Because I live daily with this extremely rare Neurological disease I feel inclined to recognize that November is National RSD Awareness month. It is known as the "suicide disease" Many people end their lives because of the pain that constantly rages on and truly rarely ceases. I live daily with seizures along with chronic, crippling, debilitating pain, BUT I am grateful. Sure I have AWFUL days where I want to be freed from RSD, but I have developed a greater understanding of who I am, and why I am here on this earth. I am so blessed to be sealed to an amazingly supportive eternal companion. More than ever I feel grateful to have a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful to know that my family can be eternal no matter what this life throws at us. We are all given our own set of trials, and I constantly stand in AWE at the way so many of you have had sore trials and handled them with amazing faith. I feel so thankful for the miracles I have seen because of this illness. There have been many. I am overwhelmed with the love, kindness, compassion, and prayers that have been poured out on myself and my family. This illness is a blessing even though everyday it is a trial. So without anymore gushing here is a pretty comprehensive take on what RSD is. "RSD is a chronic, progressive, debilitating neurological disorder that occurs in response to an inury or illness, after which the nervous system malfunctions—causing nerves to misfire and send constant pain signals back to the brain, essentially, shutting parts of the body down.
When left undiagnosed and untreated, intractable pain and other disabling symptoms occur, including extreme sensitivity to touch, lights and sounds, severe headaches, numbness, weakness, movement disorder, paralysis, ulcerative skin lesions, seizures and softening of the bones. In its later stages, RSD can lead to internal organ dysfunction and cardiac complications. Patients may become unable to digest food, maintain stable levels of blood pressure or regulate their body temperature. RSD can ultimately ravage the entire body and its organs.
On the medically accepted McGill Pain Scale, where zero equals no pain, and fifty equals the most intense pain, RSD is ranked as a 46/50-- making it the most painful disease known to medicine!
RSD is ranked higher than pain from a bone fracture (20), cancer (24), childbirth (32) and even above amputation (38)!
Imagine if every touch cut like a knife, every breeze felt like a blow torch and even a gentle hug caused you to feel as if you were being electrocuted, if every pain medication available to you was completely ineffective?
That is what RSD feels like. And it is horrific."