Q2 How does CRPS affect your mental health? If you are comfortable sharing, have you had any mental health diagnoses that have resulted from or have been associated with CRPS? #CRPSChat

A2: When I was first diagnosed I ended up dealing with depression. Everything about my identity had been taken away in a lot of ways. Over a long period of time I had to reinvent myself in a lot of ways. #CRPSChat

#CRPSChat A2 I definitely have PTSD, anxiety and depression bc of CRPS, bilateral T.O.S and the multiple times of CRPS has spread. And now this random fracture in my good foot and these symptoms in my good leg. It’s all upsetting & seems so much at times. Some days are darker than others.

Q3 Is there any specific part of living with CRPS that has negatively impacted your mental health? Do you experience anxiety, depression, negative thoughts, etc? #CRPSChat

Alisha #CRPSChat I really think that if there was a better assessment at time of diagnosis that this would really help with getting a persons treatment plan mapped out quickly to help with symptoms in a more timely fashion. #CRPSChat

@KateandCRPS #CRPSChat That’s the problem though is that there needs to be better education to help those in healthcare help us better. #CRPSChat

A3: What impacted me the most was loosing my self esteem and identity. #CRPSChat

Q4 Do you have access to adequate mental healthcare? How do you advocate for yourself? If you’ve had to figure it out on your own, how do you manage? #CRPSChat

@KateandCRPS #CRPSChat This is so true! The loneliness and painsomnia can be crippling at times. Sometimes it’s hard to go into treatment with a positive attitude I find because we often don’t get the results we’d like and that gets demoralizing time and time again. #CRPSChat

A4: Here in Saskatchewan often the access to mental healthcare is there but it’s difficult to access. It’s like the door to door salesman. You have to be willing to go out and bang on those doors and advocate for yourself. #CRPSChat

Q5 We often talk about hope in CRPS support groups. What gives you hope? #CRPSChat

A5: What gives me hope is seeing how the medical community is starting to understand that we need to be part of the solution. Working with us and learning from us to bring better treatments and ultimately cures. #CRPSChat

Q6 What are your best practices for good mental health? Do you have any routines you rely on? Do you have any tips or tricks to share?#CRPSChat

A6: One of the keys to me managing my mental health is being able to approach others in my rare disease community when things are alright. To be willing to say I’m having a hard time and need support. #CRPSChat

Thank you for chatting with us tonight. It is so great to check in with each other! Please mark your calendars for our next #CRPSChat on Tuesday, February 2nd at 5pm PST. Hope to see you then!

Thanks y'all! I will check in on the hashtag for those who couldn't make it tonight in the next few days 😊👋

#CRPSChat #6 i’m Christine from Folsom and I’m really late and hope this isn’t over! For mental health I reach out to both my close friends and my CRPS friends and I have bookmarked a number of sites for coping when things are bad. I also have a flare kit with some things and that helps.