Making a Start

Well, here I am then; making a start!

I was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)  19 months ago. It has been an eventful journey to say the least! But I won't bore you with that now.

You may have stumbled across my blog while searching for information about CRPS, in which case welcome. I'm guessing you or someone you know has been recently diagnosed with CRPS and are looking for clues! I know when CRPS was first mentioned to me I was searching like mad. I followed so many links to see what on earth this thing called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome was all about. Some of it was useful, some of it was horrific! That's the internet for you; it's like a huge cauldron of words and pictures for you to delve into but you've got to make sure you've got your "what do I need to know right now" glasses on.

So, you've been diagnosed with CRPS? Be positive, be realistic, try not to judge yourself, it's not your fault, it's nothing you did, it's not all in your head but you will have to explain CRPS a hundred million times! There's new research being published all the time so keep searching, be proactive and keep spreading the word - awareness is key.

So why am I entering the world of blogging? It's very simple actually...as part of my "treatment" it has been suggested that I record all my achievements; hence the name of my blog. So here goes:

Today I cleaned the toilet! Now that might not sound like much of an achievement and certainly not one you'd post online! Well for me it is. I'm really pleased with myself. I gave it a good scrub! It looks lovely and sparkling now - not that anyone else is going to notice, but hey, I'm not judging. I know I did it and I can admire it!

I also talked for 4 hours, well I actually listened a lot, with my sister. I love my sister. She visited me today and discovered a new route that wasn't half as tedious or tiring, great news! We did my mindful breathing together, she loved it and found it very relaxing, as do I. His voice is sooo calming. Must remember to email her the file so she can put it on her 'phone too. (I love my smartphone, it has revolutionised my life!) Mindful breathing really helps when you've got CRPS and I try to do it for 5 minutes at least 3 times a day.

Then we watched my mindful exercises DVD and did a few together - if you can feel the stretch then it must be doing some good. Again, lovely voice and sooo relaxing. I try to do 25 minutes every day.

And I started my very own blog...
That's quite enough for one day!