Quote:
Originally Posted by Littlepaw
Darn it! You know I'm fond of you but I just don't want to see you over here for this! i am so sorry you aren't just dropping in to say hi. 
I am going to suggest a simple med, prednisone. It is often overlooked but is recommended several places, including practice guidelines given by bigwig Dr. Stanton-hicks in 2014. I ended up taking a couple rounds of it early on and it made a big difference in swelling, pain and temp changes. Guidelines call for 10mg three times daily for ten days to three weeks depending on response. That is not a terribly big dose and while steroids do have side effects (and are no good for diabetics if that is a problem) they do have their place.
Start hitting 500 mg of Vit C daily. DMSO is good, but hard to find in the right percentage. I ordered online and cut it with aloe Vera to get it to a percentage that didn't irritate my skin.
What are they doing with your foot? Are you in a boot? Surgical shoe? assisted weight-bearing is recommended for stress fracture but immobilization is bad for CRPS. If you are permitted keep that foot moving with whatever alphabet spelling and ankle circles you can tolerate. Get in a pool and gently swish with a weight belt.
I use a topical of ketoprofen, gabapentin and ketamine that I like. I order lidocaine 4% separately because I don't always want it.
I find it hopeful you have beat back this kind of reaction before. My physical medicine doc in Houston who I am so happy with once told me they have some patients who react this way every time they have surgery. He said he and the other docs start PT and pain control, wait quietly for a few months and hope that it will go away. He said it typically does.
I hope you get relief soon!
Sending hugs and healing love,  |
Hi Littlepaw,
You see, I was subconsciously trying to think of a way to hang out with you and this warm-hearted crowd more often...and see what I have created? Lol.
I am grateful for your response.
Interesting about prednisone. You have helped me to recall some of what I had read. Interestingly, I am already on 15 mg a day, and have been for three years. I was trying methotrexate to get off of the prednisone and had not yet tapered the prednisone. MTX can elevate the platelet count, although I had only had two weekly injections before the clotting had showed up. We are not sure of the cause of the clotting at this point. I have a history of antibodies which can also cause clotting, so we are searching for those.
My rheumatologist is in charge of my prednisone, so maybe she will jack up the dose for a few days. I see her in the morning. I can only hope so. It's an interesting strategy and may work. Thanks for mentioning this.
I find I am not retaining information well when I am reading up. I forget more than usual lately and must print out anything I want to recall.
Thanks for the info on DMSO and aloe. Also for the information on the topical mix. It's wise, I feel , to keep some of these separate, as you have done, as sometimes we want a certain component and not others. Smart.
I am in a boot. I cannot stay immobilized due to the clotting, as well as the CRPS. I am instructed to do no weight bearing yet. I can have the boot off when foot is elevated and the Ortho agrees I can move the ankle when the foot is elevated.
Vit C sounds great.
I have also read some about NAC being used, I need to go back and read again. I am forgetting things I rarely forget.
My PCP hasn't been much help thus far. He thinks it's best if people go to a group to talk about their pain. I don't disagree. Yet, if they have a choice of being treated and attending PT or talking about their pain, I think the best choice involves the actual treatment and PT first and foremost. Lol. Our state has new guidelines and has a database overseeing all doctors and patients affiliated with the University and he is not thinking straight. He did order Namenda. I had told him I thought the studies done now show Namenda is too weak and if it works at all, will not work for at least 6 months. He said he thought my info was correct and sent the order into the drug store anyway.
MSContin, dilaudid, Depakote and soma... just not touching the pain.
Interestingly, topical soma did stop the severe spasms in feet, toes, ankles and calves through the night.
I am having severe drenching sweats. Anyone else having drenching sweats with these flares of severe pain?
Thanks again, Littlepaw! I appreciate your knowledge and your love for all.
DejaVu