One of the things that can be a problem for me is trying to pace things, so that I don’t cause myself any more pain. There are lots of times that I push myself too hard because I just want to get better. So what happens is that we end up having to back off my physio so that my pain can subside a bit. Or it can just be me overdoing it in general. My bodies response however is the same flare up!!

We have been trying really hard as of late to try and get some more movement in my ankle. I really didn’t think that I was overdoing things, however my body recently has been telling me a different story. It seems as though I have been overdoing it and now I have to start listening to my body again! It can be really hard when the signals aren’t getting through to the brain properly. I might think that I’m doing things within my limitations when really I’m not. What I’m finding is that I need to really take the time to slow down and make the right decisions. Might sound easy to do however when your dealing with CRPS that isn’t so easy.

With every decision that you make it can be like a ticking time bomb because you don’t know if it’s going to set off a flare up. So you try as hard as you can to take things slow and increase the things you do slowly so you don’t wake the angry giant that is inside. Tell me that it isn’t frustrating that I can’t take a simple walk around the lake that I live by!! I try to stay positive and see any bits and pieces of improvement as positives. It still doesn’t make it easy, because for years doing the basic things in life where so easy for us. You learn to appreciate those simple things.

All the ups and downs can be really hard on us, and we can’t give in. We need to stay focused on all the things that our therapists tell us to work on. Listen to them when they tell you that you might be overdoing things a little to much. Sometimes our wants and needs can stand in the way of us making those decisions that are right. You need to listen to the advice of the people that are helping us. Remember that they want to see us get better along with everyone else.

Just remember to take things at a pace that doesn’t set you back, but keeps you moving in a forward direction. We need to learn how to read the messages that our body gives us. When I do a good job listening to my body then I find that I go for longer periods of time without a flare. When I’m not taking those things into consideration then the opposite happens. It’s about finding a balance, and as you do that then you start to see progress. As you pace youself then you start to create a balance. The hard part is trying to keep pacing yourself.