It’s been about a week since I last posted so sorry that I haven’t updated sooner. I haven’t really had the energy to spend the time trying to post a new message. I’m fighting my energy level right now which happens from time to time. It’s my bodies way of saying enough is enough and I need rest. What lots of people may not realize is that the body is drained of lots of energy trying to fight off pain. At the same time I have a three year old who is testing us in every way right now which sucks up every last ounce of my energy as well.

Other than feeling tired my pain is under control today which makes life a little easier in general. I had a nice relaxing weekend with no kids, which makes a huge difference in my pain levels, because half of the stress is there. The weather in our parts has been great and I’m trying to be as active as my body will allow me to be. It’s nice to be outside after having been inside for the past six months during winter. Now days can be spent taking the kids to the parks and getting outside.

I may not be able to do all the things I’d like to with my kids, however going to the park is one of those things that I can do with them. I just park myself on a bench there at the park and let them enjoy the playground. For the longest time I struggled with how to interact with my kids now that things have changed. It’s hard not being able to help your kid learn how to ride a bike or to kick a soccer ball and run around with them. I need to focus on trying to do things that are within my abilities that the kids will enjoy. The point I’m trying to make is that even though it’s hard to interact with our kids the way we want we still can.

Over time I’m slowly learning to adapt as well as the kids to my disabilities. We are learning how to make the most out of what we can. I’m at home with my kids so there hasn’t really been much of a choice I’ve had to adapt the best that I can. This is something that’s really good for me because it challenges me every day, doing things that aren’t always easy to do. It helps you figure out where your boundaries are and how far you can push yourself.

My kids can be a great way to take my mind off the pain as well as be a source of making the pain worse, it’s all about finding that balance. Do I struggle with finding that balance? There isn’t a day that this isn’t difficult, however slowly over time it’s working itself out. The point is that you can don’t have to sacrifice your kids when you have CRPS. Remember it’s not what you do with your kids that’s important, but spending that time with them that they need and deserve.

My message is that if you have CRPS then your role as a parent doesn’t have to stop, it only has to be modified. It took me some time to be able how to figure out how to make some of those changes but over time we have been able to do what works for our family.