Towards the New Year...
Towards the New Year, Rosh Hashana 5772, I would like to recap my daughter's situation and extent the hope that she will continue to improve in her efforts to combat this terrible disease of RSD/CRPS with the goal of complete ambulation and personal, pain-free independence.
Some time ago she took it upon herself to force herself to walk using a special walker, on which she places about 85% of her body weight by leaning her arms on the armrests, similar to this one:
She is still unable to place most of her weight on her legs, as she is doing this through her pain. Finally, however, the doctors listened to her and took her off most of the medications and narcotics she was on previously, which did nothing to help her, but only drugged her up so much that she would almost literally fall asleep into her soup, so to speak--the list was interminable: Elatrol, Clonazepam, Gabapentin, Oxycontin, Cymbalta, and later Lyrica instead of Gabapentin, and Valium and Percosets.
They are gone. She has just started using a transdermal Fentanyl patch which is a potent narcotic analgesic used in chronic pain management. We will see if this alleviates some of the pain while she is aggressively doing her physical and occupational therapies. She is still seeing a psychologist and I believe, a psychiatrist as well, twice a week, who have told her that she has no personality disorder and no chronic depression--just intense anger at her disease, and how it took over her life. Makes sense to me.
For a very interesting and informative video on chronic pain and its source, take the time to view this one, with Lorimer Mosely, a South Australian foremost researcher on Pain and the Brain, lecturing:
In light of all this, I would like to begin this Jewish New Year on an upbeat note, by recognizing that we all, each of us, have a responsibility to improve ourselves, and be better human beings--a concept which is built-into the Jewish idea of "teshuvah," repenting, and returning.
May you all have a hopeful, happy, healthy and sweet New Year: Ktivah ve-Hatimah Tovah.*
*ktivah ve-hatimah tovah: may you be written and inscribed for a good year.
Some time ago she took it upon herself to force herself to walk using a special walker, on which she places about 85% of her body weight by leaning her arms on the armrests, similar to this one:
She is still unable to place most of her weight on her legs, as she is doing this through her pain. Finally, however, the doctors listened to her and took her off most of the medications and narcotics she was on previously, which did nothing to help her, but only drugged her up so much that she would almost literally fall asleep into her soup, so to speak--the list was interminable: Elatrol, Clonazepam, Gabapentin, Oxycontin, Cymbalta, and later Lyrica instead of Gabapentin, and Valium and Percosets.
They are gone. She has just started using a transdermal Fentanyl patch which is a potent narcotic analgesic used in chronic pain management. We will see if this alleviates some of the pain while she is aggressively doing her physical and occupational therapies. She is still seeing a psychologist and I believe, a psychiatrist as well, twice a week, who have told her that she has no personality disorder and no chronic depression--just intense anger at her disease, and how it took over her life. Makes sense to me.
For a very interesting and informative video on chronic pain and its source, take the time to view this one, with Lorimer Mosely, a South Australian foremost researcher on Pain and the Brain, lecturing:
In light of all this, I would like to begin this Jewish New Year on an upbeat note, by recognizing that we all, each of us, have a responsibility to improve ourselves, and be better human beings--a concept which is built-into the Jewish idea of "teshuvah," repenting, and returning.
May you all have a hopeful, happy, healthy and sweet New Year: Ktivah ve-Hatimah Tovah.*
*ktivah ve-hatimah tovah: may you be written and inscribed for a good year.
Comments
Your daughter seems amazing. She'll beat this awful condition, G-d willing.
And next time you visit, I hope for a f2f.
My daughter is amazing. I'm blessed to have her. Next time, G-d willing, we'll have an "F2F."
(-that's a "Facebook2Facebook," right?!)