Do you make New Year’s resolutions? If not, do you make a pact with yourself to do something in the New Year that’s different from what you’ve done in the past? To learn something new, to develop a new habit or break an old one? Clean out a closet, re-organize a workspace, or maybe to take walks more often?
My approach to the New Year is less about resolutions and more about trying new things. Last year, I opted to focus on cultural events; to try to attend at least one cultural activity each month. My husband joined me for the evening events, but I also sought out activities held on weekdays now that I’m unable to continue my career because of my rare disease.
Although I’d continued to work full-time despite the variety of symptoms of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), I had to step away from my career in bioethics a year ago due to mild cognitive impairment (MCI). These cognitive issues are related to CRPS, which is both a neuro-inflammatory condition and an autoimmune disease:
Significant neuropsychological deficits are present in 65% of patients, with many patients presenting with elements of a dysexecutive syndrome and some patients presenting with global cognitive impairment.”(1)
In 2019 the primary focus of each weekday – my work – disappeared as though in a puff of smoke. One day it was there, the next day it was gone. To help deal with this loss I filled up my days, by finding things I enjoyed to do – and that got me out of my home.
It’s easy to find things to do outside my four walls in the late spring, summer, and early fall; all I have to do to feel better is to go out on my bicycle! Or go out into my gardens, to simply be outside in nature. The wintry months, though, are another story!
CRPS pain is often invisible and is difficult to explain to family, friends and colleagues.
In addition, patients are faced with the frustration of no longer being able to do the things they used to and can lose their sense of identity.”(2)
That last line perfectly sums up how I felt at the start of 2019. Last January was my first month away from my workplace, away from my colleagues and my career, and I felt lost. Combined with winter cabin-fever, it was a very rough period for me.
It didn’t take me long to realize that I needed to find things to do during the day – outside of my home – with other people. I truly missed the everyday human contact that I’d gotten used to, in an open-concept office environment.
A number of cities and towns in my area operate cultural centres and libraries, and each of these occasionally presents lectures, workshops, and other activities during weekdays. There are also several universities in the area, also offering public lectures and talks.
These community and university events usually last an hour or less, which is perfect for me; that’s about the limit of my concentration and focus now that I have MCI. Many of these activities are free, or with very modest price entrance fees.
Rather than making a specific New Year’s resolution for 2019, I instead opted to focus on trying to attend cultural activities a few times a month. I really enjoyed these events, and as a bonus I found several fantastic evening concerts and documentary art films to go to with my husband ‘-)
This year I’ll continue seeking out daytime cultural events, and will look for other types of activities that I might be able to do – despite my CRPS and MCI. Today was a good example, and nice and early on in the New Year!
Today was my first-ever aqua-fitness class, at a local indoor pool complex ‘-) Called aqua-arthritics, it’s designed for people who have chronic pain conditions and who might have issues with their musculoskeletal system; their joints . It was great to be back in the water again, as I used to love to swim.
I’ve avoided pools since being diagnosed with CRPS, because if another swimmer bumps into my right hand or arm it will cause an excruciating flare of pain; so intense that I often either faint or vomit – and I never which it will be! Although less crowded, I’ve had to give up swimming at my local beach as well; it’s on a cool-water lake, and the cold water also triggers neuropathic pain flares.
The aqua-arthritics class is taught in a smaller teaching pool, within the multi-pool complex, so the water temperature is kept warmer than the regular swimming pools. This session is only for eight weeks, ending in early March, so I’m hoping that by then the snow and ice will have melted off our roads and I’ll be able to get back out on my bicycle again ‘-)
By the way, the aqua-fitness class is an add-on to my regular exercise – because aerobic or cardio exercise is the best tool that I’ve found to deal with my pain and other symptoms of CRPS.
My regular week includes the stationary bike, my gym, physical therapy, and at-home yoga for chronic pain. The aqua-fitness course is just one more tool in that toolbox, a way of reminding myself that I can still try new things, despite my disease ‘-)
As always, thank you for stopping in to read this post. I’d love to hear from you, but each time I try to re-activate the Comments section of the blog I get slammed with obscene messages from overseas sources ‘-( So feel free to reach out over on Instagram or Twitter!
References
(1) David J. Libon, Robert J. Schwartzman, Joel Eppig, et al. Neuropsychological deficits associated with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. J International Neuropsychological Society (JINS). 2010; 16, 566–573. Online 19 Mar 2010. doi:10.1017/S1355617710000214. Accessed 07 Jan 2020:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-international-neuropsychological-society/article/neuropsychological-deficits-associated-with-complex-regional-pain-syndrome/F56D83F23BB269C52DDF43198BA0536D#
(2) J Gavin, K Rodham, N Coulson et al. Meeting the support needs of patients with complex regional pain syndrome through innovative use of wiki technology: a mixed-methods study. Southampton (UK): NIHR Journals Library; 2014 Jul. (Health Services and Delivery Research, No. 2.24.) Chapter 1, Background. Online. Accessed 07 Jan 2020:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK259911/