2/19/14. The post where I am reminded (again) that it's a marathon, not a sprint.

2/19/14: can't seem to shake this bad spell.  Still at 7.5-8 all day.  I had a PT appointment first thing this morning, and I think it was obvious that I was at my wit's end.  

My PT decided it was time for a pep talk.  (Maybe he intended it as a lecture, but I prefer to think of it as a pep talk.)  I had heard much of it before, either from him or my doctor, but it was a good time for a reminder and I left feeling better emotionally, if not physically. A few things I took away from our talk:

1.  The pain is real.  He reminded me that my brain is not imagining the pain - it is getting real pain signals.  (The malfunction is in the communication system, which is sending the signals without a good reason.)  So when it feels like an 8, it is.  And when it feels like a 6, it is.  It's not that I'm dealing better with the pain on those days.  There really is less pain.

2.  For that reason, there is no benefit in overdoing it physically, either in PT or anything else.  He said I should concentrate on expending the least effort possible to achieve the desired goal.  He reminded me that "we" had already tried pushing and it didn't help.  Stop when it hurts, don't try to ignore it or work through it.  Easier said than done, but I'm trying.

3.  This is going to be a long process.  He told me it is different for every person, but it won't be measured in weeks.  He was confident that I will see improvement, but he talked more in terms of comparing how I feel now to how I will feel this time next year.  It's a marathon, not a sprint. 

My second nerve block is tomorrow.  The point of having the nerve blocks (if they work) is to get some immediate, temporary relief so that I can do more physical therapy, which is what can ultimately bring the RSD into remission. I hope it works this time.  I'm training for a marathon, you know.