I am in agreement with all of the above. Never let a doctor bully you into something you are not comfortable with doing. My last PM doctor tried to "bully" me into a SCS. He told me that he had no more "tools in his toolbox" and this was my only option for pain relief. He also told me that if I did not have it done I would be in a wheel chair and crippled for the rest of my life (Yes...he actually said the word "crippled"...). First of all, I reminded him I wasn't in a wheelchair and second I found a new PM doctor.

I know there is a big debate on the SCS. It was worked well for some and caused devastating effects/spread of the disease for others. I have had prior back surgery (2 level fusion w/ 6 screws & 2 rods) and there is no way in hell I would let anyone perform "unnecessary" surgery on my back when there are other options out there for CRPS. I am allergic to pain meds(opioids/narcotics) and other meds used to treat CRPS (gabapentin, amitriptyline, Lyrica, and many others). Luckily, my new PM listened to me and we tried ketamine. It has been a life saver for me.

But, there are many, many other options available to you for pain management. If you find a good doctor who is knowledgeable about CRPS, he/she will go over all of your options and let YOU CHOOSE what you feel is best....it's YOUR body...YOUR LIFE....you are in charge!

In my personal opinion, your doctor holding back your pain medication in order to get you to agree to a SCS is almost a form of mistreatment/malpractice.....that's just not right. If it gets to the point where you are in so much pain and don't have meds, I would call your family doctor and explain the situation. Hopefully he/she will understand and prescribe what you need. If not, then I would either go to the ER of your local hospital or to an "Emergi-Care" facility.

Good luck! And you can call the RSDSA people, as well, who can give you information on doctors in your area.