Originally Posted by AngieG

Hi, I stumbled across NT when searching for information re: 5 day Epideral treatments and SCS for CRPS. I live in the Chicago suburbs and Dr. Lubenow is one of my Doctors at Rush Medical in the city. He is pretty well known for treating RSD/CRPS.
My Sciatic nerve in my right leg was damaged in a hip surgery 2 years ago. I was temporarily paralyzed in my right leg. I've gotten most of the function back but My foot is still struggling along. I have only partial movement but signs of life still seem to be there.
I was diagnosed with CRPS about 8 weeks after the surgery. Pain in my right leg kept increasing to a number 9-10 pain especially at night and after several emergency room visits they admitted me. I was placed on IV pain meds there until they figured out what to do next. Several nerve blocks later, I entered a full day outpatient rehab program that was fantastic and I got back on my feet again. I still go to therapy, 3times/week. The biggest challenge in all of this is managing all the meds I'm on. Very,very high doses of Fentynal, Roxie, Lyrica, Amatryptilyn , and others. Though these meds keep me out of the emergency room and allow me to rehabilitate at therapy, I've begun to realize what the Docs have been telling me all along, that living life on these meds may not be a sustainable plan. But if not this route, where do we head?
I'm scheduled for a 5 day Epideral ,on Dec 16th in an attempt to switch from the Fentynal patch to a long acting pill. I'm very skeptical because they tried giving me the hydro-morph pill initially when they were weaning me off the IV pain meds way back in the beginning, and that strand of Opioid didn't work. I know between now and the 16th, I need to change my thinking on this. In order to get the CRPS to retreat, I need to convince my brain that it's possible. My attitude will need to get a lot better between now and then. (I'm working on it).
I'm here in the Forum to learn and discuss options with like minded folks.
We'll talk more soon, I'm sure.