My CRPS Story
November 7, 2017 | By Krista Lynn Hughes
In CRPS Nerve Disease
In CRPS Nerve Disease
Today’s blog is in honor of CRPS Awareness Month and My CRPS Story that is next week. I will
be telling you how I got this relentless nerve disease, what CRPS stands for, and all about the
nerve disease that affects 200,000 people in a given year.
Before starting Daughter of God. I was a Computer Specialist / Website Designer for 8 years. Then, my life took a 360 turn on November 16, 2006. I was injured with an IV needle when I was in the hospital 18 years ago. I was admitted to the hospital to get some intravenous drugs because I had a migraine for a week. I went into the hospital with a migraine and came out with nerve disease. At the time, I did not know what was wrong with me. It took 15 long months and 6 doctors for someone to tell me I had a very rare nerve disease called “CRPS” which stands for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. CRPS has been previously known by 25 other medical names. One of those names was “RSDS” which is Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome.
You are probably wondering what in the world is CRPS. It is a chronic neurological nerve pain disease that is characterized by severe, relentless pain with swelling, tropic changes, vascular changes, and functional impairment of the limb. It can become incredibly debilitating unless diagnosed early and treated appropriately.
CRPS has been around since the Civil War. It develops when the nervous system and the immune system malfunction as they respond to tissue damage from trauma, such as a burn, a fracture, a broken bone, a sprain, an infection, a surgery, and in rare cases from an IV needle. The nerves misfire, sending constant pain signals to the brain. The level of pain is measured as one of the most severe on the McGill University Pain Scale. The pain is rated higher than cancer pain, giving birth, and amputation.
CRPS signs and symptoms are described as a deep, aching pain, cold, burning, and/or increased skin sensitivity. You can have abnormal swelling in the affected area, hair and nail growth, skin color changes, skin temperature of one side of the body is warmer or colder than the other side, sweating of the affected area, limited range of motion, weakness, or other disorders such as paralysis or dystonia. In addition to all of this, individuals who have CRPS can have more migraines, menstrual cycle problems, neuropathies, and asthma.
This incurable disease can spread throughout the body. You can get CRPS at any age, anytime, and anywhere in your body. Living with CRPS can interfere with your job, sleep, mobility, and self-care. It is more common in women with a recent increase in the number of children and adolescents who are diagnosed. There is NO cure, but you can go into remission and then have a relapse, and back into remission again! This is what happened to me.
I became closer to God and prayed to him every day to heal me from this relentless pain. I truly believe God has given me the gift of writing poetry. My next blog is a poem that I wrote about CRPS. I get so much joy out of writing poetry and writing in general. It has a calming effect on me. I read my Bible regularly. I talk to God every day.
I learned to cope by living my life day-to-day. Giving up is not in my vocabulary. I will never give up without a fight. I cannot change what has happened to me, but I can move forward and live my life the best way I can. CRPS is not just a painful disease, but it changes every aspect of your life.
After living with severe pain for 10 long years, I woke up one morning with no pain at all. It felt great to not be in pain and to be able to walk on my foot without pain. Since I've had CRPS wearing shoes was impossible. Now, I can wear boots again. Miracles happen. I am proof God answers our prayers. We have an awesome God we serve. God is Good!
Everything happens for a reason and God is in complete control. God has taken me on an amazing journey so far with some challenging times. I truly could not live without God in my life. He continues to lead and guide me every single day. I get my Faith, Hope, and Courage from my Heavenly Father!
Never take what you have for granted!
If you have CRPS or think you may have this disease, you can read more on the RSDSA website. They have the best resources and information on CRPS.
God Bless!
be telling you how I got this relentless nerve disease, what CRPS stands for, and all about the
nerve disease that affects 200,000 people in a given year.
Before starting Daughter of God. I was a Computer Specialist / Website Designer for 8 years. Then, my life took a 360 turn on November 16, 2006. I was injured with an IV needle when I was in the hospital 18 years ago. I was admitted to the hospital to get some intravenous drugs because I had a migraine for a week. I went into the hospital with a migraine and came out with nerve disease. At the time, I did not know what was wrong with me. It took 15 long months and 6 doctors for someone to tell me I had a very rare nerve disease called “CRPS” which stands for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. CRPS has been previously known by 25 other medical names. One of those names was “RSDS” which is Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome.
You are probably wondering what in the world is CRPS. It is a chronic neurological nerve pain disease that is characterized by severe, relentless pain with swelling, tropic changes, vascular changes, and functional impairment of the limb. It can become incredibly debilitating unless diagnosed early and treated appropriately.
CRPS has been around since the Civil War. It develops when the nervous system and the immune system malfunction as they respond to tissue damage from trauma, such as a burn, a fracture, a broken bone, a sprain, an infection, a surgery, and in rare cases from an IV needle. The nerves misfire, sending constant pain signals to the brain. The level of pain is measured as one of the most severe on the McGill University Pain Scale. The pain is rated higher than cancer pain, giving birth, and amputation.
CRPS signs and symptoms are described as a deep, aching pain, cold, burning, and/or increased skin sensitivity. You can have abnormal swelling in the affected area, hair and nail growth, skin color changes, skin temperature of one side of the body is warmer or colder than the other side, sweating of the affected area, limited range of motion, weakness, or other disorders such as paralysis or dystonia. In addition to all of this, individuals who have CRPS can have more migraines, menstrual cycle problems, neuropathies, and asthma.
This incurable disease can spread throughout the body. You can get CRPS at any age, anytime, and anywhere in your body. Living with CRPS can interfere with your job, sleep, mobility, and self-care. It is more common in women with a recent increase in the number of children and adolescents who are diagnosed. There is NO cure, but you can go into remission and then have a relapse, and back into remission again! This is what happened to me.
I became closer to God and prayed to him every day to heal me from this relentless pain. I truly believe God has given me the gift of writing poetry. My next blog is a poem that I wrote about CRPS. I get so much joy out of writing poetry and writing in general. It has a calming effect on me. I read my Bible regularly. I talk to God every day.
I learned to cope by living my life day-to-day. Giving up is not in my vocabulary. I will never give up without a fight. I cannot change what has happened to me, but I can move forward and live my life the best way I can. CRPS is not just a painful disease, but it changes every aspect of your life.
After living with severe pain for 10 long years, I woke up one morning with no pain at all. It felt great to not be in pain and to be able to walk on my foot without pain. Since I've had CRPS wearing shoes was impossible. Now, I can wear boots again. Miracles happen. I am proof God answers our prayers. We have an awesome God we serve. God is Good!
Everything happens for a reason and God is in complete control. God has taken me on an amazing journey so far with some challenging times. I truly could not live without God in my life. He continues to lead and guide me every single day. I get my Faith, Hope, and Courage from my Heavenly Father!
Never take what you have for granted!
If you have CRPS or think you may have this disease, you can read more on the RSDSA website. They have the best resources and information on CRPS.
God Bless!