What YOU Don’t Know About Chronic Pain!

I love everything about this post… And honestly, everything on “No one Gets Flowers For Chronic Pain” is just amazing. I just spent the past 30 minutes reading her latest posts. If you haven’t checked out her blog yet, you definitely should!!

noonegetsflowersforchronicpain

During this interview with Morgan Freeman, the interviewer asked him:  “How are we going to get rid of racism?  Mr. Freedman replied quite simply: “Stop talking about it.”  I have always loved Morgan Freeman, not just as an actor but as a humanitarian as well.  His acting skills are just a tremendous bonus to his character.  Up until recently I had no idea that Morgan Freeman suffered from chronic pain and managed it naturally.  Did you?  I love this interview and his witty reasoning for not liking “Black History Month” as I completely agree with him.  However, there is a little hidden truth regarding chronic pain in this interview.  If the interviewer knew Morgan Freeman had chronic pain and asked: “How do you get rid of the pain?”  I believe his response would come close to: “Stop talking about it.”  Many reading this right now who are battling chronic pain probably…

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Tips on Sleeping better

Lets rock the ribbons!

Life & Beauty Weekly: Health

How to Sleep Better

By Valerie Kalfrin for Life and Beauty

For something so essential and refreshing, a good night’s sleep can be elusive. Children, pets, a snoring partner, a worried mind, even TV and bright lights all can disrupt our slumber. In general, healthy adults need seven to eight hours of sleep a night, but getting the proper amount of shut-eye can be tricky.

Women, typically, are more sleep-deprived than men. According to research from the Better Sleep Council, sixty-eight percent of the women in a survey said they slept less than an average of eight hours per night. The top three factors that affected their sleep: Stress related to work or family issues; colds and allergies; and uncomfortable mattresses or pillows. If you’re having trouble falling and staying asleep, or feeling excessively drowsy during the day, read these tips to learn how to sleep…

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Heathers hope: March Update!

Hey everyone 🙂

Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve posted any real updates. I’ve been working hard on my other blog, http://www.heatherstreasure.com which is a beauty/lifestyle/fashion blog!
I figured it was good for me to focus on something else, besides my CRPS for a bit.

I do have a lot to share with you. A lot of updates! And I am thinking the best way I am going to do that, is through a video tonight ;-).

This way, I don’t have to type it all out, and bore you all hehe.

*Important: I recently hit my one year anniversary of having this blog! Time flies!
I had to update my domain name, and instead of going with .org (since this isn’t an organization) , I went with .net.*

My hope, is that this blog will transform into an outlet for myself, as well as other CRPS fighters to share their stories, experiences, photos, etc… Making it a small network, I think? I hope?
With that being said, if you’d like to share any/all of the above, PLEASE email me at Hope4yourcause[at]gmail.com! We do not need to put your real name on the blog if you’re not comfortable with that.
So, this blogs URL is now http://www.hopeforyourcause.net!

The last thing I wanted to quickly share with you, is a video of mine from last September (I hope I’m right about the month).
It’s an actual update at that time, I am talking in the video and sharing information.

The only thing I didn’t know at the time, is regarding my spasms.
They were spasming throughout the whole video, it was just hard to tell for some reason.
But! If you look in between my toes (where they meet my feet), you’ll see the area in between my toes going up and down.
This is because I have discovered that my toe spasming is actually caused by the muscle (I’m assuming it’s a muscle lol) that is behind my toes. That’s the actual area that is spasming in that part of my foot, which is why my toes wiggle as if they are waving to you at times.

Some of the info in the video is out dated (I don’t use the bone stimulator anymore). But, I wanted to share this with you because the spasming in between the toes, is very obvious.

**CRPS fighters!**: Does anyone else with CRPS notice this with their toes? (Spasming in that area)
I’m very curious to hear from you guys.
~Those of you who’s CRPS started in your upper body, do your fingers spasm? Kind of in the same ways as the toes do? Do you notice a specific muscle/area that goes crazy the most?

*I’d love to hear from you all! Please leave a comment below If you’d like to share 🙂
(These types of things really do help others know that they’re not alone. Please help and get the word out, that they’re definitely not alone!) *

Anyhoot! Here’s the video (about 6 months old)

Ps: feel free to check out my “CRAPpy CRPS” feet on YouTube. My user name is MMorheather. (I don’t promote it often. Because it’s literally all of my feet lol. I use it mainly as a reference, for situations like these). But there are a lot of videos on there, sharing what life is like with CRPS.

Thank you all for stopping by!
I hope everyone has a low pain week!

Love always,
Heather Lynn

Oh yeah! If you have twitter, make sure you check out my other account, @urockyourcause! It’s made for my other blog http://www.letsrocktheribbons.info (but CRPS is shared on both,often!) thank you!

Close to finding a cause for CRPS?

Hey everyone!

I wanted to quickly share with you a very interesting article that I came across, regarding CRPS/RSD.

The title is called,“Researchers close in on Causes of CRPS”,by David Wild. Which was published on “Anesthesiologynews.com”, under Pain Medicine.

Here are two paragraphs from the article:

“CRPS is neuropathic in that there are characteristic neuropathic sensory abnormalities, but it also shows signs of central sensitization, inflammation, and autonomic and motor abnormalities,” Dr. Baron said.

One way of grouping CRPS patients is by looking at their distinct somatosensory dysfunctions, Dr. Baron said. Individuals with deficits in temperature detection but no allodynia, and with loss of small nerve fibers, innervation and nerve degeneration, can be classified as having a neuropathic disorder. A second cluster of patients can be seen as having central sensitization, with normal temperature sensitivity but severe mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. A third patient cluster may have inflammatory CRPS, with deep hyperalgesia and heat hyperalgesia but no hyperalgesia to prick testing, Dr. Baron explained.”

Please click here for the full article!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article, whether you are a CRPS fighter or not.

I personally feel that we are so close to finding SOMETHING! I am not sure what… But I do feel that we are so close to discovering something that will help those of us with CRPS, get our quality of life back (Maybe not 100%, but any relief, is good relief!)

CRPS fighters, what was your first thought after reading this article? Does it provide you with a little hope? Or do you feel like we are in the same position as before?

Anyhoot! I hope everyone is having a great weekend! And a low pain weekend. I know this winter weather is BRUTAL! But, spring is on its way! yay!

Thank you for stopping by!
Love,
Heather Lynn

6 ways to stress less and smile more!

Stress is a huge trigger for a CRPS flare! Here’s a post from my other blog, http://www.letsrocktheribbons.com, that shares ways to stress less and smile more!

Lets rock the ribbons!

Life & Beauty Weekly: Health

6 Instant Ways to Stress Less and Smile More

By Catherine Ryan for Life & Beauty Weekly

You can’t completely eliminate stress from your life, but you can learn to deal with it in a healthy way. And since stress is associated with all sorts of negative health effects like high blood pressure and a weakened immune system, taking a few minutes a day to fight stress keeps you not only happy and smiling, but healthy too.

“Daily hassles and annoyances can get to anyone, but small changes make a big difference,” explains Judy Saltzberg, who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and teaches at the University of Pennsylvania’s Masters of Applied Positive Psychology program. Here’s how to keep smiling:

1. Take it outside.
“The first intervention I advise is physical activity,” says Saltzberg. Even if you don’t have time for a full workout, you…

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6 Things about Chronic Pain You Didn’t Know You Knew

This post, written by an amazing blogger and chronic pain patient.
I’m sharing this, hoping it will help others know that we are not alone ❤️
Stay strong,
Love Heather

Then Everything Changed

Chronic pain isn’t just constant pain, though that would be more than enough for anyone to handle, the truth is chronic pain always brings friends. These added challenges are obvious, but rarely taken into consideration by “healthy” people.  Remembering that like all bullies chronic pain travels with a gang can help to better understand the life of someone in chronic pain.

Pain is exhausting.  We have all had a bad headache, a twisted knee, or a pulled muscle, and by the end of the day it is a monumental effort just to read the mail.  You may not have consciously realized it, but the pain that has relentlessly nagged you through out the day has drained you as bad as any flu.  Even when you try to ignore pain it will stay in the back of your mind, screaming for attention, draining away all of your energy. With chronic…

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Living with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome/RSD

I could not have explained this better myself!
When I find blog posts from others with CRPS, and it’s that post that explains what CRPS is in their own words…. I always reblog it. I think it’s very important for people to 1) know about CRPS/RSD but
2) See how there are many similar aspects in each of us… But we all experience different things as well. Which is one reason that I feel it’s difficulty in treating the condition… Bc not one case is the same.
We must hold on to hope, doctors are slowly but surely starting to understand what is actually going on, and what CRPS actually is.
Soon, they will find more effective treatments. We are fighters. If Fighting through the pain until they find treatments, being a Guinea pig for doctors so they can try the different treatments/theories,etc. what it takes to help us all “put out the fire”, then I’ll continue to do so.
I think we are close, keep fighting! We got this 😉
Love, Heather Lynn

Paulette's Blog

Living with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSD), is like having a nightmare, and never waking up from it! RSD/CRPS is a chronically painful and debilitating neurological disorder, that affects the central nervous system, the muscles, the bones and joints, and the skin. This disorder can manifest spontaneously, after an injury to a limb such as a broken leg, or after having surgery, a stroke, or a heart attack. Even injuries such as a paper cut or pinprick, can literally change one’s life forever.

In 1995, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome/CRPS, replaced Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome/RSD. However, it is still quite common for doctors and patients, to refer to this syndrome as RSD. There are several characteristic symptoms of this syndrome. Some of the more common symptoms are extreme chronic pain, harrowing burning pain, extreme swelling of the affected limb(s)/areas, and profuse sweating in the affected areas. Other symptoms are discoloration of…

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The Heaviness of Chronic Pain

If I could reblog every post on this blog, I would.
Each post is so inspirational and truthful.

You are an inspiration ❤
If you're not following her, PLEASE do!
And I hope everyone's day is a low pain day<3
Love,
Heather Lynn

noonegetsflowersforchronicpain

Chronic pain can literally be so heavy on your mind and body that there is nothing else one is able to think about. Once you are diagnosed or begin having symptoms of chronic pain it truly does become your life. For most of my life I could not separate myself from chronic pain. I did not make decisions for myself: good or bad, my pain did that for me. Part of hitting rock bottom with chronic pain is losing any sort of hope that life will get better.

I remember being a sophomore in college and instead of having fun with friends, I was behind the computer looking for new specialists to cure me of my chronic pain. I came across a dentist that specialized in chronic pain in the face, neck, and head. On his website there were tons of testimonies of patients that swore this certain doctor was…

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Woman Struggles with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

Reading articles like these, written by doctors… Give me hope. Hope knowing that there are people out there trying to help us.
One patient at a time.
It just so happens that this patient is Amanda! I am friends with her on FB and she is very active with spreading awareness on CRPS/RSD. ❤

Minnesota Physical Medicine Blog

Amanda Siebe is a young woman living with a rare disease known as complex regional pain syndrome (or CRPS for short).

It began when Amanda sprained her ankle during a shift at the restaurant at which she works. Initially she just dealt with the pain and continued to work on the injured ankle. But in a few days her ankle had grown inflamed and very painful.

After that she attempted to continue working with crutches to take the weight off of her ankle, but another fall forced her to take time off of work. The ankle still did not heal. After roughly a year of suffering, Amanda was finally diagnosed with CRPS.

CRPS is a condition where the body’s nerves record every type of stimulation as pain. For example, simply poking the impacted area with your finger may feel like a stabbing knife. CRPS can eventually move to other parts…

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How do Pain Medications Impact your Dreams?

Minnesota Physical Medicine Blog

Many medications used in pain management have been known to cause weird dreams. Medications that tend to have some effect on the brain can also have an effect on sleep and dreams.

Antidepressants & Muscle Relaxers

The most common medications that impact dreams and sleep are probably antidepressant drugs, followed by muscle relaxers.  These medications have direct actions on the brain and nervous system, and change the balance of brain chemicals that can lead to very odd cognition and disturbing dreams.

The older tricyclic antidepressants have a positive effect on pain but have had a significant reputation for bad dreams.  Newer antidepressants impact the neurotransmitter chemical balance in the brain, and can make emotions, depression, and sleep worse if they are not the right medication for the individual.  Muscle relaxers are compounds that have similar structures to drugs used for anxiety. They can cloud thinking and negatively impact sleep.

Neuropathic…

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