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Is RSD living with you?
If so, you’ve probably discovered that information and knowledge is limited – therefore putting an even greater fear in your mind. Let me assure you that you’re not alone, there are others suffering with you and I am one of them. I’ve become very educated with this disease and will be using this blog to reach others, in hopes of helping you cope.
Four Important Things to Know:
Sleep ~ when insomnia isn’t keeping you up, sleep. The body heals when you’re sleeping and with RSD, its important that you get the sleep your body needs. Aside from sleeping at bedtime, you should take a nap or two during the day, when time allows. Turn off the TV! You don’t want anything to keep you from getting a sound sleep and keeping your subconscious awake. Find a quiet – cool room and get a warm blanket, give your body the extra downtime it needs.
Time ~ though you’re at your wits end, you should be aware and understand now – that RSD is a time disease. There is no set time frame and everyone is different. Understanding it can take a little or a lot of time, will help keep your mind clear of the “how long” worries and stress. Though with time, and this may mean years, you will learn to live a new normal life, it doesn’t mean the RSD will go away.
Stress ~ with everything you have in you, avoid stress as much as possible; it is NOT your friend. Stress wears and tears on healthy folks, so imagine what it does to someone with RSD. It will cause flare-ups, increase pain and mentally drain you. With this disease you don’t need any help in this area (smile).
Brain Power ~ the power of the mind is insane and your BEST friend, especially when you have RSD. With determination and practice, you can learn to control the RSD instead of it always controlling you… thus my saying, “RSD is living with me,” because I’m surely not living with it. With use of “Mind over Matter” and a LITTLE help with meds, you can reach a tolerable pain level.
RSD is a form of torture and with each stage it rips at your emotions, but your best defense is to fight back. Give yourself permission to cry and even scream, from time to time; its okay. If you haven’t already discovered who your real friends are, you will soon and then you’ll know who your support group is. Depending on the area affected, certain daily tasks will be difficult or impossible to do and help will be needed. Use the help offered, if in fact it has been and consider that one of your blessings. Don’t put to much on your family if you can help it, RSD is living with them also and you are going to need them for the duration; being a caregiver isn’t easy and it hurts those who love you to see you go through this.
Feel free to comment or even ask questions if you have any.
K*Chele (kimberly michele durham)
Posted in Health, Life and Love, RSD | Tagged Blog Entry, CRPS, Disease, Family, Friends, Health, Life, Media, Personal, Random, RSD, Self Aware, Self Help, Thoughts, WordPress, Writing | Leave a Comment »
For Immediate Release
Informing Toyota Consumers
Neutrally Speaking, Turn the Key of Worry Off
Consumers should be aware of options should they find themselves speeding along without control of their vehicle. Being an informed consumer eliminates fear, worry and/or questions of what do I do if. With heightened press regarding entrapment of accelerator pedals in certain Toyota models there has been little to no mention of what consumers can do, should this happen to them while driving.
Should a consumer find themselves in a sticky situation, where the accelerator pedal is wide open, there are a couple of solutions that should be easy to implement even in panic. Take notice of surroundings and make your way to the shoulder of the road. Turn on the emergency flashers, put the vehicle in neutral and with the brake applied, cut the vehicle off. If all else fails simply turn the vehicle off, the steering wheel will not lock up on these vehicles.
Some models will require the consumer to press and hold the button on the gear shift for a few seconds before it can be placed in neutral. The purpose of using the emergency flashers and applying the brake is to warn other drivers that there is a problem and they should proceed with caution. In spite of everything, we want to make life on the road as safe for everyone as possible.
Knowledge is power, inform consumers.
###
Consumers can enter their VIN (vehicle identification number) for recall information at:
www.toyotaownersonline.com/sscinfo
Contact: Kimberly Michele Durham kim@kcheledesigns.com * PO Box 1767 Clemmons, NC 27012Posted in Blog Entry, How To, Life and Love | Tagged Auto, Blog Entry, Family, Friends, Life, Media, News, Press Release, Self Aware, WordPress, Writing | 8 Comments »
It sweeps in, catching you by surprise
No respect of persons, affecting many lives
Attacking every emotion, even though you try
To keep your composure and hold it all inside
The good is hard to see, when its you that it has reached
If only it were a dream, this disease they attempt to treat
Faith will be strengthened and tested along the way
Though dreading, you’re thankful for another day
Eventually, this too shall pass
One of life’s little mysteries
Stays with us, but don’t last
Written by: Kimberly Michele Durham
Posted in Blog Entry, Life and Love, Poetry | Tagged Family, Friends, Health, Life, Lyrics, Poetry, Thoughts, WordPress, Writing | 2 Comments »
Posted in How To, Military, Volunteer | Tagged Family, Friends, Life, Military, WordPress | Leave a Comment »
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, or RSD, a chronic and incurable neurological disorder in which the sympathetic/autonomic nervous system – the system that transfers signals from the central nervous system to various organs throughout the body – malfunctions, causing nerves to misfire and send constant pain signals to the brain. RSD develops in response to physical trauma and becomes more active during times of stress. Its actions during the stress response comprise the fight-or-flight response.
What causes RSD? No one knows for sure, but whatever the cause, it is definitely not due to a psychological disorder or symptom magnification.
The most common symptom of RSD is chronic pain, which patients frequently describe as burning or stinging. Patients also suffer from extreme skin sensitivity, so that even clothing is unbearable and even the bed sheets feel like sandpaper. Other symptoms include:
- Aching, cold, burning pain
- Abnormal swelling
- Abnormal hair or nail growth
- Limited range of movement
- Abnormal sweating
- Abnormal skin temperature
- Continuous pain
- Allodynia (pain to the touch)
- Skin sensitivity
- Color changes in the affected area
Patients may also experience muscle spasms, tremors, weakness, fatigue, skin rashes, frequent infections, fever, headaches and insomnia.
Although there is no cure for RSD, there are many ways to manage its symptoms.
**You can read more about this under my blog post entitled: Dear Family and Friends. K*Chele
Posted in Blog Entry, Health, Life and Love, RSD | Tagged Blog Entry, Health, Life, RSD, WordPress | Leave a Comment »
Well, actually I do care – but there are instances when we all have those, I don’t care moments and some more than others. I’ve spent most of my life giving, volunteering and putting others first and it has always been difficult for me to ask for help. However, there have been times when I needed help and upon gathering the nerve to ask for it, more times than not, was only disappointed and I bet if the question was posed to those – ask me if i care, they would not answer or say no.
How is it that those we give the most to can so easily turn or ignore us when they are needed in return, if only for something simple? Could it be because they are takers, cons, have good intentions, but nothing more?
Reality is real and I refuse to let others pull me down so far that I become as they are and not care. I may have to fight harder, work harder and struggle more, but in the end I will be stronger and a lot more wiser. So, to all those who don’t care and are too selfish to help those in need, when they have helped and given so much to you – Thank You!
Closing thoughts, be careful who you use, abuse, step on, ignore, turn on – those are bridges that you may later regret burning.
Words May Hurt You, Struggles May Try to Break You, but Neither Can Stop You!
Kimberly Michele Durham
Posted in Blog Entry, Life and Love, Volunteer | Tagged Blog Entry, Family, Friends, Life, Personal, Random, Thoughts, WordPress, Writing | Leave a Comment »
Take Oprah’s No Phone Zone Pledge. Everybody at some point has thought to themselves or said, “It won’t happen to me,” but it happens to somebody everyday. Lives are changed forever! I applaud Oprah for discussing this on her show and hope that people will put down those phones while driving.
As parents who pay for our children’s cell phone and control the plan and options, we can lower percentages tremendously by simply making a few changes. There are a lot of issues surrounding sexting and texting that remain due to non-action. I believe in finding a solution rather than focusing on the problem and though you may not be very popular, there is an easy solution to this problem – remove text from the phone.
My son will be seventeen in April and he has never had text on his phone. Though he is one of the few if not the only one, in our community that doesn’t have the ability to text from his cell phone; he knows why he doesn’t have it. If you remove the temptation, they cannot be tempted. It is also important to communicate with your children, especially teens, so there is no misunderstanding of why you’ve made certain decisions; you don’t won’t them thinking you don’t trust them.
As adults we sometimes forget that we lead by example. What I mean by this is if you don’t want your kids using their phone while driving, then you shouldn’t either. Even when you think no one is looking, they are and this applies in all areas of our lives including the workplace.
Technology has made things to easy creating a lazy generation and in my opinion calls for tougher parents. I’m very thankful for my up-bringing in a home with rules, love and communication and it has proven itself with the raising of my kids. Tough love teaches - doing what’s easy cripples.
Be the Change! K*Chele
Posted in Blog Entry, Health, How To, Life and Love | Tagged Auto, Blog Entry, Cell Phones, Family, Friends, Health, Life, News, Texting, WordPress, Writing | Leave a Comment »
Mind Over Matter, Commit to Quit Smoking with Me:
Start Date: 19 January 2010 (updates will be listed below and seperated by date)
I have been smoking two packs of cigarettes a day and sometimes more, for 26 years. During this time I have enjoyed it, but most of it has been habit and during stress. Born and raised in NC around tobacco all my life, January 1st of this year, smoking is no longer allowed in most public places. Honestly, I was pissed! But I now see it as a chance to do what I have been discussing for the last two years; quit.
My mama passed away February 23rd, 2006 from lung cancer and she wasn’t the first in my family. Completely devastated, I couldn’t touch a cigarette after leaving the graveside and didn’t for sixteen days; I know… why did I ever pick them back up? My husband was still smoking and I caved, realizing this was something we had to do together.
Most folks can take Chantix or use some other aid, but I’m not one of those. I began thinking about something my physical therapist said to me last week during our session, he said, “you’re tough, you can do it” and he’s right. If I can battle RSD, survive all I’ve been through, simply using the power of my mind then I should be able to do this as well. So, I picked my start day and here I am.
Now, I have no idea how it will turn out, but at the end of day one (7:00am -1:00am) 18 hours, I smoked 24 cigarettes. When you consider that my norm has been 45 plus – I did dern good for my first day. It really comes down to will power and wanting to quit and quiting for YOU!
It’s important that others know you’re intentions, so they can provide the support needed and I posted it today along with telling those around me. I’ll post my progress here on my blog and hope to have thousands join me.
Never underestimate the power of the mind… Goodluck to us! K*Chele
Update: 31 January 2010 ~ Twelve Days In
Okay… so I’m struggling now, there are no more Non-FSC (fire safety code) cigarettes to be had in North Carolina and as of right now, I have exactly 20 cigarettes left – that’s one pack. Seeing how I cannot smoke the FSC cigarettes at all, because they make me seriously ill – this pack is it!
I’m so glad I started this plan when I did, because I would’ve never made it cold-turkey after smoking two and half packs a day all these years. Since starting this plan, I have smoked no more than 26 in a day and during the last week I have stayed under 18 in a day. That is a huge accomplishment for me and hopefully once this last pack is gone, it will be a little easier due to my cutting back gradually the last twelve days.
I do want to take a moment and comment on the new FSC paper that cigarettes are now wrapped in. I think it’s awful that the decision was made to change the cigarettes that smokers have smoked for years, making them even more toxic and dangerous than they already were! Not only do they make you physically ill, but the end falls off. You gotta wonder what they were thinking, when they claimed these were safe?
I wonder if all things enjoyable will be changed based on a groups idea of it and then forced on us? Smokers have been forced to become non-smokers, but as a person who doesn’t drink - I’m still forced to be around drunks in public!
So, I challenge ALL smokers to “Commit to Quit Smoking with Me and should you need a little more help in doing so, I have done some research on the blu cigs and suggest you try those.
I’m Just Saying: K*Chele
Posted in Blog Entry, Health, How To, Life and Love | Tagged Blog Entry, Faith, Family, Friends, Health, Life, Smoking, WordPress, Writing | 5 Comments »
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