Hi Abigail,

I am so sorry you had to come and find us. We have a wonderful group though so you've landed in a soft place. We all know how terribly frightening and out of control it feels in the beginning. It is great you were diagnosed relatively early, that bodes well for treatment making a difference. Try not to panic. Stress and anxiety will heighten your pain response and do nothing to help you heal. There is hope. Cleveland Clinic CRPS bigwig Dr. Michael Stanton-hicks says 80% of people improve over time. There is a very helpful video by Dr. Pradeep Chopra called "CRPS Diagnosis and MAnagement." On Youtube which is rational and gives many tips on treament and therapies.

It is concerning that the cause of your CRPS is unknown. I would encourage you to pursue an answer if at all possible. Sometimes there is something that can be addressed causing it and that makes all the difference in outcome. If you need consults with other specialists or MRI imaging, etc. then go after it. No one wants to live with a problem that can be fixed.

I am currently receiving ketamine and am having good results with few side effects (nausea right after for 30 minutes, no big deal). I nap the day of and wouldnt want to ride a train though I usually stay awake for 2-3 hours afterwards. My protocol is very low dose and infused over 1-1.5 hours only every two weeks. Much less intrusive than some methods. I have a thread going where I post my doseage and the effects and cumulative effect. I hope you will find it helpful. Feel free to PM me if you like.

There may be creative ways to deal with the treatment time. If there is no one to take you, consider volunteer organizations that give ride to doctors appointments. Sometimes the larger medical centers have lodging where you could perhaps stay overnight. If you get stuck see about the centers social work staff. They can probably give you some tips.

Here is my ketamine post...
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread220186.html

Come see us for sharing and support. No matter what comes hold on to your recovery like a bulldog. Sometimes improvement is very slow in coming. After nine months on crutches I understand. Just keep plugging away while keeping yourself from flaring to the degree possible. If that means you only add activity in tiny, tiny imcrements then do it. If nothing else you are staving off more loss.

Sending hugs and healing love,