The Book - Sunny 

The knuckles in my right hand were crushed after a heavy garden pot fell down onto them. From the outset it was disproportionately painful and excessively swollen. Having been diagnosed with CRPS I set out, (funded by friends) on a mission to find reatments which did not include large doses of pain medication.

I began to write a diary (with my left hand) which soon evolved into a sort of handbook recording all my findings. I researched on the net and found support groups where people generously shared their experiences of CRPS, but found using the computer really painful and slow. My injured right hand would get very cold and invariably cramp when in one position for too long.  Therefore my diary was handwritten and I went to bookshops trying to find any other information on the subject.

As it became evident how little there was on CRPS for those without access to the net, I decided to turn my diary into a sort of self help book. 

I knew how isolated I felt, being in such acute pain all the time, but I could hardly imagine what it would be like to be afflicted with CRPS and have no information about what was happening to create such extreme symptoms. The book is full of illustrations in full colour which I hope will be informative. Having experienced the difficulties of trying to read a book using only one hand, I also wanted it to be bound in a way that it could be rested on the lap or on a tabletop without having to wrestle with the pages. So  for that reason it is in hardback with pages that stay open, also keeping in mind those with painful conditions in their hands.