November is CRPS Awareness Month! As many of you know, I had been diagnosed with CRPS in 2012 after my accident. It's the main reason why I'm the cyborg I am today! My Spinal Cord Stimulator helps manage my pain on a daily basis....as long as I remember to charge my batteries! ;-)
Please help by showing your support and wearing orange during November! I would love to see pics and I know I won't be the only one. You can share them with me at:
www.facebook.com/Cyborgproblems
Be sure to tag them with: #CRPSAwarenessMonth #PaintTheWorldOrange and/or #CRPS
Again, thank you all for your continued support!
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
CRPS is a
Neurological Disorder stemming from injury-related Chronic Pain, affecting
thousands of Americans each year. CRPS is believed to be caused by damage
and/or malfunction of the central & peripheral nervous symptoms which
disrupts the signals between the brain and spinal cord. In severe cases, CRPS
can spread to internal organs and cause them to malfunction.
Symptoms include severe
pain; joint stiffness; problems coordinating muscle movement; muscle atrophy;
tremors; muscle spasms; limb buckling; hypersensitivity to light, sound, heat,
cold & vibrations; significant skin temperature changes; decreased
mobility; fatigue; difficulty concentrating; short-term memory issues; etc.
Long
term sufferers often develop other related conditions including depression;
anxiety; post traumatic stress; cardiovascular issues; Postural Orthostatic
Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS); Fibromyalgia; chronic migraines; and are
considered high risk for heart attack & stroke. In combination with the
primary symptoms and lack of proper care, early death is expected.
CRPS
can be manageable with proper care & treatment, but there is no cure and
care is often unattainable or unknown by many doctors who lack the current research
and developments in treatment protocols. Awareness & more research are much
needed.
“Fire & Ice”
People
who are diagnosed with CRPS suffer from triggered “Flare Up’s” or “Attack’s”
which can occur frequently and are debilitating. These attacks usually begin
with a change in temperature of an affected limb or region, followed by severe
pain that can last days.
For
example, a person will experience an ice cold foot, followed by severe pain
when trying to warm it. The opposite occurs where an area becomes warm to touch,
followed by severe pain when attempting to cool it, let alone, touching the
affected area.
The
pain can be so severe, that doctors often consider amputation of the affected
limb.
According
to the national McGill Pain Index, CRPS ranks near the top at 42; almost double
the pain levels of child birth & loss of limb.
CRPS
Awareness is represented in multiple ways with many patients choosing Orange
& Blue as it portrays their daily battle with hot & cold flare
ups. Patients refer to it as the battle
of fire & ice as they fight both the burning sensations of hot flare ups
and not being able to warm up without severe pain during a cold flare up.
November
is National CRPS Awareness Month and patients & supporters are encouraged
to paint the world orange to spread awareness of this “invisible illness.”
Thank you for
your continued support and showing those who are afflicted that they are not
alone in their fight.
