Thank you everyone. I'm still VERY sore and my neck has been stiff all day today from the shot...but that is slowly getting better. I know it can take up to 10 days to experience the full relief...but already today I noticed that even though my shoulder still hurt doing certain things...it wasn't the intense AGONY it has been. I still took it easy and didn't push it...but that has given me a little bit of hope that maybe it really was this simple?? If so...that would be amazing. My second epidural is scheduled January 24th and that should hopefully add on to any relief I get from this one. Only time can tell how long such relief lasts...but I am feeling hopeful today.

Even if this helps with my shoulder...I will still be going ahead with the DRG stimulation because my RSD has gotten much worse over the past year because of the limited activity and extra 20 pounds I've gained...not to mention increased stress and just overall pain...due to not being able to use the walker ever since my fall off the ladder over a year ago.

It is incredibly frustrating to think that if they had just listened to my complaints about the neck pain in the beginning, ordered the MRI of my neck sooner, and not dismissed the results of the MRI as "basically normal" sooner...I could have gotten this relief and treatment sooner. BUT...can't look back and think what if...we all know what that's like after spending months or years before finally getting the RSD/CRPS diagnosis. All we can do is move forward once we have the answers and do the best we can with that information.

So yeah...fingers crossed the relief continues and even...hopefully...improves over time and with the second and third epidurals.