For this project we wrote a story (that had happened in our past) that shaped as a person. This is my story.
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
A flame kindles in my shin as I drop to the ground. Tears fall from my eyes like a rain storm. Then I think “be strong”. I stand as if nothing happened. After soccer practice we head for our house. As soon as I sit down my mom put ice on my leg. “What happened?” my mom asked in confusion. “I passed the ball under pressure and my shin guard slipped. When she charged for the ball she kicked as hard as she could and ended up hitting my shin. As soon as that happened, I crumpled to the ground”, I replied crying, remembering the fire I felt inside at that moment.
My mom knew something was wrong when I was still in pain a week later, so she made an appointment with the sports medicine doctor. In the time being she put me in a walking boot to protect my leg, but I kept playing soccer. We were headed to the State Championships and I didn’t want to miss out. When it was finally time for my appointment I was a little scared. I felt like a I had butterflies in my stomach. He looked at my leg and said he couldn’t see anything wrong, but just to make sure he took an X-ray. Sure enough there was a small crack in my shin. He had described this as a giant spider web in my bone. The first few thoughts that ran through my head were, “Can I still play soccer? Will it get better?” Almost like he could read my mind he said, “You can’t play soccer or walk on your leg, but it will get better, in the mean time wear the boot and use crutches. I will do a check up with you in two weeks.” When we came back for the check up I told him I was still in a ton of pain. He looked worried and sent us to get an MRI.
When the time came I was asking questions in a frantic, a huge machine shaped like a donut was going to do a photo shoot with my leg. After twenty long minutes of anticipation, it finally finished. The next day we saw my doctor. Something that I never thought could happen, happened to me. I had a four inch mass of shattered bone in my shin. My doctor put me in a knee high cast and sent me to the hospital to see another doctor.
There they cut off my cast and analyzed my leg as if it was some sort of science experiment. I then got a wheel chair and another cast, that went up to my mid-thigh. This pattern continued for the next eight weeks. Finally they removed my cast once and for all, but I was still in a wheel chair as well as excruciating pain. So we went back to the hospital and the doctor looked again. She asked me on a scale of one to ten how painful it truly is. I replied “nine and a half, my leg feels like there is a blowtorch on it 24/7.” She instantly knew I had Reflexive Sympathetic Dystrophy. “All of our other patients with this syndrome say the same thing about their pain intensity”, the doctor told me.
RSD is a chronic pain disorder that I deal with everyday, and will continue to deal with everyday for the rest of my life. There is no cure. Doctors do not understand why some people get it and others do not. They don’t know what causes it. They do know that a large majority of people who get it are 11 year old athletic females. Most of these girls have a minor injury like mine that turns into RSD. Physical therapy helps, acupuncture sometimes helps, being sedentary makes it worse. Honestly though, when you are in so much pain 24 hours a day it’s really hard to be motivated to move. You have to learn to trust the experts, do what they say, and hope you improve.
My story has a positive ending; I have worked hard and have seen improvement. I can sleep at night now, I can wear shorts and let the wind blow against my leg without crying. I can wear pajamas again. Not all girls with RSD have such positive outcomes. My heart breaks for them. I pray each day research will determine the cause, the cure and once again we’ll all live pain free, carefree lives.
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
A flame kindles in my shin as I drop to the ground. Tears fall from my eyes like a rain storm. Then I think “be strong”. I stand as if nothing happened. After soccer practice we head for our house. As soon as I sit down my mom put ice on my leg. “What happened?” my mom asked in confusion. “I passed the ball under pressure and my shin guard slipped. When she charged for the ball she kicked as hard as she could and ended up hitting my shin. As soon as that happened, I crumpled to the ground”, I replied crying, remembering the fire I felt inside at that moment.
My mom knew something was wrong when I was still in pain a week later, so she made an appointment with the sports medicine doctor. In the time being she put me in a walking boot to protect my leg, but I kept playing soccer. We were headed to the State Championships and I didn’t want to miss out. When it was finally time for my appointment I was a little scared. I felt like a I had butterflies in my stomach. He looked at my leg and said he couldn’t see anything wrong, but just to make sure he took an X-ray. Sure enough there was a small crack in my shin. He had described this as a giant spider web in my bone. The first few thoughts that ran through my head were, “Can I still play soccer? Will it get better?” Almost like he could read my mind he said, “You can’t play soccer or walk on your leg, but it will get better, in the mean time wear the boot and use crutches. I will do a check up with you in two weeks.” When we came back for the check up I told him I was still in a ton of pain. He looked worried and sent us to get an MRI.
When the time came I was asking questions in a frantic, a huge machine shaped like a donut was going to do a photo shoot with my leg. After twenty long minutes of anticipation, it finally finished. The next day we saw my doctor. Something that I never thought could happen, happened to me. I had a four inch mass of shattered bone in my shin. My doctor put me in a knee high cast and sent me to the hospital to see another doctor.
There they cut off my cast and analyzed my leg as if it was some sort of science experiment. I then got a wheel chair and another cast, that went up to my mid-thigh. This pattern continued for the next eight weeks. Finally they removed my cast once and for all, but I was still in a wheel chair as well as excruciating pain. So we went back to the hospital and the doctor looked again. She asked me on a scale of one to ten how painful it truly is. I replied “nine and a half, my leg feels like there is a blowtorch on it 24/7.” She instantly knew I had Reflexive Sympathetic Dystrophy. “All of our other patients with this syndrome say the same thing about their pain intensity”, the doctor told me.
RSD is a chronic pain disorder that I deal with everyday, and will continue to deal with everyday for the rest of my life. There is no cure. Doctors do not understand why some people get it and others do not. They don’t know what causes it. They do know that a large majority of people who get it are 11 year old athletic females. Most of these girls have a minor injury like mine that turns into RSD. Physical therapy helps, acupuncture sometimes helps, being sedentary makes it worse. Honestly though, when you are in so much pain 24 hours a day it’s really hard to be motivated to move. You have to learn to trust the experts, do what they say, and hope you improve.
My story has a positive ending; I have worked hard and have seen improvement. I can sleep at night now, I can wear shorts and let the wind blow against my leg without crying. I can wear pajamas again. Not all girls with RSD have such positive outcomes. My heart breaks for them. I pray each day research will determine the cause, the cure and once again we’ll all live pain free, carefree lives.