Originally Posted by TBDE

If sympathetic lumbar nerve blocks are a part of your treatment- how often did you do them? A week apart? A few weeks apart? More or less?

I'm new here--I was only diagnosed one week ago and had my first block the next day and it was *amazing*. They said I had pretty dramatic results from the block and most people don't usually get that much relief from it. Well it has worn off and I want it back!!!! We think the RSD started a year and a half ago in my foot with a bad step on a sidewalk. I continued running 20-30 miles a week on it despite the pain because I was too busy to go to the doctor. I can only assume this somehow kept the RSD from progressing farther than it did. Finally after several misdiagnoses they found a fracture. Put off surgery for school and by the time I had the surgery I had already lost significant ROM in my big toe--and it became much worse after surgery. It was very hard for me to get off crutches and out of the aircast. I'll skip the zillion other symptoms to keep this shorter-- I had a significant limp and only small ROM of my toes before the block. I could run after the block and no limp. Last night I was screaming in pain from the vibrations of family members walking past the sofa where I was sitting... My next block is scheduled for TWO weeks from now. That seems so long right now. Am I being impatient?

I guess I'd re-zeroed my personal pain scale from the long term pain with no answers. Now my anesthesiologist rocked my world with that block and I want that feeling back so bad! I don't take any painkillers (oxycodone, hydrocodone, tramadol, advil, tylenol, aleve, etc.) because they offer no relief for me and only cause side effects. I couldn't tolerate Lyrica. I just started Pamelor last week.