Tips you told us
from your experience of RSD/CRPS

Top 5 Things To Do when you become an RSD Patient

1. Get a second opinion. Be sure what you have is RSD. So few people (doctors too) know about and understand RSD that you should get a couple of opinions to be sure you are properly diagnosed.
   
   
2. See a psychiatrist/psychologist. I didn't like to hear it either, but if you are a chronic pain patient you need to speak to someone to adjust to having pain in your life. Depression translates to pain in your body. Going to a therapist greatly reduced my pain and made it possible for me to accept it into my life.
   
   
3. Get a RSD doctor. You need to see a doctor who has some experience with RSD patients. I have seen many people have trouble with doctors that don't know all the options available to help RSD patients and it is such a shame.
   
   
4. Educate yourself. As an RSD patient you need to know what is going on in your body; understand why you are getting those funny tingling feelings. There has been an explosion of RSD information on the web recently. Two web sites that I recommend to begin are: www.rsds.org (RSD Syndrome Association of America) and http://americansocietyforrsd-crps.org/ (The American Society for RSD-CRPS). The first site is very clinical while the second is more of a personal approach to educating the viewer about RSD.
   
   
5. Start the road to acceptance. RSD is something that will be with you for a long time, but it does not have to control your life. You will always be learning new things about your body, being frustrated about doctors, and accepting that your life is different. Accept that you will be limited at times, but there are always ways to work around it. Live your life and love it despite the pain you feel.

These Tips were kindly provided by Karen Daly of Massachusetts, USA