Re: and everyone who sent good wishes to me re burn injury

[Guest guest]

Hi Guys!

My hand is healing well, no real pain at this time if

I don't use it, but am trying to keep my hand, wrist

and fingers as mobile as possible in the wrap. I

think that I will be in a wrap (and possibly using the

burn cream too) for the next two months. Please,

everybody who has weakness in their grip, be very

careful when working with boiling water, or any other

possible burn injury, and ask for help! It was

definately a learning experience, and could have been

much worse, so I am blessed by that. Thanks again,

everyone, and I am sure your prayers will speed the

healing process up, so keep me in them!

Kathe in CA

--- <Matsumura_Clan@...> wrote:

> Kathe,

>

> So sorry to hear of your accident with the boiling

> water. I hope your hand

> heals quickly and that you aren't in a lot of pain

> now.

>

>

>

> Not an MD

>

> I'll tell you where to go!

>

> Mayo Clinic in Rochester

> http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

>

> s Hopkins Medicine

> http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

>

>

> Re: [ ] Family support?

> (long post)

>

>

> > Hi :

> >

> > This is a very common theme here. We have an

> invisible

> > illness, no one else can see our pain, and there

> are

> > often no obvious physical problems to identify us

> as

> > people in pain. I have been dx now with RA for 7

> > years and I think at times my family still does

> not

> > totally get it - they are really pretty

> understanding

> > and do help when I ask for it, but, still, they

> will

> > never understand like we do, and I would never

> want

> > them to.

> >

> > Last week, I was trying to pour out a big pot of

> > boiling water and pasta into the drainer in the

> sink.

> > My right grip weakened and I dropped the pot, with

> the

> > water and pasta being poured over the top of my

> right

> > hand. Second degree burns. Now that pain was

> > something my family could see! No need to explain

> > that it hurt, that healing will take time, and I

> will

> > be scarred from it. They get that kind of pain,

> that

> > injury they can see. RA pain is not that easy to

> > explain, even though that pain is very real and

> will

> > be with me for the rest of my life. The scars are

> > inside, and not visable, but are no less real than

> the

> > scars from my burn will be.

> >

> > When I was first dx, I would find articles about

> RA on

> > the internet, information, etc., and email it to

> my

> > husband. Somehow it was easier for him to read

> about

> > RA, rather than my sitting and talking to him

> about

> > it.

> > I also got books from the library, left them out

> in

> > full view for my hubby or kids to check out if

> they

> > felt like it, and read some of the big points

> about RA

> > outloud too - in small bits - to whomever was

> sitting

> > by me. Have you thought of taking them to the

> doctor

> > with you? Also, this is not fixable and men like

> to

> > fix things - my hubby and son understand as best

> as

> > they can, but emotionally I still connect better

> with

> > my daughter, who at times seems like she can feel

> my

> > pain herself. She has learned to read my face and

> > body language, and knows when I am having a bad

> day

> > without my having to say a thing.

> >

> > I know how hard it is to feel alone in your pain,

> > trapped within your new reality, and wishing it

> all

> > could just go away. I am sure that your family

> knows

> > that it is not all in your head, but maybe they

> are

> > afraid of what will happen to you, what will your

> > future be, all those things that you are asking

> > yourself, and if they just don't acknowledge it,

> it

> > will all go away.

> >

> > My kids and hubby were scared, for me, for the

> family,

> > everybody's future has been altered in different

> ways

> > by my having RA. I had to stop working, down to

> one

> > income, and that has been hard on my husband, and

> on

> > my self-esteem. My kids were 15 and 13 and they

> > thought it meant I was going to die. My

> grandmother

> > had RA and was cripped by it, I thought that was

> my

> > future. It threw us all for a loop, but we got

> through

> > it. You and your family will too.

> >

> > I am sorry that you are not getting the emotional

> > support you need, but know that we are always

> here,

> > and do understand. Just give your family some

> time to

> > get adjusted, maybe do some of the things I

> mentioned,

> > and I hope that they become more supportive of you

> as

> > time goes by. I hope this helps in some way.

> >

> > Kathe in CA

> >

>

>

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