Saturday, March 2, 2013

RSD Interview #37 - With Kim Roberts


HOW AND WHEN DID YOU GET RSD?
In May of 2012, I had surgery to remove Plica from around the kneecap. Yet, afterward, I was in constant pain and the doctor said it was from built up scar tissue, so we decided to do another surgery (to clean it out). Very simple, or so I thought. On January 24th, 2013, I had surgery. And I woke up in recovery, screaming and crying in pain. They were giving me Dilaudid and that wasn’t even helping. They called anesthesia down to do a nerve block, I was good to go after that J A few days later, I woke up and my foot was numb and felt like I had a thousand needles poking me in the foot. It felt horrible. The next day, I went for my post op appointment and the doctor said it was probably from the nerve block. It continued throughout the week and, by Thursday, it was both my foot and my calf. They started turning purple and splotchy, and hurt so bad. They were so cold, it felt as if I had been sitting in a tub of ice. Fearing it was vascular, I called the doctor and they brought me into the office. They told me it wasn’t vascular and I had good circulation. That was when she said those horrible words “It's RSD”. L

IN WHAT WAYS HAS IT AFFECTED YOUR LIFE?
It has drastically changed my life. I am unable to bear weight on my foot, due to pain. It feels as if I'm stepping on broken glass or knives slicing my foot. It is the worst feeling to not be able to get around and do certain things for yourself. I'm stuck on crutches, and some days I just want to scream!

DO YOU HAVE A GOOD SUPPORT SYSTEM?
I have an amazing support system. My husband has been so supportive.
However, even with a good support system, it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with this.

DOES FAITH PLAY A PART IN YOUR STRUGGLE OR YOUR STAMINA?

HOW HAVE YOU RE-INVENTED YOURSELF?
I am newly diagnosed with this monster. I am barely learning to cope with it. I am sure, down the road, I will find a way to re-invent myself but right now I am still so angry.

HAS ANYTHING GOOD COME FROM THIS TRIAL?
I think it is going to help raise awareness of this disease and help show others what we deal with on a daily basis.

WHAT THINGS DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
I miss playing with my daughter, going dancing, and walking, most of all.

WHAT DO YOU WANT THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO
KNOW ABOUT YOU AND/OR YOUR DISEASE?
This disease isn’t just in our heads, it is real!! We deal with so much pain on a daily basis that most people couldn’t begin to imagine the feeling. Some days the pain is so bad that you feel like you're on fire, or that you're sitting in a tub of ice, not being able to function.


No comments:

Post a Comment