Hi Rrae,

I've had a few, actually more than a few in my lumbar and cervical regions, they gave me a a number of weeks relief, but tbh my lumbar pain was that intense that any change felt like a massive improvement and then it seemed to creep back up again over the months. I was going every 6 months alternating the two as he tried once back in 2008 to do them both and I apparently stopped breathing and they had to flip me over to work on me, so, he decided never again both at once, bummer, but preferable to be alive and breathing me thinks. He began to do my RFA along with an epidural that numbed the nerves at the surface of the skin for some considerable time.

August 3 2012 another round of lumbar RFA along with epidural, 2 days later I developed this headache, due back at work on the 6th I called in work ill, soldiered on at home, by the 10th I drove to my doctor who wanted to admit me to hospital, I begged no so she acquiesced and agreed to silver chain nurse visit. I rang my mum and she arrived at the same time as the silver chain nurse. Silver chain took one look and said no way I'm calling an ambulance. Now in WA an ambulance will only take you to the public hospital where I've had a few bad experiences so the SC nurse agreed to mum driving me to the private hospital I often went to.

Admitted to hospital on the 10th and the headache worsened, by the 13th they decided to transfer me to their sister hospital where I had the RFA the week before and where my PM practiced from. Decided to do a blood patch the next morning as they suspected leaking dura from the epidural procedure. Saw a neurologist at 6pm who said he couldn't find anything and agreed with trying the blood patch so I was transferred at 6.30pm, arrived 7pm and at 7.30pmish I had a massive seizure, fortunately I remember none of it, anyhow the long and short of it is I sustained 3 thoracic fractures, 2 rib fractures and an S1 stress fracture that were not diagnosed for many weeks to come (my PM went on a/l the night after he did the blood patch for 6 weeks). Eventually diagnosed and then the only DR who did vertoplasty was on a/l until November. I saw him the 2nd week of November when he got back and it was too late to do anything as it had started to knit and you can't go back in and break it! He did however do a nerve block and flushed the S1 out with some solution in an effort to alleviate that area of pain.

I returned to my PM who decided to do an RFA of the thoracic area but this time without the epidural, it was a big area to do, T3,4,5 &6. I remember clearly coming back to recovery and the nurse saying it was a big wound.

My PM has always advised that the RFA can cause a feeling like bad sunburn but I've never experienced it UNTIL this time. To this day I don't know if it is because it was such a large area or because I didn't have the epidural. But the pain following it was unbearable, I could not wear even my nightie at night, and I began to wear my big scarfs in sarong type fashion as tops that covered my front and left the back open, with jeans as my lower accessory for modesty! When family and close friends approach me they often hug me close and if they caught me unawares before I could tell them not to the pain would almost have me collapse to the floor. I told my husband if I ever think of having this procedure done again, remind me the searing pain after it far exceeds any benefit to having the procedure in the first place. I was in agony with it for 6 months or more, and still have flare ups. The thoracic vertebrae weep constantly now, but not once have I contemplated an RFA again.

I emphasise that I was well aware this burn could occur but in the 6 years of having the procedure in cervical and lumbar it never happened, so it took me by total surprise. I had to give up work in the October after finding the fractures and being told I would be unable to work for maybe 12 months or more so at least I was spared the work contact of people accidentally touching me.

Maybe it was because it was thoracic or maybe I didn't have the epidural but, wow, do not go into this procedure without doing some more research and speaking to other people. With your CRPS it could spread and maybe your new doctor is unaware of CRPS and how it behaves?

I don't want to be a downer on a potentially hopeful treatment, that for many, many individuals it works wonderfully, but, just please check it out further so you can make an informed decision.