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What is RSD and how is HELPRSD involved?
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, or CRPS (Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome), is a condition that results from the dysfunction of the central and peripheral nervous systems thought to be caused by injuries that can range from light, repetitive motion injuries such as Tendonitis and Carpal Tunnel, up to major injuries such as crushing and high velocity impacts, although in some cases RSD can occur with no apparent injury.It is a condition that has the ability to spread, which it does in a majority of cases, and can affect the entire body and can cause muscle, bone, and skin atrophy. RSD was once thought to progress in definitive stages, and is still thought to do so by most physicians, but as more knowledge is gained as to the progession of RSD the lines of those stages begin to blur and in many cases the stages seem not to apply.
RSD may last a few months or a lifetime and, although there are many treatments for RSD, there is no definitive cure. The symptoms also vary from person to person, some victims of RSD may have only a few and some may have many. RSD is a condition of maybes, could bes, probablys, and what ifs. The greatest ally to RSD is ignorance. As it is now, the majority of physicians are ignorant as to the flexibility of RSD in it's symptoms and causes, no two physicians have the same opinions and facts, and that does not bode well for victims of RSD. There has also recently been information that RSD might be linked to Fibromyalgia and Multiple Sclerosis. There are also studies being done concerning a connection between RSD and Endometriosis. Once we have more details about the sources of this information, links to studies and articles will be posted on this site.
HELPRSD is dedicated to helping those afflicted with RSD, and the the spread of knowledge about RSD, throughout the world. Since RSD is seemingly a rare condition (most cases are misdiagnosed), many doctors and governmental agencies are misinformed about the symptoms and causes of RSD, and, since it is crucial to treat RSD early on, we need to increase their knowledge base and educate them properly.
A Little About The Creators of HELPRSD
Chip and Melissa Townsend live in Columbus, Ohio and, although the odds are phenonenal, both have been diagnosed with RSD and Fibromyalgia. Chip has had RSD since March 19th 2003 although it wasn't diagnosed as RSD untill October of 2003 and later acquired Fibromyalgia as a result of having RSD. Melissa was injured January 15th 2004 and, because of Chip's experiences, has already been diagnosed with RSD, which shows how valuable information can be. She has also acquired Fibromialgia as a result of having RSD. Chip and Melissa met on the internet and Melissa moved to Ohio Febuary 1st, 2003. Chip worked at Papa John's Pizza until March 21st, 2003 although he was injured on the 19th. Papa John's then refused to file his Worker's Compensation claim and he was forced to file the claim himself. On May 21st, 2003 Chip and Melissa were married and, in spite of Chip's condition, have been happily married ever since. In June, 2003 they lost their apartment in South-East Columbus because he was not gaining any income from Worker's Compensation at the time due to appeals filed by Papa John's. They then moved in with a friend while Melissa worked temporary jobs, she was not able to get a permanant position due to all the doctor's appointments that Chip had to keep and his inability to drive. In September of 2003 Chip and Melissa finally had the money to move and found another apartment which has been their home ever since although financial difficulties due to Melissa's diagnosis of RSD in early February and the neverending appeals of Papa John's Pizza, and Worker's Compensation, which keep Chip from getting the treatments he needs, has made it difficult to keep their new home. In the midst of those difficulties, many people have come to them in their time of need and offered assistance and support, and they have sworn to do the same for others in need that have RSD and Fibromyalgia. Although Chip and Melissa currently do still have RSD and Fibromyalgia, their life is made richer by those around them, having each other, and having the chance to help others to not have to go through what they have been through themselves..
We at HELPRSD hope that this has given you some insight into HELPRSD's creators and would like to thank you for visiting us.
Before HELPRSD began, Chip found a site while trying to find some way to occupy his mind to distract it from the pain of RSD. That site is called Superdudes, a free gaming website. Credit must be given to SuperDudes for the HELPRSD Website and Charity coming into being. The suprising care and support of the moderators, and the gamers on that website, and their gentle prodding and suggestions, inspired Chip and Melissa to create HELPRSD and make it what it is today. 
E-mail HELPRSD or Visit Our Forum
If you have any comments or suggestions about our site or you have a link you would like us to post, please let us know.
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We have to apologize for the lack of activity and updates on this site over the past year. 2005 was a difficult year, medically, emotionally, and financially for us. We were without internet service at home for most of the year, so were not able to respond readily to inquiries, nor to do much with this site. We hope that, if you or a loved one, relative, or friend suffer from a chronic medical condition, you will be patient with us, and understanding of our situation. If you have submitted a question to us, we will respond to you, and greatly appreciate your patience. If you have submitted an inquiry regarding the HelpRSD Foundation's tax id number, yes, we do have a tax id number, however, financial constraints have made it impossible to move forward with the legal aspects and paperwork required to formally incorporate a non-for-profit organization. We have plans to move forward with this as soon as we are financially able to do so, and will post news on the process of incorporating as it becomes available.Also, please note that we will begin the process of transferring this site to another web hosting service as 2006 begins. We expect this transfer to a new and improved site to be complete by early summer. We do not plan for this Freewebs' hosted site to be deleted, but to keep it up to redirect folks to the new site. Moving to a different web hosting service will allow us to improve your experience when you visit the HelpRSD web site. We are also planning to bring out a quarterly newsletter with the new site.
Please check back for updates soon.
Kind Regards,
Chip and Melissa Townsend