Joby,

Welcome to the forum. Sorry for the circumstances.

There is so much information on this forum. Take your time and search and peruse all of the threads and you will educate yourself from those of us that live with this condition every day.

There is hope. It's not all gloom and doom. You need to develop a daily routine and a team of professionals that understand CRPS and can help you along the way. I have my primary CRPS doctor who is a podiatrist as I have CRPS in my foot. Other team members include my general practitioner, my chiropractor, my physical therapist and my pain management doctors.

Make no mistake about it, this condition requires a multi-disciplinary approach for best results. Commit this sentence to your memory.

Yup, no ice. Never. I like warm water the absolute best. Your results may vary. Also never let anybody recommend nor should you try "contrast therapy" (hot cold). It is not a good thing for CRPS and can absolutely aggravate it. Some doctors and therapists that are old school think this is the way to go, but it is not.

I'm a big believer in taking vitamin C daily to prevent spread. I take 500 mg daily. You will find many references to vitamin C here. You have nothing to lose; it is inexpensive and your body excretes what you can't use. I don't think you need megadoses, but a reasonable dosage seems to make good sense.

You are your best advocate. Educate yourself and do not be afraid to assert yourself. This arguably is one of the most misunderstood conditions of the human body, even among professionals. As you develop your team, ask them point blank how much experience they have with CRPS and how many people they have treated. You want professionals with experience; not old school doctors with outdated opinions. If you see any "doe in the headlights" looks or responses to this condition, thank them for their time and move on. It's imperative you have educated and experienced people on your team. Don't just accept the first specialist/therapist/etc. that you see.

I spend approximately 3 hours per day on my routine which includes warm water soaks, physical therapy taught to me by my therapist, stretches, yoga, meditation (very helpful for chronic pain), and light exercise. My mantra is to "use but do not over-use". It's very important to keep moving!

Here is a link to a site that has information about "complementary" practices that can be very helpful with CRPS. Don't be afraid to experiment. You need to find the right combination of medications (what are you taking?) and western medicine along with some other practices that might complement other things you are doing. Scroll down until you see HEALING PRACTICES A-Z. Explore them and don't be afraid to try them. With CRPS, you gotta think out of the box!

http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/

Good luck to you!