I’m slowly admitting to myself that it may be a very long time before I’m able to do certain things with my right hand again, even though I’m right-handed. Or that I may never be able to return to doing some of my favourite activities.
Simply because of a fluke accident. Last year I slipped on a patch of winter ice, and broke my arm. I didn’t even need surgery for the fracture, but that simple broken wrist triggered a rare autoimmune and neuro-inflammatory disease.(1)
On the positive side, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) only affects my right hand and arm. On the negative side, it affects my entire life because this condition causes severe neuropathic pain and a whole bunch of other symptoms.
What kinds of activities do I mean? One example is taking nature photos and videos; animals, birds, even insects. To do this well, you have to be able to hold the camera quite steady, and be ready to focus in on a creature very quickly.
I’ve already given up on using a camera with one hand – the ‘wrong’ one, at that – so have been using my smartphone to take photos. Today I decided to try my hand – pun intended! – at shooting video of wildlife. I was practising in my backyard gardens. Mother Nature was very cooperative, and sent an endangered monarch butterfly for me to try to film.
Well, I have to say, I’m happy with the result… It’s a very short clip, but I managed to shoot a decent video with my left hand – without too much movement while filming. This is a still shot, from the video clip.
I have the feeling that I’ll be showing this video clip to everyone I know, over the next few days! I’m proud of myself, for trying to adapt to this rare disease in yet another way. For finding ways back to sharing my passion for nature and for the great outdoors.
Reference:
(1) Cooper MS, Clark VP. Neuroinflammation, neuroautoimmunity, and the co-morbidities of complex regional pain syndrome. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2013;8(3):452–469. doi:10.1007/s11481-012-9392-x. Accessed 30 Jul 2019. Web:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3661922/