my sleep patterns are awful and so
I find myself getting next to no
sleep. Finding a way to help give
my body the rest it needs to try and
repair itself is crucial. Although I
still might not get a full 6-8 hours
of rest by having a nap I still provide
or set my body up in the best
possible way I can.
The biggest change that I have
made is radically changing my diet.
One of the symptoms I deal with is
severe swelling so I try and build
lots of foods that are high in antiinflammatory
qualities. So my diet
has become more plant based and I
build in lots of fruits, nuts, and anything
else that can reduce inflammation.
As well I no longer eat anything
that has preservatives and
have tried to reduce the amount of
glutton that I consume. Our bodies
take on what we put into them and I
didn’t really take it that seriously
until I started feeling better and had
more energy. This was an important
change because taking on
chronic illness every day I burn
through my energy and so I need to
be at my best in order to keep
fighting. These were the three big
changes that I made to the physical
side of my self-care.
40— iPain Living Magazine
The great thing about these specific
changes is that not only do they
have physical benefits to me but
they help my mental health as well.
Another change was that I started
working with a psychologist in order
to address areas of my emotional
and psychological health that had
become affected by my diagnosis.
The mental health aspect is every
bit as important to take care of and
I can’t stress that enough. Putting
the proper professional into place
that could help me sort through all
of my emotions was another essential
piece to the puzzle. This along
with having very strong support
from family, friends, and individuals
from within patient communities
or groups was really important.
Saving the best for last, finding a
core of healthcare providers that
I’m proud to call my team, makes
taking this beast called CRPS a
team effort. I can rely on these professionals
any time I need them,
and it makes dealing with everything
so much easier. Let’s just say
that it reduces my stress and they
are always a phone call away. I
know this might seem like a simple
thing but it’s really big in my world
of rare!
Look! In my opinion self-care can
only help you and it certainly isn’t
going to hurt you. These are real
big and important changes that I
have made to my lifestyle. Other
simple changes have made a difference
as well.
The purpose in all of this is to try
and improve quality of life and I
really believe that it has. Although
I’m still living with a rare disease,
practicing self-care enables me to
live the best possible life I can
within the confines of the disease. I
feel good about everything and my
self-esteem is doing well under a
very challenging set of circumstances.
My faith continues to sustain
me and I have a renewed hope!
Ross McCreery is a patient advocate
fighting to raise awareness
and create change for those of us
who live with chronic pain. In
2006 he was diagnosed with the
rare disease called CRPS
(Complex Regional Pain Syndrome).
Ross is the founder of
CRPS Awareness Day in Saskatchewan
which is an initiative
designed to educate and raise
awareness for the disease. He also
works with the Rare Disease
Foundation and has launched
with them a first Adult Peer-2-
Peer Resource Group in Canada.
(Connued from page 39)