Forward is forward, even if it waddles
SCOTTY BOXA’S CRPS STORY
Why the Ducks Started Waddling
The Day Everything Changed
No crash. No drama. No heroic fall. Just a quiet spark that lit a fire I didn’t want to feel.
I’d just smashed a triathlon, halfway through Tough Mudder prep, working full-time, living life like rest was optional. Then it hit.
A sharp pain in my shoulder that refused to leave. Muscles locked. Skin burned like I’d bathed in fire. Even lifting a jam jar felt like a cruel joke.
The pain didn’t fade. It spread. Across my arm, down my side, until breathing hurt. Walking hurt. Existing hurt.
The Diagnosis Nobody Wants
Doctors threw out guesses like raffle tickets: carpal tunnel, T4 syndrome, bad posture, maybe something in the brain.
Finally, a name: CRPS – Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.
Sounds official, right? Honestly, it should stand for Constant Ridiculous Pain & Suffering. Because that’s what it felt like.
Your body acts like it’s still injured long after the original wound is gone. The nervous system loops trauma like a bad remix, forever screaming “danger” when nothing’s wrong. Skin becomes electric. Joints lock up. Simple things, like putting on socks, feel like endurance sports.
There’s no cure. Some people go into remission. Some don’t. Unpredictable, unrelenting, unforgiving.
Living With CRPS (AKA Surviving the Unthinkable)
Work disappeared. So did hobbies. Even a sense of control. Life became an endless loop of pain, appointments, pills, and silence.
I tried everything: nerve blocks, injections, chiropractors, herbal teas, hypnosis, gratitude journals (spoiler: they didn’t make the pain stop). Some days I could walk. Some days I couldn’t lift a fork.
Every day felt like duct-taping life together and hoping it wouldn’t fall apart.
Writing Through the Wreckage
When you lose almost everything that made you feel like “you,” you grab whatever’s left. For me, that was words.
First, they were scribbles. Then pages. Then whole books. Books that weren’t polished or perfect, just real.
Not inspirational. Not motivational. Definitely not tidy.
Messy. Raw. Human.
Because CRPS might’ve lit the fuse, but the story isn’t about pain. It’s about what happens when life blows up and you’re forced to rebuild from the rubble.
“The silence was louder than the pain. So, I wrote.”
This Isn’t Just About CRPS
I didn’t write these books to tell you how to survive CRPS. They’re not medical guides or self-help manuals. They’re for anyone stuck in their own wreckage, burnout, heartbreak, broken plans, or just waking up thinking, “What the duck am I doing with my life?”
If you’re in a fight you never signed up for, this is your sign:
You’re not alone. Even if your win today is brushing your teeth or screaming into a pillow, you’re moving forward.
From That Wreckage, the Books Were Born
Not because I wanted to write about CRPS. Definitely not because I had answers.
I wrote because the silence was louder than the pain.
Those words became The Waddle Forward Collection:
Books for the tired, the messy, the ones duct-taping life together and trying anyway.
READ THE WADDLE FORWARD COLLECTION
Still Living With CRPS?
Yeah, me too. Some days I can cook. Some days I can’t lift a spoon. But if life teaches you anything, it’s this: forward is forward, even if it waddles.
FAQs About CRPS (Because Google Won’t Tell You This Stuff)
Q: Are your books about CRPS?
Nope. They’re about resilience, sarcasm, and figuring out life when the plan explodes.
Q: What is CRPS in plain English?
Your nerves throw a tantrum and refuse to calm down. Forever. It’s like your body’s alarm system gets stuck on “fire drill.”
Q: How can I support someone with CRPS?
Believe them. Don’t minimize it. And bring snacks, they help everything.
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