Let me start but saying I am not an CRPS sufferer but I live with CRPS every day. While I am not one of the founding members of our support group, I have been since the day my husband, who has CRPS in his left ankle, decided it was time for him to meet other people with this devastating condition. Until then, I felt that we were the only people in the world who had their lives shaken and turned upside down. But I quickly learned I was wrong. Instead, I met, and continue to meet new people whose lives were changed by some act of fate that continues to transform strangers into friends.

Everyone reaches a point that changes his or her perspective on life. Whether it's having your heart broken, giving birth, the death of a loved one, or CRPS, no one is immune from physical and emotional pain. At the same time, when the world seems against you, that is the exact time you are growing. Helen Keller said, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trail and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved. Silver is purified by fire and so are we. It in the most trying times that our real character is shaped and revealed."

A support group can help give perspective to your pain and the changes in your life. You may see others confined to wheelchairs while you are able to walk without assistance or with occasional use of a cane. You may hear a friend say her arm feels like it's on fire and realize that yours isn't so bad today. While it is hard to be in a good mood when you are in pain, our group meetings are always in a positive light. There is always more laughter than tears, more cheerful thoughts than depressing ones. And I think most members walk away, having forgotten about their pain for an hour or two.

In a recent survey of our members, we learned that for some people their CRPS brought certain relationships to new levels of understanding and tolerance. Unfortunately for others, it also drew them away from loved ones. The support of family is critical to any type of care. We all hear stories of families rallying around a cancer patient while undergoing chemotherapy, or a heart patient trying to recover from bypass surgery. Even happy occasions like the birth of a child find family and friends offering hope. This is not always true with CRPS patients. While family may offer help they may not truly understand the pain you are suffering or grasp the scope of the disease. And the longer you suffer, sometimes the less help you receive.

Family members and friends can help patients, not just with chores around the house or by driving them to the doctor's office. They can and should be encouraged to attend the medical appointments and ask their own questions. Spouses and parents should be aware of the medications and the side effects. Most CRPS patients suffer from short-tem memory loss and may not always realize that something is wrong because of their medications. On several occasions, I have advised my husband and his doctors that he has had reactions to his medications. For example, in the beginning, we had a doctor who switched my husband's medicine frequently to find the prescription that worked. But it wasn't until one day in tears did I tell a friend that I didn't know who my husband was anymore that I realized he was going through withdrawal from the medication. Once I told the physician, he said he wouldn't use it anymore. I also learned not to let anyone take him off medication "cold turkey."

Living with RSDS, Inc., has many active family members who offer insight into the pain of watching a loved one suffer and talk about feelings of helplessness. Open dialogue between both sides benefits everyone. People should not have to fight their pain along.

Both our family members and the CRPS patients feel the most important aspect of the group is learning that they are not alone in this pain. Whenever we have new members we take the time for them to tell their stories, talk about their CRPS and their lives before and after their diagnosis. In addition, several times a year, our meetings are open for all members to update each other about their treatments and offer suggestions on living. These meetings are important for the members to share their experiences and feelings about who they were and who they have become. It is equally enlightening to spouse and children to talk and listen. It is not at all neither serious nor adult whining. There is a lot of compassion, camaraderie and humor used to distract from the seriousness of the pain sometimes the best medicine is just being able to talk with people who understand your pain and what you are going through.

Last year I read Still Me by Christopher Reeve. While I am a Superman fan, I read it more in hopes of understanding my husband and his new disability, even through his CRPS wasn't as tragic as a spinal cord injury.

The following sentiment from Christopher Reeve helped me to better understand my husband and other people whose lives changed in a moment.  "People have asked me what it's like to have sustained a spinal cored injury and be confined to a wheelchair. Apart from the medical conditions, I would have to say the works part of it is leaving the physical world—having to make the transition from participant to observer long before I would have expected. I think most of us are prepared to give up cherished physical activities gradually as we age. The difference is that I would have had time to prepare for other ways of enjoying the things I love to do the most. But to have to have it all change and have most of it taken away at age 42 is devastating. As much as I remind myself that being is more important than doing, that the quality of relationships is the key to happiness, I am actually putting on a brave face. I do believe these things are true, but I miss freedom, spontaneity, action, and adventure more than I can say.

Accepting that loss of freedom doesn't happen overnight. To assist in modifying the daily tasks, our support group invites a variety of doctors and other medical professionals as well as holistic specialists to come and speak to our members and their families. The one thing we have learned is that what works for one person may not work for the next. In our meetings we remind members that even if the treatment reduces the pain for a few hours or days, we all learned from the experience. As different as we all are, our group strives to help each and everyone living with CRPS get the most out of life.

I would like to offer one closing thought. I am sure many of you would agree that CRPS changed your life before you knew what was happening. Now you must learn how to live with the pain, endure the doctor visits, put on a brave face for loved ones, and still try to be the person you were before. Whether you were an active sportsman, had a successful career, or were an affectionate and playful parent, times changed and so did you. Your opinion of yourself and your world changed as well.

His accident, treatments and present lifestyle caused Christopher Reeve to rethink his definition of a hero. He once thought a hero was "someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences. Now he tells people he thinks a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. I agree. Each of you fits his current description. You are heroes to your loved ones, to your friends, and to other CRPS sufferers worldwide.

RSDSA Review.