Hi Tullis,

My husband is currently in CRPS remission. He had two surgeries in 2009 to repair damage to his hand from an encounter with his table saw. Like you, he was diagnosed right away which I believe was key.

He had two SG blocks and one brachial plexus block (or maybe it was the other way around). At the time, he felt like none of them was much help so resolved not to have any more. At the same time he went to physical therapy three times a week and also did the same exercises every night at home without fail. I helped him with the exercises because I could push his range of motion further with my two hands than he could with his one good one. He took gabapentin four times a day which he said made his short-term memory non-existent.

He also soaked in Epsom salt for 20 minutes every night. This was not prescribed, but I got a lot of hits on the internet that this helped with swelling.

I can't say which of these remedies put him in remission. Maybe a combination of any or all of them. But I can tell you it wasn't easy. He worked very hard and the exercises were painful. His surgeries were in early September '09 and he told me once that he didn't remember being in much pain after about Thanksgiving. I didn't find that out until months later though because he hated me asking about his pain levels. He did his exercises till probably the middle of January before tapering off and finally stopping altogether.

I think he would probably tell you that using his hand even when it was painful was a big part of attaining his remission. He would also say that if you're getting good results with the nerve blocks, go with whatever's working for you. And stay aggressive.

Don't give up! Don't ever give up!

Best of luck!