Kimmy Murrah Argotsinger--Loves Her Great Dane!

I have been living in Columbia, MO since 2004 w/ my husband Jay Argotsinger who I married in Aug. of 1996. I have a very painful nerve disease called RSD (Reflex... more

I have been living in Columbia, MO since 2004 w/ my husband Jay Argotsinger who I married in Aug. of 1996. I have a very painful nerve disease called RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) that I was diagnosed w/ in 1996 about a year after all the symptom started. It has totally taken over my life! Since I have RSD in both my legs from the hips to my toes it makes it hard to get around so I use a cane, walker, or wheel chair to get around depending on how I feel each day~~and this has all been going on since I was 28! I've now had it for over 16 yrs. It is all chronic pain & lots of swelling, depression obviously comes into play too. I have had 2 implants put in to help w/ the pain, my parents took me to the Mayo Clinic w/in the 1st year, but nothing can really be done since there is no cure for this disease, (you should look it up! There are several great support group who are great for patients, their families & friends who are affected as well when someone they love has this deblitating disease! If you're looking for a cause to support, they run totally on donations to run the groups & fund research since so few dollars are given to the research of this disease which can be fatal! They also send out information for patients free of charge is the person is unable to pay as many aren't as lucky as me & are denied Social Security Disablity! I was very thankful to be approved for Soc. Sec. Disablitity & am also very lucky that my husband has GREAT health insurance to pay for all my doctor bills & especially prescription coverage since my meds for 1 month run around $4500.00 each month!),so it's mostly just taking meds for the pain & to help deal w/ the swelling & helping w/ the depression of having your whole life taken over by pain! If you'd like more info on these support group send me a message & I'll get their info to you, they'd love any donations! Traveling (whether flying or driving) increases my pain & swelling, usually if I go back home I am unable to even walk, so I have only been back home 3 or 4 times since moving away from Iowa City in 1996 when my husband was offered a better job w/ a different company. We first moved to Huntington, IN, then to where we are now in Columbia, MO. in 2004. My last trip home was July of 2010, my first time back since like 1998, when my Daddy passed away 6 mo.'s after being diagnosed w/ Stage 4 lung cancer. It was a horrorable ordeal & shock, devistating since I was "Daddies Baby"! I miss him dearly, but it was really bad for him so luckily he was able to pass peacefully in our childhood home w/ the help of Hospice. We had a tough year that year, 2010. First we had our "child" Bruno, our Great Dane who was our baby & we'd gotten @ 5 weeks/12 lbs. who died in my arms on his 13th b-day, then we lost my wonderful Aunt Bonnie to ALS, then my Daddy in July. Man what a year! But we now have a new "baby", he's also a Great Dane named "Wolfy", we got him when he was 5 months, & he's now 1 yr. & 9 months & he has filled the void Bruno left, & helped me get through losing my father. It was great to go home for my father's "Celebration of Life" & be able to see so many family, relatives, & friends! I even got to reconnect w/ my best friend from high school (Iowa City City High class of 1984), Amy VanEpps, she came to the "Celebration of Life" for my father, & stayed by my side the whole time it went on to help support me during that tough day & we are back to talking on the phone, writing, etc.! It will be interesting to see how many people I can reconnect to through this outlet that's taken over the internet! Getting this new laptop has inspired me to check out Facebook for the 1st time & hopefully it'll bring me back intouch w/ others, & keep updated on what's going on in everyones lives!