I want to start out by saying that I am very sorry for all that you are going through. You have had an incredibly tough time and I know what you are going through because...well...your story sounds a LOT like mine.

I know it is scary and I know it's a lot to take in right now. You've been bounced around a lot, you want your life to be normal again but it's not, you've got the stress of dealing with work comp and a nurse case manager and work...all on top of this horrible pain that you can't seem to get under control. It's a lot to deal with.

I wish I had some magical words of wisdom that would change your life...but I don't. All I can do is give you advice based on my OWN experience which may or may not be helpful to you...though I hope sincerely that it is.

1. Get an attorney to help you with work comp if you do not already have one. Seriously...this is important. I don't know where you live, but work comp laws are different in every state and you need someone who knows the laws is your state to back you up. Work comp attorneys do not get paid out of your pocket...they get a percentage of your eventual settlement or award amount from work comp which will be SIGNIFICANTLY higher if you have an attorney than without one...so you are losing nothing and gaining everything. You CANNOT TRUST WORK COMP...EVER. I hate that this is the world we live in but it is. They do not care about you...no matter what they say...and your health and well being will suffer even more than it already has because of them. An example of this...you are not able to physically or mentally handle work right now which your doctor agrees with because they took you off...only the nurse case manager convinced them otherwise. I don't know the laws where you are but here in IL I know that the nurse case manager CANNOT talk to your doctor if you don't want them to...PERIOD. The only access they have is to your medical file and notes...unless you give them more access. I didn't know this until I got a lawyer and WORK COMP most certainly didn't let me know my rights. And here was this pushy nurse invading MY medical appointments and INTERFERING with MY medical care to my detriment...and I didn't know my rights. GET A LAWYER.

2. If you are still wearing a brace...stop. Immobilization is the worst thing for CRPS. If you are using any ice in the treatment of your CRPS...stop it now. What you need to do is find the things that give you relief...even slight relief...and use those to your advantage. Also learn what triggers the pain (cold, touch, air movements, etc) and try to avoid those things.

3. Physical therapy is important and you should do it EVERY day. If your physical therapist has not given you exercises to do at home every day then ask for some. You need to move every day. However...and here is the difficult thing...you have to move and do exercises that are not too hard on your CRPS. It's going to hurt but you should never push yourself so far that you are unable to function afterwards. There is a balance that you will need to find between moving and resting. This is a SLOW process and it may be months before you see a noticeable difference in the pain or function...but it will come. BTW...side note...work comp will HATE this and is one of many reasons why you do not want them making medical decisions for you...those should be left up to you and your doctor.

4. Back to work comp...do NOT settle or even think about settlements until you are 100% better or at least back to life as normal as it will ever be for you. In fact, I would say generally you should think of settlements as a very bad thing for you period and you should not even think about them for several years until your doctor has said you are as good as you will ever get...and if you still need medical treatment in that state then you shouldn't settle. Your lawyer SHOULD explain all of this to you...but just as there are bad/corrupt doctors out there, there are also bad/corrupt lawyers out there. If you see one who says anything about a specific amount you should settle for while you are choosing one...walk away. Your HEALTH and WELL BEING should come first and any discussions about settlements or awards should come long after those two things are taken care of.

5. Don't trust anyone at work. Your words and comments will be taken out of context and used against you if they can. Don't let anyone provoke you into quitting and don't let yourself get put into any situation where you can be fired. My employer tried to bully me and were awful to me...but I never gave in. I learned what my rights were, kept a level head, and tried to keep my focus on GETTING BETTER. That's where your focus needs to be right now and just remember that once you GET better then you can go back to work and be focused on work things. Right now you won't do yourself or work any good by trying to push too far too fast.

6. Make sure...before you make any decisions about treatment options...that you have researched the options and know both the possible good and bad consequences of said treatment. If you will not be able to handle the worst case scenario when weighed against the possible benefits...then don't do it. You will be desperate (you already are) and you will pin all your hopes on a treatment the doctor says might take your pain away...and then if things go wrong or don't work out you will be devastated and possibly in much worse condition. I'm not saying you shouldn't take risks...but whatever you do make sure you do it with eyes wide open. Ask hard questions both of the doctors and yourself and make sure YOU are being 100% honest with yourself and your doctors about how you feel about a particular procedure or treatment.

7. Ask a lot of questions. Ask them here, ask them to your doctor, ask them to yourself and seek out the answers. You need to be the most informed person when it comes to your CRPS and treatment. You will run into many people along the way who just don't get it. These may be people in work comp, they may be people at work, they may be friends and family...they may EVEN be doctors. You have to be the one who knows your CRPS better than any of them and protect yourself from people and situations who will only make you worse. I miss the blind faith I used to have in doctors...but that has gone away after many bad experiences with people who not only couldn't help me but also made me worse. Stand up for yourself and don't be a victim if you can help it (most times we can't...but the more I learned the better prepared I was to avoid people who would only make me worse).

The truth is...and I hate to say this or to scare you...but the pain might not get better. It might get worse. You may or may not find medications that help you with the pain. What then? Are you going to continue to FIGHT to take back this life that is slipping away from you or are you just going to give up and let it go? I HIGHLY recommend fighting because despite the pain...you CAN fight to have a more normal life. You are NOT your CRPS...you are YOU and you HAVE CRPS.

It sucks that I am in pain all day every day. It sucks that there are many things I used to be able to do that I can't do anymore. It sucks that I have to convince myself every day that it is worth getting up and pushing through that pain...but it IS worth it. I was at a point where I was in a wheelchair and couldn't stand or walk anymore (obviously wasn't able to work in that state either). But I fought through it. I am now walking (with a walker...but it's still walking) and I am now back to work 50+ hours a week in a job where I am on my feet all day (that I loved before I got hurt and still love now). I have had to make HUGE adjustments...but all the important things are still there in my life.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel even IF the pain doesn't go away (and I hope it does...you should keep trying for that)...you just have to make up your mind to FIGHT for it. You have to make up your mind each and every day that you are GOING to do this...that you are going to do the physical therapy...that you are going to keep searching for medical treatment...that you are going to do whatever it takes to fight this monster that is CRPS and take your life back.

It will be slow and it will not be easy...but you'll make it if you keep your eyes focused on the end goal.

I'm sorry that there is no magical pill or procedure that will just make you better. Getting "better" is a real struggle that just takes time. You have to work at it to find those things that make you feel better and those things that make you feel worse (so you can avoid them). The hardest part can be the balancing act between things you want to do, things you can't do, things that hurt to do, and things that you NEED to do. You will get there...it is not hopeless even if it feels that way sometimes.

Take care of yourself. Sorry for the long post...I don't mean to sound so preachy. These are just my own thoughts and opinions based on my own experiences. I hope at least some of the advice can help you in this journey. I don't like to hear of anyone suffering with this condition.