Pickles MIA

HI everyone,
     It is so good to be back! Yes, I have been MIA for awhile but  all is better and I can't wait to hear how all of you are doing plus, what you have been up to. I have recieved several emails wondering where I am and if I were ok. First let me start by saying THANK YOU SO MUCH for your sweet words of encouragement and concern. It means so much especially during my down time.

     What have I been up to alot of you have asked? Well not a lot to be quite honest other than Dr's appointments, physical therapy yatta yatta yatta!!  As a lot of you know I am temporarily disabled due to issues with my right knee replacement back in 08. Some know the details and some do not. For now I will just leave it at that. But there is one detail I need to make the pubilic aware of and that is...

 " Never Judge a book by it's cover"

     You see, I suffer from a dibilitating disease known as CRPS aka RSD. This disease happens to people who have had trauma to their limbs typically. For some reason the bodies Sympathetic Nervous system ( the part of the brain that controls pain response) gets stuck in the "ON" position so a person feels pain that may or may not truly be there, all the time. Sometimes the pain is bearable and sometimes it is not. The pain is usually worse at night or after excercise or sometimes just doing typical everyday living. There are different stages of the disease and for now there is NO cure only ways to try and control the pain. For most there are times when the pain is soo unbearable that nothing helps and you are forced to suffer through the best way you can. Other times while you may appear ok by those watching you, it is only because you are able to put on that happy plastic face amd suffer through it while praying it doesn't get worse. 

     Here is a video that describes the life of someone suffering from CRPS.

This is why I say don't judge a book by it's cover!

     For those of us who have this disease one day to some may look quite normal. We get up if we can and push through the day doing the things we can to keep us busy and functioning the best we know how, doesn't mean we do not hurt nor that we are ok. It just means we are lucky enough to have a so called "Good Day" We live day to day with the knowlege that any minute our good day could become a nightmare of agonizing pain and discomfort. For some good days are few thus a high rate of suicide has been documented.

     My desire in sharing this with you is not for sympathy but truly in hopes that if you took time to read this that you will pass this on so the world will know of this ugly disease and maybe one day a cure will be found! In closing, I ask that you please remember if you come into contact with someone who may appear normal yet they say they hurt and you just can't understand, "don't judge that book by it's cover" because what you see on the outside is typically only half of what is truly going on in the inside!

Thanks for reading everyone!