The sixth stage of Dr. Jennifer Martin’s seven-stage iteration for chronic illness is “Re-evaluation.”
At this stage, I am ready to say “now what?” What are the realistic options for my future? How do I make the most of what I have now, even though it is not what I want?
CRPS/RSD
Right now, I am focused on what I can do to push CRPS into remission. I am reading every clinical trial I can get hold of. I search out where the research is being done on the remission of CRPS. Even though CRPS is a rare disorder and there are many ways to divide it up when it comes to research, the divide is 1) researching remission for those in the first 12 months and 2) researching pain solutions for those whose CRPS is permanent. I also am counting on my neurologist, who usually enjoys finding solutions to challenging problems. But she is also getting tired of fighting the insurance companies to get her unusual patients the best care. If the COVID-19 pandemic sends her into retirement, I will be back at the Anxiety box quickly.
Loss of Physical Strength
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I need to work on a written plan that describes all the possible exercises that I can do at home with the equipment I have. I then need to determine how often I need to do each task. My first effort at problem-solving is a spreadsheet. I have listed every physical therapy and cardiovascular exercise I can think of and put that in a spreadsheet. Each day I mark off which ones I did. But I still keep coming up with exercises I should be doing but are not on the spreadsheet yet. It will continue to grow.
Mental Fog
Video games seem to the best for assessing how well my mind is working and it what ways. I plan to write some notes on each “Good” or “OK” day describing pain levels, activities, and reaching back to cover the bad days. One strangely calming game is a “color-by-numbers.” Each “paint” color disappears when I have found all the spots for that color. My son was quite surprised that I was doing anything remotely artistic.
Travel Restrictions
I am not working on any solution for this now. I see a world-wide pandemic that has closed nearly all the borders. I don’t expect that to change enough for safe travels for at least a year. Assuming the CRPS goes into remission before the end of the 12-month window, I will be ready before the world is ready for me.
