Hi Everybody,

I am new at posting to this forum but have been following the occasional discussions since June when my Orthopedic Surgeon first suggested that I might have CRPS.

In January of this year, I had surgery to fuse both the subtalar and the tibiotalar joints in my right ankle. The surgery resulted in a non union on one of the joints and because of that, I am still unable to put any weight on my right foot.

I was officially diagnosed with CRPS, in late July by my pain management specialist, but by the time I had my first appointment with him, it had already spread throughout my entire body. On my good days, I feel like I have a bad sunburn on my shoulders, neck, upper back, arms and legs. On bad days, all I can do is sit on the very edge of the couch, try not to touch anything, breathe and hope that the meds will help.

I am now taking 600 mg Neurontin 3 times a day, 50 mg Elavil at night and 10-325 Norco as needed, which on days like yesterday was too much. I don't like taking the Norco as it does very little, but very little is better than nothing.

Yesterday, I saw my PM. Since the meds are doing so little for me, he asked me if I would be willing to try a lumbar sympathetic block. He also recommended I see one of his colleagues for a second opinion, to talk to him about the possibility of the blocks and the possibility of a spinal cord stimulation device. I am also seeing a 3rd specialist outside of this office on my primary care physician's recommendation.

This is where I am looking for advice from everyone here. I know that the blocks can help, especially if done early on. At this point though, will I have any benefit with a lumbar sympathetic block, which is only treating the original site, or am I already too late for that now? What are the chances of this causing more problems for me everywhere else?

Looking for your experiences...