Trust me, I am well aware that some people have it worse than me. I am grateful that I am at where I am. However, there are some facts about CRPS that people don't really know that may put things into perspective.
1. CRPS can, in fact, kill someone.
There isn't a whole lot of studies done on this part of the disease, but it is possible for CRPS to kill someone. CRPS affects internal organs. This is pretty new information but they are learning that it doesn't just affect our limbs. It affects every part of our bodies, our organs and body systems included. So, naturally, if it spreads to organs like our lungs or heart, it can and will kill us. So that takes care of the "you could be dying" point. I mean, realistically, we are all dying, but some of us have things that could possibly accelerate that process.
2. CRPS is currently the most painful disease known of.
This means that, according to the McGill Pain Scale, it is more painful than cancer, unprepared childbirth, and amputation. And we live in that painful state 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
3. Unlike a lot of other illnesses, our brain is directly affected by this illness.
Our brain is actually a key "player" in this illness. But on top of that, our memory and reaction time are greatly affected as well.
4. Similar to some types of cancer, CRPS has a great potential to spread.
For me it already has. It can spread to any of our limbs and then can turn into full body CRPS. So it goes from excruciating pain in just one area of the body to it being in multiple areas or all over the body. I will share my personal story of this. When I was diagnosed my CRPS was just in my right foot, not even up to the ankle. Within a year it was up to my knee and within a few years, up to my hip. It quickly spread to my other leg, making my affected areas to be both legs from the feet to the hips. It developed into my lower back around the same time. A couple of years ago it spread to my hands, both of them at the same time. and now it is in both my legs up to the hips, my lower back, and both my hands and forearms. I have no doubt that it will likely spread more.
I am so incredibly grateful that I don't have it worse and I HATE that there are other people who do. My one suggestion to anyone talking to someone with a chronic illness would be to never say, "You could have it worse" because you never know what that person really deals with.