It Could Always Be Worse

This week’s class was a continuation of the social self.  Because I have recently re-injured my foot, I have decided to dedicate this post to a self-enhancement strategy that I have become found of because of such injuries.

According to Taylor (1989), we have a fundamental desire to maintain a positive viewpoint about ourselves and our circumstances, and in order to protect this positive viewpoint we use self-enhancement strategies.  The strategy that I use most often consists of making a downward social comparison.  This type of comparison involves comparing yourself to others who are worse off than you are.  For example, if people’s self-esteem is threatened, they are likely to compare themselves to people who are less than they are (e.g., less successful or less fortunate) as a way to protect their own self-esteem (Hakmiller, 1966).  Furthermore, downward social comparisons allow people to maintain a positive outlook on their life (Aspinwall & Taylor, 1993).  

Downward social comparisons have noticeably become more important in my life since my foot injury on July 4, 2008.  On this day, I accidentally hit my foot on a desk leg, and the desk leg slid between the last two toes on my left foot.  Naturally, a week later I found out that I had broken the bones in that area, but I was told that everything should heal within 4-6 weeks.  After the sixth week, I still could not move any of my toes or my ankle, and the pain was spreading up my leg.  In February of 2009, I found out that I had actually developed a nerve disease when I had initially hit my foot and it was now spreading up my leg.  This nerve disease is called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) and is a life-long condition, meaning there is no cure.  Because of RSD, I had lost 95% mobility from my ankle down, and it hurt to do simple things such as walk, shower, and wear socks.  Because I had limited mobility, I was also forced to quit marching band (I had to be on the side lines) and to step down as section leader for my last two years of high school.  It is safe to say that I was not a happy camper during this time.

Although I cried myself to sleep most of the time (because of the pain and the frustration), I kept telling myself: “Things could be worse.”  In fact, I knew that things could be worse because the doctor who helped me with my pain management told me a story about a woman who got a paper cut on her thumb, developed RSD, and then the RSD spread from one arm to the other arm before she was able to get any type of treatment.  So at this point although I was in a lot of pain, I was thankful that we had identified the problem before the RSD had spread to both legs.  In a similar vein, two years ago my mom was watching one of those mystery medical shows (the ones where the person didn’t know what was wrong with them, but by the end of the show we find out what was wrong with them).  This particular episode was about a woman who was on bed-rest for 14 years because she was in horrible pain.  During this show, my mom was shocked to realize that the woman’s symptoms matched my symptoms but to a greater extent.  At then end of the episode, my mom’s suspicions were verified in that this woman did end up having RSD.  After hearing about this episode from my mom, this woman’s story became part of my downward social comparison because at least I wasn’t force to stay in bed for 14 years because I was experiencing unimaginable pain. 

Since 2009, I have had various block injections in a main nerve located on my back.  These injections paralyze the nerve to decrease their sensitivity and firing.  I also did physical therapy as a way to get more mobility and strength in my foot.  Right now, or at lest before my re-injury a couple of weeks ago, the pain as become more manageable, showering doesn’t hurt, and I can wear socks and shoes you can lace.  But walking is still a day-to-day challenge, my dancing is limited, and I do not think I will ever be able to run or jump ever again because my foot does not do well with impact force.  It is very frustrating not being able to do things that I loved to do before my accident and not being able to do things that I might not have liked but at least could still do if I wanted to or needed to.  In all, I have had to drastically change certain areas of my life.  I also now have to be careful in general not to injury my foot because the RSD will be triggered even more each time, which is unfortunate because for the first time since 2008, I re-injured my foot and am now dealing with even more RSD symptoms.  Hopefully, the doctors and specialists here in Georgetown will be able to help me in the coming weeks. But hey, at least the nerve damage hasn’t spread past my left leg or hasn’t caused me to be on bed-rest and miss all my classes and flunk out of school, so I’m hopeful to an extent!

P.S. Here is a link to webMD that does a good job a describing RSD or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/crps

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Aspinwall, L. G. & Taylor, S. E. (1993). The effect of social comparison direction, threat, and self-esteem on affect, self-evaluation, and expected success. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 64, 708-722.

Hakmiller, K. L. (1966). Threat as a determinant of downward comparison. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (Suppl. 1), 32-39.

Taylor, S. E. (1989). Positive illusion: Creative self-deceptions and the healthy mind. New York: Basic Books.