  Its interesting to watch as I type certain words and then have to go back and fix them.  The real troubling thing about it is the combinations I have been typing, as an example the simple word "as" has been typed "aas" several times but then there is the "ass" combo.  I'm guessing that one will get some attention.

My Day

Crappy day today, I drove 6 hours and hurt my left hand probably 5 times.  Pain meds here I come.

Long, Painful Day

I made it through the concert on Friday night, but did I pay for it!  The heat was oppressive and the humidity made it worse.  Saturday I drove to Park Falls, WI for a wedding reception and I am hoping the Vicodin will kick in soon.

Can I Ever Catch a Break?

Maybe not a break (that's what started this CRPS thing), I think I really mean some good fortune.  I woke up today and while I was a bit groggy still I went into the bathroom and I proceeded to hit my arm on the doorknob. 

Ordinarily that wouldn't be a big deal, but when the doorknob you hit and is as sensitive as my left arm (the arm with CRPS) is, I got sick to my stomach and had to lay down until the throbbing stopped.

Nice way to start the day off.

Crappy Day Part 360,337

Nice weather isn't it?  I wouldn't know, Mother Nature turned on me today and whilst outside for a whopping five minutes, my arm began to swell and throb. 

The Weather Outside is... Frightful?

Kind of.  The temperature for me is ideal actually (its been in the 60's the past couple of days), but its a tad bit chilly for summer.  I shouldn't complain, it will be warm again soon, I would guess it would be more like hot and nasty so the intolerable pain will become even more intolerable.

Hard Day

As if CRPS isn't bad enough on its own, I had to make it worse.  Today while my wife was reorganizing some things around the house,I hurt myself.  Again.

Ick

I am so not looking forward to tonight, its hot and I'll be in amongst tons of people.  I'm guessing this one is really gonna hurt.  I get pain flares when my arm is hit or sometimes even brushed up against.  The flares almost feel like I have lit my arm on fire and tried to put it out with more fire.

The pain today is about an 8 out of 10.

Yeah! Summer's here, now let the swelling begin

Sophomoric I know, but its just about head on, I hate this time of year.  Summer is when my already painful hand begins to swell up like a balloon and then causes me some of the most intense pain that it can possibly give me.  This will be the third summer I will have to endure with CRPS, and if you don't believe its that bad, have I got an example for you.

It feels like my hand is literally inflating, it gets more and more sore and then my fingers will eventually become so swollen that I will be unable to make a fist.  This will be followed by such distress that I will have to sequester myself to an air conditioned room, and pain medication.  The good news is that around October I will be able to come out of the room, even more overweight and grumpier than Punxsutawney Phil when they drag him out of that hole every year.

Yipp-flipping-eee.

CRPS Sucks Eggs

I'm being nice, CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) sucks much worse than just eggs.  CRPS is a chronic progressive disease characterized by severe pain, swelling and changes in the skin.  There are two types of CRPS, Type I which shows no demonstrable nerve lesions (nerve damage), and Type II shows evidence of nerve damage.  If it hasn't been obvious just yet, I have CRPS Type I.