I Suffer From The Most Painful Condition Known To Medicine — And My Life Is A Nightmare

It was a rare beautiful afternoon in Seattle in the spring of 2002, and I was throwing a football around with the guys at work. I probably shouldn’t have been doing so in a skirt and heels, because I wound up with a fractured finger, sprained wrist and damaged rotator cuff.

After the cast was removed, the doctor told me to wash my hands. The last thing I remember was going to the sink — and then everything went black.

I had momentarily passed out from the pain I experienced just washing my hands.

I was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome, a poorly understood form of pain that is severe, chronic and debilitating. “Although most cases are triggered by an injury, the resulting pain is much more severe and long-lasting than normal,” notes the U.K.’s National Health Services. “The skin of the affected body part can become so sensitive that a slight touch, bump or even a change in temperature can cause intense pain. Affected areas can also become swollen, stiff or undergo fluctuating changes in color or temperature.”

CRPS makes my skin feel like it’s on fire on the inside yet freezing cold on the outside. My bones feel like they are broken, and my skin is so sensitive, it’s difficult to wear clothes or shoes. My skin swells and turns reddish-purple. The simplest touch can feel like being stabbed with a red-hot poker. The condition can show up weeks, months or even years after an injury or surgery, but — and I often think this is the cruelest detail of all — it’s not fatal.

Though CRPS typically affects the body part or region that was injured, mine has progressed to encompass my entire body. The left side of my face feels like Mike Tyson is using my cheekbone as a punching bag 24/7. My arms are so sensitive I can’t