Hi everyone!

I'm Kate, I'm a 27 year old married mum with three kids, and I have RSD. This is a chronic pain condition, with no cure and not a lot of useful treatment options. The pain is rated higher than childbirth (on the only international recognised pain scale used by all the medical field), and this is what we live with day in, day out. It's no fun :mad:

It's quite similar to Fibro, some of the symptoms overlap. Pain is the main symptom, in the form of muscle pain, nerve pain, deep bone pain, spasms, cramps, shooting electric shocks, stinging pain, and touch pain (which is a nightmare, even a breeze feels like someone's hit your arm, touch from a person is a definate no-no)- and you can have a few of these going on at once. Then there's weakness, muscle fatigue, a huge temperature drop, swelling, purple mottled skin, stiff joints- you wouldn't wish this on your worst enemy.

I have my RSD in my right arm, from fingers to neck. It started from a blood test that caused trauma to the median nerve, now my whole sympathetic nervous system is buggered.

This started when my eldest daughter was 2years old, and my second was 7months old.

I also have a son, who's three now, who was born post-rsd. I went into a form of remission during the pregnancy, which was great! Although it was hard after he was born, as the pain came back, my meds that I had taken before no longer worked, and I was trying to manage 3 kids one handed, and in a lot of pain. But it was worth it, I have a gorgeous little boy!

I'm now having a much needed break. I had a ketamine infusion in March and am still free of pain- I'm so happy to have my life back! There's no way of knowing how long it will last, this is still a pretty new treatment and everyone is different, so I'm enjoying everyday, but also very aware that it could all come back any second.

But we've decided to go for baby #4- something we never thought possible! I'm hoping that between the benefit I'm still getting from the ketamine infusion, and the pregnancy hormones, I'll have a pain free pregnancy!

Anyone else here have rsd (its also knows as crps, that's why I wrote that)?? I'd love to chat with other mums/mums-to-be.

This is a long post, sorry!

x Kate