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CRPS - anyone suffering with complex regional pain syndrome
Chronic Pain | Last Active: Oct 25 3:58am | Replies (366)Comment receiving replies
What's the difference between that and fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue, which is what I've been told I have.
Replies to "What's the difference between that and fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue, which is what I've been told I have."
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Hi there. Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue are tough to manage and horrendous to live with. I'm so sorry you struggle with these disease states. I have a good friend in the same boat.
CRPS is known as the Suicide Disease and comes in two types, Type 1 - no nerve damage and Type 2 - nerve damage. They are working on validating a Type 3 with is non-specific but it's questionable at this time worldwide. CRPS is usually but not always associated with surgery, but can be associated with an injury. NOT always a major injury or surgery, it can be anything - a sprained ankle even.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome has been known as RSD (Type 1), Causalgia (Type 2), and has been around since the Civil War.
It begins usually in a peripheral area like the foot or the hand. Pain is intense and resembles burning, aching, or shooting nerve-type pain. Sensitivity to touch can accompany it. Explanations at first can be the surgery involved, rehab, psychological, etc. But the pain never goes away, but intensifies over time. Why?
The Brain: Via the Central Nervous System, the brain is in control of the pain and is the culprit. After the injury is supposed to have healed and the body corrected the issue, the pain continues and even amplifies due to the brain. The brain causes WINDUP.
WINDUP: Windup is when the brain believes there is a problem, an injury, and sends impulses through the nervous system to the affected area over and over to alert the body to protect itself. It goes into overdrive and in the case of CRPS and WINDUP, doesn't shut down. It doesn't know that there isn't really an injury or a problem. The brain takes over.
THE SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS: INTENSE PAIN, BURNING, SHOOTING PAIN, SEARING, LANCING, ALL NERVE PAIN AT THE SITE, RADIATING FROM THE SITE. PROGRESSIVE CRPS MOVING TO OTHER AREAS OF THE BODY.
Muscle cramps from the nerves seizing related muscles. Joint pain from the seizing muscles pulling at the joints. Headaches, migraine and tension from unrelieved pain. Inability to walk or lie down or stand for any length of time due to the pain pulling at the body.
Depression, anxiety, and sheer frustration from lack of adequate pain management.
The list goes on.