Common Questions

Since being diagnosed with CRPS in January 2016, I have continued to educate myself and those around me. After months of dedicated research, careful journaling, counselling from other CRPS patients (shoutout to the best neighbour ever), and living with the condition, there are still many dots that haven’t been connected for me. Aspects of CRPS still make little to no sense to me, and I know I am not alone.

“The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” -[gratuitous] Albert Einstein quote

So, this post is an effort for me to answer some of the common questions I receive from people that can’t really be Googled. If you still have questions about the academic side to CRPS, please visit my Google doc (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZaK9QrW8SD7AuJEdvPmccewKL0A_LN4HMp70afL_azk/edit?usp=sharing) and give that a read first. I also use the Google doc to build up the research list at the bottom; there are some critical research documents I believe all CRPS patients and caregivers should read…

That Familiar In-Between

On Thursday, I had a doctor’s appointment. As usual, my medications were adjusted to try and reap more benefit. Before Thursday, I was not sleeping enough but now I find myself in and out of consciousness during the day. Sound too simple? It is!

I have a history of vivid, and lucid dreams. The first dream that truly struck me as lucid, was on the way home from Burning Man 2008, in the family vintage GMC Wild Rose van, beside the giant green Sparwood dump truck…

My Monday Night Surprise

On Monday evening, it happened again. All of a sudden I felt sick to my stomach and before I knew it I was getting sick. Why again? Three random “GI attacks” in the last month. Of these 3 attacks, 2 of them have happened right after very painful physiotherapy sessions. Weird. The worst part about these random GI attacks are that they throw off my medication schedule, and when I skip doses the pain is not in any realm of OK. (Then again, I am always maxed out right now so I guess it is all relative.)

Since developing CRPS, my migraines have doubled as well…

My Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Story; The Start

That Day, ‘The’ Day…

On January 12, 2016 I was told that Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) was the most likely explanation for the pain I was going through. I remember crying and thinking to myself, “I am going to remember this day for a long time”. I had never heard of CRPS, although I was familiar with chronic pain. As soon as I hit Wikipedia looking for preliminary research, I felt cold. Phrases such as, “symptoms vary”, “no cure”, and “one of the most painful conditions known”, jumped off the page.

I do remember that day. I remember it very well…

Express Yourself…

I hope to get back to this soon…I miss the beaches of California.