Hi Angelina,

I'm so with you on this.. as you may recall I am just on the opposite pass from where you are and our temps have been dropping fast. Saddened to know that in another month the snow will be flying.. oh I hope to have a better handle on the pain by then.

Something you may be interested in asking your doctor about is a Butrans patch. I've only had the SCS for 8 weeks now and although it does help there are times when pain is still hitting 8-9 and so I have conceded to using additional meds. I was previously only using oxy or hydro when pain got out of control but, as my doctor explained for long term pain this is not the best way to treat it. So they had me try a Butrans patch at a low dose and then still have the backup of oxycodone for BT pain if needed. The patch has really helped keep things at a more tolerable level and the spikes aren't nearly as frequent. The only down side has been some nausea/vomiting (which all the other meds give me) and slightly less alert feeling but not so bad that I can't keep my eyes open. I just started my 8th day of the patch so I am hoping the nausea subsides by the end of this week as my body becomes more used to the new med. All in all I am happier with this medication compared to the others.

I also continue to use the lidoderm patches, epsom salt soaks, compounded cream, flexeril, celebrex, gabapentin and voltaren gel along with the SCS 24/7. Together they all help some. Certainly better than going without!!

A pain management doctor I highly recommend can be found at Pain Consultants of Washington in Kirkland/Bellevue. He is kind, patient and extremely knowledgeable in treating RSD/CRPS. He actually told me that the only two conditions he treats with the same aggressiveness is Cancer and CRPS/RSD. He also explained that you have to treat it like you are in a war.. hit the ground with both boots, running! He understand the need to treat quickly and aggressively and does that together with a team of professionals based on the patients unique symptoms etc., Can't say enough positive things about Dr. N.

When I asked him about how to prepare myself to cope with the winter.. he said "keep the limb warm" that is the best thing you can do is really try to keep it warm and also keep it moving as hard as that seems. So I've been shopping for technical clothing that I can tolerate and that will add the additional warmth. Athleta, REI and Patagonia have many options... waiting for a $ale

Hang in there,
Tessa